Deciding to use medication to quit smoking is a major step toward freedom, but not all treatments are created equal. In a world full of ‘miracle’ cures and sugar-water remedies, finding a method backed by scientific evidence is crucial. As our story in the pharmacy shows, a box of pills is a powerful tool, but when you combine that medicine with professional guidance, your chances of staying smoke-free for good multiply. Let’s look at why science—not luck—is your best ally.
“I took… I took medication to quit smoking.”
“And it didn’t go well?”
“Did it go well? Let me think… see, it all started one day when I went to the pharmacy near my house. I’d been thinking about quitting for a while and had already set a date. You know how it is—you always know someone who tells you about a treatment that worked wonders, that they quit effortlessly, and eventually you think… Why not? So there I was, at the pharmacy…”
“No, absolutely not. We don’t sell any homeopathy here,” the pharmacist was saying.
“What do you mean? Isn’t this a pharmacy?” the man replied, looking incredulous.
“Exactly why. We don’t sell homeopathy, or ear seeds, or Bach flowers—or Beethoven flowers, for that matter. We don’t do acupuncture or anything that isn’t authorized and, above all, hasn’t been proven to work.”
“But homeopathy works!”
“Oh, it works alright! For the company selling it—you wouldn’t believe the profits they make! Like I said, until there is scientific evidence to back it up, homeopathy doesn’t cross the threshold of this pharmacy.”
“Then what is homeopathy to you?”
“Hmm…” she pondered. “Sugar water?”
“Fine! I’ll go somewhere where they actually sell it!” and he stormed out of the pharmacy, completely indignant.
“And then they say we’re just shopkeepers only looking to make a sale… and when we act with rigor and sell with criteria, they tear us apart,” the girl said out loud. “Anyway,” she said, turning to me, “how can I help you?”
“Hi, I’ll take that box right there,” I said, pointing to the treatment I was looking for.
“Oh! You want to quit smoking?” Hearing that, the pharmacist—a woman about 35 with a very sweet Galician accent—beamed from ear to ear. “Do you know how to use it? I can help you if you’d like!”
“Yes, I want to quit, that’s why I want that box,” I insisted.
“Here you go, but tell me… is anyone helping you through this?”
“No.”
“Well, I can help you if you want. Besides the medication, having someone to guide you and give you advice to overcome the hurdles helps much more than just taking a pill and that’s it.”
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- If, besides medication, you have also received advice on quitting smoking before, click [here].
- If you have only ever used medication to quit smoking in your previous attempts, click [here].