How to Cope with Cigarette Addiction

Sherry Damatarca: 15 years ago cold turkey was one of the only options Canadians had to help them quit smoking. But with 95% of cold turkey quitters relapsing within the first year, more options were needed. This year the patch celebrates 15 years revolutionizing the way people are able to quot smoking. Because of its ability to deliver a steady supply of nicotine, smokers were better able to deal with cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Dr. Jean-Marc Assaad is a psychologist and an expert in motivation to help people quit smoking.

Dr. Jean-Marc Assaad: When Nicoderm was introduced to the market 15 years ago, it was a great advancement in technology and in smoking cessation. My clients very much appreciate this method, because it alleviates withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking cessation. Nicotine Replacement Therapies or NRTs, are very effective and in study, after steady, after steady, they have been shown to double your chances of success.

Sherry Damatarca: More then 100 clinical trials and extensive use over the years by millions of people worldwide, have proven the safe and effective use of NRTs like the patch. They deliver a dose of nicotine into the smokers body, free of the dangerous toxins produced by cigarettes and tobacco smoke. After smoking for many years, Jeff Holbrough knows all too well how difficult it can be to quit.

Jeff Holbrough: I have probably tried to quit smoking 20 times and the reason why I did it this time was, I decided that I had to quit for myself. I knew that if I continued to smoking, I would die. I want to spend time with my kids as they grew older and spend time with my wife in retirement, and that was the main motivation, was I have to quit now and do it for myself and my family.

Sherry Damatarca: Geoff Shier is another long time former smoker, who realized that to be successful he would need help.

Geoff Shier: I quit successfully using nicodrome.ca and journeytosuccess.ca. Those two websites had all sorts of information on it that was very helpful to me. Journeytosuccess.ca has a forms section that I found extremely helpful. I was able to read about other people's failures and successes and use them to help myself avoid those failures or cerate those successes.

Sherry Damatarca: For more information on how to quit, visit journeytosuccess.ca or quitforlive.com. Sherry Damatarca reporting.