Choosing Nicotine Gum
There are several options for the modern smoker who wants to use a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a way to help them with eliminating their smoking habit. There are patches, sprays, lozenges, inhalers and chewing gums. Among the most popular are the gums, and this is for one essential reason – they put the smoker in control. Not everyone experiences their withdrawal from nicotine in the same way, and many people feel better about being able to give themselves a bit of nicotine when any urges are at their absolute worst levels.
It helps to understand how nicotine works in the first place in order to see why the gums are often a preferred approach to quitting. Firstly, a single puff on a cigarette allows the blood stream to receive a bit of nicotine that heads into specific areas of the brain where it creates a bit of a rush. Most smokers have an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and adrenaline with each inhalation. This is all due to nicotine, and it is one of the most addictive substances known.
When someone chooses to stop feeding their brain its regular supply of nicotine, they are going to have to endure roughly 72 hours of peak withdrawal symptoms in order to completely eliminate it from their body. This is something that can lead to violent mood swings and serious problems that will often cause the smoker to fail in their effort to quit.
If, however, they stick with it, the nicotine in their blood stream is going to decrease by half over the course of every two hours until it is gone. This period is going to come with some extreme “peaks” of intensity where the cravings can be easily reduced through the use of an NRT such as the chewing gum. These tend to be available in a two or four milligram dose per piece and can allow the smoker to determine the level they need to get them past the urge to smoke.
It is important to understand, however, that using an NRT means that a small amount of nicotine is distributed into the blood stream. This is going to extend the withdrawal process by a certain amount of time depending upon the number of pieces chewed each day and the willingness of the smoker to endure any urges without chewing the gum.
Today, many people will work with a doctor to utilize a combination of patches and gum in order to overcome their nicotine addiction as quickly and comfortably as possible.
