How To Quit Smoking? Chris Christie Raises Minimum Age In New Jersey

More than 37,000 high school students in New Jersey smoke, according to the latest data in 2017, but those figures might change soon as Gov. Chris Christie signed a law Friday making New Jersey the third state to raise its smoking age to 21. The governor referred to his mother's death which happened due to the side effects of smoking.

Along with taking action on dozens of other bills, regarding raising the minimum smoking age, Christie cited the burden on the health care system caused by tobacco-related illnesses. "By raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21, we are giving young people more time to develop a maturity and better understanding of how dangerous smoking can be and that it is better to not start smoking in the first place," according to his statement on his official website.

In 2016, New Jersey was ranked the worst state for lacking an effort to discourage kids from tobacco use or help smokers quit the habit, according to a report citing an analysis of a public health advocacy organization.

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However, conscious individual efforts will also help give up the habit of inhaling smoke from the cancer stick.

Here are some ways which can help you quit smoking.

1. Many smokers quit smoking by using some sort of nicotine therapy. There are other measures too but this is the most common. You can try nicotine lozenges, which dissolve in the mouth to release a dose of nicotine to help smokers reduce withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking. It's an effective way to relieve cigarette cravings without the need for a prescription.

Nicotine patch or any other form of nicotine therapy will alsohelp you successfully quit smoking. These reduce the amount of nicotine going inside your body, according to the website of Quit Smoking Community.

2. Every smoker has certain triggers such as stress, going for relaxing breaks and others. If you can ensure that these triggers are controlled, then you will not have the craving for smoking. So that means, you should actively avoid situations that make you feel like you need a cigarette, a report said.

3. Another way of quitting smoking is the cold turkey way which means you have to abruptly and completely stop taking the drug you are addicted to. Apparently, the majority of the people who have been successful in quitting cigarettes have done so by the cold turkey way.

Although ex-smokers often say they quit cold turkey, they would have usually thought about quitting several times before they actually did it. It is easier to quit this way if you smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes a day, according to the American Cancer Society.

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4. Behavioral therapy is another way you can try stop smoking. In this, you consult a counselor who helps you find your triggers. They may be emotions or situations that make you want to smoke and then they will make a plan to get you through those cravings.