by Doreen Martel

Created on: May 05, 2009   Last Updated: February 26, 2012

If you're addicted to smoking and have ever tried to quit, the chances are that you didn't succeed the first time. Or the second. Or the third. As a matter of fact, on average, it takes five to seven times of trying to quit before you're successful. The brain's addiction to the nicotine in tobacco products combined with human frailty are a formidable opponent. It is your strength of will that ultimately will win the battle.

If you are one of those rare people that are intensely stubborn and strong-willed, then perhaps quitting "cold turkey" is right for you. Nothing could be more natural than just stopping the habit! But the term "cold turkey" comes from the comparison of the looks of a cold, raw turkey to the sweating, goosebumps, and hollowed-out feeling you get when your body is suddenly deprived of the thing it's addicted to.

Most of us do not have the necessary self-control to put ourselves through this torture. However, there are several natural methods you can try to help the brain cope with the loss of the nicotine as well as increase your willpower.

You can step down your nicotine intake gradually by eliminating cigarettes every day until you're down to none. Sounds easy, but again it takes great self-control. It's recommended that you make a schedule and stick to it. Choose a day to start perhaps your birthday or the Great American Smokeout. Eliminate one cigarette from that day. Keep eliminating them over time, and you'll be free.

Herbal remedies and supplements can help you curb those cravings. St. John's wort is a natural herb that increases levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is an antidepressant that can make you feel really good and will help the brain lose its need for nicotine. There are a very great many products and supplements out there that contain St. John's wort. Be sure to research them thoroughly before you choose, and remember that the effectiveness of herbal remedies is not scientifically proven.

Hypnotherapy is also an all-natural choice. Hypnotists use the power of suggestion through relaxation to influence people's desire. Subjects are acutely focused on the hypnotist, but are not aware of anything else around them. They have a sense of heightened suggestibility, which means they're more open to being influenced by what the hypno-therapist tells them. So if the therapist wants them to have less of a desire to smoke, they're more likely to acquiesce.

Finally, there is acupuncture or laser_therapy. Acupuncture is the practice

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