There are several viable options for the smoker who's ready to rehabilitate and stop smoking
for good. They can use nicotine transdermal patches, which actually just transfer the nicotine into your bloodstream still, and gradually, your body's dependency on the chemical subsides.

There's also gum, which a smoker can chew that contains nicotine that is supposed to alleviate the cravings as well. These items are all available over the counter and the costs vary, but usually it's comparable to purchasing a pack of cigarettes a day.

Here's the problem with the patch or gum chewing - with both, you can overdose! Overdosing can cause health problems. And if you have a momentary lapse of judgment and relapse while wearing a patch, the user can become ill and have to be hospitalized.

There's a bold warning on the packaging for both items to not smoke while using either medication. Plus, you aren't actually giving up the chemical! The chemical is still being pumped into your system.

Sure, it's not in the same amounts and it isn't through your lungs, but it's still allowing for the dependency to exist. Your need for the chemical is still being fed. The goal is to eliminate the dependency, not gradually reduce it.

Your body needs to learn that it doesn't need the chemical. Once it knows that the physical reactions will subside. One way to achieve this is through hypnosis. Hypnosis is a viable and often over looked method to stop smoking.

When most people think about hypnosis, they have a vision of a patient lying on a couch with a therapist talking about their dreams or their childhood traumas. Other thought processes involving hypnosis involve a crazy magician in a Las Vegas show making people act like idiots on stage.

These ideas cause people to be more than skeptical when discussing hypnosis as a viable method to stop smoking. There are many people who are apprehensive of hypnosis for any reason.

It's important to define what hypnosis actually is. Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness. Although you may not believe it, hypnosis occurs regularly without you even realizing it - while you're watching television or driving.

To some extent, daydreaming is a form of self hypnosis. Hypnosis is a popular method for quitting smoking because it doesn't utilize any form of medication or putting any additional chemicals into your system transdermally or through ingestion.

Hypnosis utilizes an already altered state of consciousness and the power of suggestion to motivate you to quit smoking. There are websites that even claim to be able to teach individuals to self hypnotize.

There are downloadable eBooks, CDs and even MP3 podcasts that can help you quit smoking through the power of hypnosis. All of these tools help with the physical addiction and with the mental dependency as well.

It allows you to enter a self hypnotic state and relaxes your mind when the craving hits. While in the altered state of consciousness, you're able to alleviate the desire to smoke. The best part is that the CD, MP3 or whatever method you choose to utilize can be played anywhere - in the car, in the bathroom, on an iPod, or in your office. There are many smoking cessation products and methods on the market - you just have to find what's right for you.