The TVNZ newsfeed reports that Champix (Chantix), a popular smoking-cessation drug and a commonly used method of stopping smoking, has been linked to psychological troubles including suicidal thoughts in those taking it. An unusually literal instance of the saying “the cure is worse than the disease”.
Actually, that’s wrong, because smoking isn’t a disease (although it can cause disease); it’s a behaviour. And I’ll bang my drum again: Taking a drug is not usually the best method of changing or managing a mood or a behaviour.
Many people use nicotine, a drug, to manage their moods or stress, which causes them (and those around them) health problems and costs a lot of money. They then decide (or are told, by people who should know better) that they should take another drug, Champix, so that they can stop taking the first one. They still have the moods and stress to manage, and now, potentially, they have further and more serious psychological problems that they didn’t have before because of the drug they’re taking to get rid of the drug they’re taking. So, what, they then take another drug to get rid of those problems?
No. Track the problem back to its source: You’re stressed and you need to manage your moods. Start in with a simple stress management technique that costs nothing, which you can do in ten minutes a day. Couple that with methods for behaviour change, of which hypnotherapy is one of the most effective.
Now you have a way to manage your moods and emotions which has no negative side-effects (in fact, is very good for your general health), and you aren’t paying anyone for any drugs.
More information is available from Bio-Medicine.org.
NO SMOKING BEYOND THIS POINT by Eddie~S
NOTE: I’ve now moderated my anti-drug position as mentioned in my more recent post on Nicotine Replacement Therapy. I’d still be cautious about Champix and would still stress the importance of dealing with underlying issues, but almost anything is going to be healthier than continuing to smoke.
If you’re looking for other ways to stop, my free ebook, How to Stop Smoking, may help.
Technorati: behavior change • behavior modification • Champix • Chantix • habit change • smoking cessation • stop smoking • stop smoking drug • stress management
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