Smoking cigarettes is much less common than it used to be, with about 20 percent of US adults currently smoking. Yet, it remains the single most common cause of preventable disease — in the form of things like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer — and death. Of every five deaths in the United States, one will be related to smoking.
You have to be living under a rock to not at least have some idea of how harmful smoking is, so why do so many people still do it? The answer is quite simple. Smoking is highly addictive. If you've made the decision to liberate yourself from nicotine and smoking, you increase your odds of success by making a plan. And if going cold turkey has failed you in the past, you may want to give nicotine replacement therapy a try.
What is nicotine replacement therapy?
Nicotine is the "active ingredient" in tobacco, but not the only thing that enters your body when you smoke a cigarette. Among more than 4,000 other chemicals found in cigarettes are acetone, ammonia, benzene, arsenic, naphthalene, and a whole lot of other nasties. All of these chemicals damage your health in their own special ways, and many are found in products like rat poison and moth balls. It's a good idea to stop exposing your body to these things as soon as possible.
But that nicotine, right? You need it?
Nicotine replacement therapy gets you a supply of that — albeit in small, controlled, doses — without the other horrible things found in cigarettes. Let's be clear that nicotine itself is also damaging, but less damaging than nicotine plus thousands of unwelcome extras. The goal of nicotine replacement therapy is to slowly wean you off nicotine while getting you used to not physically smoking any longer.
Nicotine replacement therapy is available in forms you'll already be familiar with as well as some you may not have heard of before:
- Nicotine gum. Don't chew more than 20 pieces a day, and don't use them for longer than 12 weeks without consulting your healthcare provider. You can get them without a prescription, but talk to your pharmacist about the dose and to get instructions.
- Nicotine patches. Available without a prescription, you can also ask your doctor to prescribe them to you. Your starting dose depends on the amount you smoked. You can gradually reduce the dose until you no longer need them.
- Nicotine lozenges. Similar to gum, these lozenges dissolve in your mouth.
- Nicotine nasal sprays. These require a prescription.
- Nicotine inhalers. Again, talk to your doctor about a prescription.
We're not including vaping as a nicotine replacement therapy. Vaping can help some people quit smoking and quit nicotine, but it also has harmful health effects in itself and can easily turn into a long-term habit that simply replaces cigarettes rather than facilitating cessation.
Can nicotine replacement therapy help you quit?
Yes. While various studies have reported a relatively low success rate of between 17 and 35 percent with nicotine replacement therapy, it's also been found that using nicotine replacement therapy about doubles your odds of successfully waving good bye to smoking and nicotine. It is, therefore, a very reasonable thing to consider if you want to give yourself the best possible chance of overcoming your addiction.
Nicotine replacement therapy is suitable for almost anyone who is trying to overcome a nicotine addiction, even first-time quitters. It holds some dangers for pregnant women, people suffering from heart disease, and adolescents — but, all evidence suggests, logically, that it's less dangerous than smoking itself. Do discuss with your doctor before going on nicotine replacement therapy if you fall into one of these groups.
Research has shown, however, that it's unlikely to benefit those people who do not want to quit. In those people who want to stop smoking and use nicotine replacement, only an estimated five percent continues to rely on patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, or nasal sprays in the long term. The vast majority of those who successfully quit cigarettes also leave nicotine replacement therapy behind.
You can do it!
Are you interested in stopping smoking with the help of nicotine replacement therapy? We'd encourage you to research the options to see which ones appeal to you, to speak to your doctor, to make a plan to deal with other aspects of smoking cessation, and to set a quit date. Armed with information, your nicotine replacement therapy, and the support you need, you can become smoke-free.
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- Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth