Smokers who want to quit smoking are having a lot of advantages today. It is fortunate that today we have Nicotine Replacement Therapies as well as drugs which can be used as a replacement or which make quitting easier and bearable. Many people have used aids like nicotine gums, patches, inhaler, lozenges, chantix etc to get rid of their smoking habit.

However, there are many who in spite of using these aids could not still quit smoking. When these therapies and drugs prove helpful for some, why don't they work for others? The answer is there is lack of willingness in this category of smokers.

To successfully quit smoking and stay quit a person must have a want of quitting from within. He must realize that smoking is a bad habit, something that will eventually take away our life. One must want to quit and only then, will he be able to successfully quit smoking.

In a recent research published by the Smoking Cessation Research Unit at the University of Sydney; it was found that the use of nicotine replacement therapy has prevented 68,750 premature deaths over the past 10 years which is more than a quarter of 270,000 people who quit during that period.

However, it was also found that 2.6 million Australians still smoke and each year 20,000 deaths happen due to smoking- related illnesses.

Nicotine replacement therapy works by minimizing the symptoms by turning off or reducing the nicotine receptor in the brain. Prior to 1997, nicotine patches and gums were available only on prescription and were not so popular, but when they were made available on the counter, the sales increased by 5000 percent. It became the most sought after medicine for people who wanted to quit smoking.

Another anti-smoking medicine to join the band wagon is Chantix. However, Chantix is not a replacement therapy; it is the first drug to be approved after the introduction of ten years ago. It was approved by the U.S. FDA on May 11, 2006, as a treatment for anti-smoking in adults. Chantix works in the brain by blocking the entrance of nicotine in the Alpha4beta2 and prevents the neurotransmitter dopamine from activation. It is found to be highly effective and considered to be the new savior for smokers. However lately it has been found that one of the side effects of chantix is that it gives rise to suicidal thoughts hence never or any other anti smoking aid without consulting your doctor.

In spite of all the availability of nicotine replacement therapies and drugs, the most successful way to quit smoking is to want to quit smoking.? Without having the will to quit smoking nothing will really help as it depends upon you, your mind, and your will to be really strong and fight nicotine together with medicines which are like a weapon to stay tobacco free for life.