What To Eat To Stop Craving Cigarettes?
Cigarette smoking becomes an addiction in most of the cases which start as occasional users and want to remain on that. When an individual joins a deaddiction center and stops the uses of cigarettes and related substances, there occurs an acute phase of rebound symptoms known as withdrawal syndrome which is a sign of physical dependence and usually is correlated with craving which is a sign of psychological dependence. It is very important to pass that phase to undergo complete deaddiction. In such intense craving it is very difficult to stay away from cigarettes but it can be done with sheer determination and few simple steps to stop craving.
It is important for the patients to know that the craving phase is a temporary and short-lived phase lasting for only few minutes. In such situations, the patient can eat and chew hard on sugarless chewing gum, or hard candy to let go of the craving. The patient can keep the mouth busy with crunchy items like raw carrots, roasted grams, dry fruits, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc.[1] Soft chewable rubber can be kept in mouth and person can bite center on it during the phase of craving. These methods can only be possible with a strong determination to De-addict oneself from the dependence of tobacco.
Another very successful method to stop craving for cigarettes is nicotine replacement therapy. It can be taken in the form of a lozenge or chewing gum especially during craving which can not only deliver the nicotine but also removes the stimulus due to the preoccupation of the mouth.
Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, commonly people starting as an occasional usage turns into chronic chain smokers. For its deaddiction, a very successful and effective therapy has been employed with a quit rate of 70% known as nicotine replacement therapy or nicotine substitution therapy. In this, the nicotine derived from the cigarettes and tobacco is replaced with other substances directly to reduce the ill effects of smoking.
What Does Nicotine Substitute Mean?
The nicotine substitute means the substances which can function the same as nicotine functions on the body without producing harmful effects of smoking. The nicotine substitutes can be of two types, either it can be nicotine itself or it can be no-nicotine substances. Nicotine can be given in the form of replacement therapy as sublingual tablets for acute cases, transdermal patches for long-term management, lozenges, tablets, chewing gums, electronic cigarettes, etc.
The no-nicotine substitutes for tobacco use disorder are bupropion and varenicline.[2] These two substances have been approved by the various food agencies for the treatment of tobacco addiction. In between the two no-nicotine substances, varenicline is a better substitute than bupropion. Bupropion is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor which functions as a substrate for nicotinic receptors that are responsible for production of nicotine symptoms. It is a partial agonist and hence the effects are also partial in nature. Varencilline, on the other hand, is very powerful against for nicotinic receptors especially the Alpha 7 subunit and producers strong effects comparable to that of nicotine itself and reduces its withdrawal symptoms to a minimum.
Conclusion
Sugarless chewing gums, hard candies, nuts, grams, and other crunchy substances can be used to fight with the craving of psychological dependence on tobacco. A soft rubber could be placed in mouth to bite hard on it during an intense craving to relieve the urge. Strong will power is required along with the eating substances to fight with the craving. Nicotine substitution therapy can also be applied in it and tapered off at regular intervals to completely cure the addiction of the individual.
Nicotine substitute except for nicotine replacement is bupropion and varenicline. These both are approved drugs by the federal drug administration of the United States and drug control association of India for the treatment of tobacco use disorder.
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