New Year’s Resolution: Quit Smoking

With the New Year fast approaching, many people will make a New Year’s Resolution.  A new survey, done by USA Today, shows the top two resolutions made this year include losing weight and quiting smoking.  These two always seem to top the list of resolutions each year, but neither are easy to accomplish alone.

For those who want to kick the habit of smoking, there are quite a few options that can help with the cravings.  There are gums and patches, but one of the most recent medications generating talk is Zyban.

Zyban can help people leave the habit behind
A new study shows patients using Zyban, an FDA approved treatment to help smokers quit, gained less weight than those who tried to quit cold turkey.   The Food and Drug Administration cleared the drug, which is a nicotine-free prescription, in 1997.

A doctor from Massachusetts General Hospital conducted a study that involved 784 smokers.  All of them were put on Zyban for seven weeks and given brief counseling about their addiction.  After week seven, 435 patients were living cigarette free.  From that point, patients either remained on Zyban or a placebo. At the end of two years those who hadn’t picked up a cigarette were put on a scale.  According to the results those that took Zyban gained 9 pounds less than those taking the placebo.

Zyban is available through Edrugstore.com.

Other important tips
It’s important to remember that quitting smoking isn’t easy to do alone.  People are more successful if they are accountable to someone.  Whether you tell your spouse or your child, or go to smoking support groups, if other people know you’re trying to quit you’re more likely to stay away from cigarettes.

Another tip: keep your hands busy.  Former smokers say they took up knitting or twirled a pen in their hands to keep a cigarette out of them.

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