Nicotine replacement therapy has been a successful program that has helped many people quit smoking cigarettes. It is the nicotine in cigarettes that creates the craving and addictive qualities in cigarettes because nicotine itself is so addictive.
There is a good deal of nicotine that is contained in cigarettes, and if a person smokes for any period of time, their body develops a dependence upon the substance. If a person quits smoking cold turkey, he or she can have nicotine withdrawal symptoms, which are headaches, irritability, cravings, sleeplessness, and overall anxiety. There are medicines that can be taken that can help in the management of these withdrawal symptoms.
They are all available in most areas without prescription and are lumped together in the terminology of nicotine replacement therapy. Some people reason that such therapy is harmful to the body and that you are simply trading one addiction for another, but that is just not true. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) does not contain sticky tar, carbon monoxide, poisons from smoke and it is unlikely to cause cancer. It is taken into the body in a different way than it is in cigarettes, and is less likely to become addictive.
The NRT is suitable for most adults, but you should first ask your doctor about it especially if you have a heart condition or are taking other medication, to see if it would be suitable for you. If you are pregnant, you should also seek medical advice.
One way to utilize NRT is to chew nicotine gum. It comes in two strengths, 4mg and 2mg. If you smoked more that 20 cigarettes a day, then the 4mg is the most suitable for you. If you smoked less than 20 cigarettes a day, the 2mg will work ok. The nicotine is absorbed from the gum as you chew it and absorbed through the lining in your mouth. When you first quit cigarettes, you should chew about one stick of gum per hour. When the gum starts to feel hot, stop and rest the gum in your cheek and let your mouth cool down. When your mouth cools down, you can resume chewing. After each hour, discard the gum and begin chewing a new piece.
Some people prefer the nicotine patches to the gum because they don’t like parking the gum in their cheek and you can wear the patch 24 hours a day and not worry about it. The patch can be worn around the clock and gives off a steady rate of nicotine. There is also electronic cigarettes which contain nicotine e liquid, where you can slowly wein yourself off, but do not go for cheap e liquid UK.
You can reduce the strength of the nicotine as time goes on with both the gum and the patches when you are getting off of cigarettes. Ultimately you will be able to ditch either one when you get to the point that nicotine is not needed in your system anymore.
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on earth and having nicotine gum or patches available to wean yourself off of it is a real blessing indeed, and is a great tool for helping people to accomplish that goal.
