Enough has been written and said about smoking and the health problems it can cause. The most well-known casualty of smoking is cancer. But apart from that, smoking also leaves you more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, erectile dysfunction and COPD. But smokers know full and well how their addiction to tobacco and cigarettes can ruin their health. The real challenge is finding effective ways to quit smoking that can ensure a sustained abstinence from the health-wrecking habit. But what works for one smoker may not work for another. It’s all a matter of trial-and-error. If you are planning to quit smoking, here are four science-backed techniques that will help you kick the butt for good.

Exercise

Pick up your dumbbells instead of your pack of cigarettes for a change. A 2006 study published in the journal Addiction studied forty sedentary patients who smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day. A brief bout of moderate exercise was found to reduce their desire to smoke. And more tellingly, smoking also helped reducing the discomfort caused by nicotine withdrawal. Exercising can serve as a good distraction for smokers.

Meditation

If you have poor self-control, here’s a good reason to turn towards meditation. In 2013, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America showed that brief meditation improves self-control and reduces the urge to smoke. Pick a quiet place in your house or head to a tranquil place and focus inwardly towards your thoughts. And don’t quit if you don’t see immediate results.

Nicotine replacement therapy

One of the most effective and scientific ways to quit smoking is not by going cold turkey on tobacco by introducing your body to small amounts of nicotine, which may not do a lot of damage to your body like cigarette does. NRTs are available as patches, gums or lozenges that smokers could use to stop their craving without giving in to cigarettes.

Counselling

If you find yourself alone in your battle against smoking, turn to a counsellor says study. A 2017 study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews proved that speaking to a counsellor may prove to be a good help in guiding smokers to quit. The study conducted 49 trials on 19,000 participants to come to that conclusion. Counsellors can give smokers the right direction, the know-how and the strength to sustain their quitting programme.

Smokers who are trying to quite can combine two or more or all of the above techniques. To ensure that you don't fall off the wagon, make a lasting commitment to your health and well being. And no matter what you do, don't quit if you don't see immediate results.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 14, 2018 11:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).