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Nicotine Replacement Therapies

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I'm not sure why they call them nicotine replacement therapies because there is little therapeutic about chewing a wad of gum loaded with the sweet, sweet relief of nicotine, but I don't recommend anyone trying to quit without one of the popular nicotine replacement products. The more stubborn amongst you may insist on going cold-turkey, but a lot of evidence shows that people who go that route are much more susceptible to relapse -- and nicotine replacement has proven to work for many a quitter (I do believe that the research shows that folks who use NRTs are twice as likely to stay quit).

Certainly, I'm as skeptical as the next guy about the fact that many of the nicotine replacement products are actually produced and marketed by the tobacco companies, which basically suggest that Phillip Morris wants to get your money coming and going. And, I do know that many people like myself have just as much difficulty weaning themselves off the nicotine replacement products as they do cigarettes -- I am reminded of a Gwyneth Paltrow line in the film, Bounce, in which Gwyneth started smoking to ease herself off the nicotine gum. Still, as bad as nicotine might be (especially for your heart), it doesn't even come close to comparing to cigarette smoke, which is laced with tar, carbon monoxide, and other dangerous carcinogens that basically obliterate your heart and lungs. Nicotine, on the other hand, I simply think of as a potent form of coffee -- it's not good for you over the long haul, but for a lot of folks, it's the only chance you have to quit smoking.

At any rate, I've basically tried them all, and in the next few sections, I'll go through the more popular nicotine replacement products, and perhaps we can come up with the one to your liking. Before you step in, however, I'd also warn that the average cigarette contains about 1 mg of nicotine; so, at first, many of you may actually receive more nicotine from the replacement therapies than the actual gum. Where possible, try to keep the nicotine at relatively the same levels as when you smoked and don't try to rush yourself off of the nicotine products, because you may find yourself back on the cigarettes if you do. Another point: All the nicotine replacement products do seem kind of expensive. At best, you'll be plunking down $30 to $40 just to get started (though, some workplace and even local government do offer some financial assistance or free nicotine replacement products), but -- if you do it right -- it averages out to around the same cost as smoking a little less than a pack a day. However, the expense can be a little daunting to those who are used to throwing down only around $5 a day for a pack of smokes -- just try to think of it in budgeting terms, and, sometimes, the cost does inspire you not to go back to cigarettes, since you've already put down a substantial amount of money on the replacement products.

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