Apps to help you quit smoking – NHS, My Last Cigarette and Hypnoquit

So it is January and you are full of good intentions about how you can change your life. You are going to visit the gym more, not skimp on the veggies and chomp on vitamin pills.

For many people though the biggest health challenge they face is quitting smoking. Breaking any kind of addiction is a very tricky task and when the substance your body craves is Nicotine you might feel like you have a mountain to climb.

Fortunately your phone can once again come to your rescue as there are now a host of apps that if used alongside other methods, will help you kick the habit.

The one to start with is the NHS approved Quit Smoking app. This has been around for a few years but is very popular and very effective too. It uses a mixture of the Carrot and Stick approach in sending you a message each day reminding you how long you have gone since your last fag and how much money you have saved. There are also tips from others who have managed to stop smoking and, if things get very bad there’s a connection to the NHS Smoking help line.

My Last Cigarette is a newer app, it debuted in the middle of 2011, but has its roots in a website that has been helping people quit smoking since 2000. A good deal more sophisticated than the NHS app, this keeps you abreast of how your health is improving post your last ciggie. This includes our expected increase in lifespan, your circulatory and lung function improvements and how much money you have saved. There are also all kinds of messages to keep you on track and it will tell you when top expect your most serious cravings. If that’s not enough it also tells you how many people have died from smoking related illnesses since you stopped – which focuses the mind somewhat.

Some people have found that the best way to beat the weed is by using Hypnotherapy. In the old days this meant sitting in a darkened room listening to tapes or CDs. Now, there’s a very good free app that has apparently helped many people stop smoking. The principle is the same. You take your phone find a quiet place and listen to the mixture of music and words. The session lasts for about forty minutes and you’ll need to do it a few times.

There’s also a more sophisticated app called Hypnoquit which costs £1.99 and includes three different sessions which you listen to at different points of your journey.

Whichever one you choose – good luck with it.

Also if you have used any of these and it has worked let us know in the comments.