NRT provides controlled, lower doses of nicotine without tobacco toxins — via patch, gum, lozenge, inhaler, or spray — to ease withdrawal while breaking the smoking habit.

Varenicline (Champix in Australia) is the most effective single pharmacological treatment for nicotine dependence, acting as a partial agonist at nicotinic receptors to reduce both cravings and the reward from smoking.

Individual or group behavioural support — in-person, telephone (Quitline 13 7848), or digital — significantly improves quit success rates, particularly when combined with pharmacotherapy.

Bupropion (an antidepressant repurposed for smoking cessation) reduces nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It was the first non-nicotine pharmacotherapy approved for smoking cessation.

Exercise during a quit attempt reduces the severity of nicotine cravings, manages withdrawal-associated mood and anxiety, and helps prevent weight gain.

Mindfulness-based approaches to quitting teach smokers to observe cravings without automatically responding to them — 'urge surfing' — rather than suppressing or acting on them.

Cytisine is a plant-derived partial nicotinic agonist (from laburnum seeds) used in Eastern Europe for decades. It works similarly to varenicline and is available as Tabex in Australia.

Systematically identifying and modifying the situations, emotions, and routines that trigger the urge to smoke reduces the cue-driven craving that drives most relapses.

Certain dietary adjustments can reduce the palatability of cigarettes and help manage the weight gain and appetite changes that accompany nicotine cessation.

St. John's Wort has been investigated as a support for the depression and mood changes that accompany nicotine withdrawal, though evidence for improving quit rates is weak.