The technique first gets you to acknowledge the psychological component of your addiction and to rate how strong your feelings about a problem are. You then start tapping on meridian points on your body while repeating phrases that emphasizes the negative feelings.

Early studies on the effects of acupuncture have reported encouraging success. In 1982, a study by Fuller boasted a success rate of 95% in the first few months, and in 1983, another study by Choy reported a 88% success rate. However, subsequent studies have revealed inconsistent findings, and various reports have attempted to critique the efficacy of acupuncture based on different research data.

A recent study published in the journal ‘Addiction’ showed that even short bouts of exercise lasting as little as 5 minutes can reduce smoking cravings. Experts at the University of Exeter concluded that exercise can help smokers manage their withdrawal symptoms and even help them resist the urge to smoke by releasing the same chemicals in the brain that is released during smoking.

The Cochrane library has done a review of literature regarding hypnosis and smoking cessation, concluding that there was not enough evidence to say that hypnosis helps individuals quit smoking at 6 months. However, the author acknowledged that there was great variability in the types of hypnotic induction, length and control groups, thus making evaluation difficult.