There are good reasons to call smoking an addiction. Many smokers have a strong desire for nicotine, develop tolerance for its effects, and suffer withdrawal symptoms without it.

In several surveys, addicts and alcoholics in treatment have said that cigarettes were tougher to give up than crack, cocaine hydrochloride, or alcohol. But the evidence does not support the idea that smoking is a disease with a medical cure. Not only is that approach misleading, stressing nicotine's addictive power and the need for expert assistance undermines efforts to quit.

Listed below are some of the most common ways of quitting smoking:

Cold Turkey - The term "cold turkey" was derived from heroin addicts to describe a method of quitting smoking without medication. Heroin addicts would get goose bumps when they withdraw from heroin without medication, and they have the appearance of a cold turkey, hence the slang term.

The cold turkey method can produce the most severe nicotine withdrawal symptoms, depending upon a smoker's level of tobacco use. The physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal vary from person to person, but may include increased appetite increased coughing and sputum production, sweating, fatigue, muscle aches and cramps, constipation or diarrhea, headache, hypersensitivity to stimuli, sleep disturbances, or weight gain.

Cigarette smoking is a strong addiction, one a vast majority of people recognize as dangerous not only to smokers but to those around them. Just as clearly, a strong desire to give up smoking is rarely enough to guarantee success, even when smokers fear for their lives and for the health of their children. Fortunately, today's would-be quitters no longer have to go it alone.

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Remedies - Although not a miracle cure, nicotine patches and gum can be an effective over-the-counter approach to quitting smoking. These products work by weaning smokers in stages to lessen the painful effects of physical withdrawal.

Proven OTC methods, in conjunction with behavior modification programs such as Committed Quitters®, a free service offered with the purchase of nicotine patches and gum, such as NicoDerm® CQ® and Nicorette®, can help people stop reaching for the cigarettes and start regaining the good health they want and deserve.

Prescriptions - For heavily addicted tobacco users, prescription medications may be more successful than over-the-counter remedies. Zyban is prescription-strength medicine that is the first nicotine-free pill approved to help individual's quit smoking, available from a health care professional. Zyban helps people quit smoking by reducing a person's urge to smoke and help them quit smoking for good. The Zyban program also provides custom-created information to help provide support during the quitting process.

Hyponsis - Many people want to try to quit smoking by determining why they need to smoke through hypnosis. Hypnosis can be used to permanently quit smoking by working with the part of your inner mind that gives you the desire for cigarettes. Hypnosis helps eliminate that internal battle that many people experience when giving up a habit such as smoking.