Computerized Stop Smoking Aids

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Stop smoking aids are usually thought of as some kind of chemical products like pills, herbal teas or patches. However, there is another kind of stop smoking aid that gets a lot less press, but it may be just as effective as chemicals. Computer technology and conditioning psychology have combined to produce stop smoking computers. These devices may be the answer for some people, especially those who don’t want to use pills or patches.

Computers that help you quit smoking for good may also be a much cheaper way to go. Here in Canada, a prescription for Champix, for example, costs around eighty dollars every time you get it filled, and it will need to be filled at least three times if you complete the program. So its going to cost at least $240 to quit smoking with Champix.

Stop smoking computers, on the other hand, are going down in price. When I first came across them in 1998, each unit cost $100 and was the size of a small calculator. Nowadays, the best known type is worth half that. Not only that, size of the computers has been reduced to the point that they can be added to your key chain.

The best known of these stop smoking computers is the Lifesign Quitkey.

Another way to go nowadays is to install a quit smoking app on your smartphone. I purchased one for my Blackberry. The app is called NoSmoking and its available from Appworld for ten bucks. This is a good choice for me since my Blackberry is my go to tool for almost everything.

No matter which way you go, the principles stay the same.

Continue smoking for a base period of time and enter each smoke into the computer. This teaches it your smoking patterns and basic consumption.
Exit the learning phase and let the computer start weaning you off.

You smoke only when the computer tells you to and the interval between cigarettes gets longer and longer until it reaches infinity. Simple.

Not so simple, unfortunately. When I tried it in 1998 I got all the way to zero and then blew it. I could even handle having only a single cigarette in twenty-four hours,but, when it dropped to zero I panicked. Such are the workings of the human mind!

This highlights the biggest biggest problem with any of the stop smoking aids or techniques available. The addiction to cigarettes is mental, not physical. That means that you can wean yourself off entirely and it may not make any difference. If you follow the computer’s instruction, though, you will start to build up a store of experiences in which you go through your life without tobacco. That’s good as far as it goes. I guarantee you, though, that if you feel deprived and you watch the clock count down between cigarettes, you won’t be successfull. Something has to change in your mind so that the periods without tobacco become something you look forward to and treasure. If that fundamental change doesn’t take place you’ll find yourself back with a butt in your mouth before you know it.

Having said all that, if you sincerely want to quit smoking for good, the Lifesign or the NoSmoking app may be just what you’ve been looking for.