Anyone who has quit smoking will tell you that it is the best decision they have ever made, but they will also mention how tough it can be. Now that you have taken the first step towards your smoke free future, you may be beginning to look at how you will beat the cravings and quit smoking for good. Luckily, there is a whole host of options available to you, everything from patches to hypnosis but which are the best?

This is a difficult question to answer, as quitting smoking is a very personal journey that will depend upon your support network, how much you smoke a day and even the friends you are around. Many methods such as aversion therapy will work for some and not others. There are 3 tools however, that are tried and tested proving that they are the best tools for a wide range of people. So, to help you through your journey, here are the options not to miss.

Electronic Cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes are a fairly new phenomenon that has taking the quitting tool world by storm. This form of tool is known as a nicotine replacement, they still give you a small dose of nicotine to help you with cravings, but none of the nasty side effects of cigarette smoke.

Inside the electronic cigarette is a small canister that holds water and liquid nicotine, you then inhale the water vapour and exhaled as you would a cigarette. This helps with both your physical withdrawal and your mental state, making it more likely that you will quit for good. You will lower the dose of nicotine as the weeks move on, until eventually not needing any nicotine at all. Electronic cigarettes are 100% legal to be used in public places as they contain no smoke, you can sit inside a bar instead of out in the rain, or even use them on your morning commute. As they are fast becoming one of the most widespread quitting tools they are available from many stores like http://www.tablites.com, as an example.

Patches
Patches are very popular amongst people giving up smoking and are again another form of nicotine replacement. They work, much like Electronic cigarettes, by giving you are small dose of nicotine that you reduce over a set course of time. Unlike the above, they won’t give you anything to do with your hands, so a stress ball may be needed to keep your mind distracted and it is very important to state that you must not smoke whilst using them to avoid overdosing on nicotine.

The majority of patches last 24 hours, so only need replacing once a day and they are a great way to keep cravings at bay. They are available at most chemists and you can also get them through the NHS, so do some research to get the right price as they can be expensive for long term use.

Chewing Gum/ Sprays
Chewing gum and the more recent sprays are great for providing short term relief from cravings, but they do require more will power from you than the previous two tools. The general consensus when using these is when you feel a craving coming on, you use a chewing gum to not only distract your mind, but to also give you a small dose of nicotine. this will then stave off a craving for a longer period.

With this quitting tool, you don’t necessarily have to wean yourself off as they contain such a small amount of nicotine. many users even find themselves simply swapping to normal chewing gum after a while. Over the past few years, the manufacturers have also worked on the flavours of the gums and sprays available. They were generally quite unpleasant a few years ago, but now they just taste like ordinary gum or breath freshener. Again, they may require a secondary tool to keep your hands busy.