 Before the plethora of 'decent' stop smoking aids hit the high street pharmacies, there was none of this I'll quit smoking now or the next day with the wonderfully effective nicotine patches. But even nicotine replacement options are of little use if the smoker's desire to quit is half hearted. It's always been more of a hindrance than a help for non-smokers to lecture smokers on how to stop the habit of a lifetime, and we often hear them spout things like, "why don’t you just apply a bit of will power?"
Of course, such advice coming from someone who has never had to fight against the power of nicotine is pretty worthless to a smoker, and somewhat irritating to hear let alone counterproductive. These and similar remarks from often well-meaning folks are about as welcome as those from an individual who has never had a problem with weight telling a fat person to put less in their mouth and get more exercise.
No, for smokers that have been puffing away regularly for many years, the ‘cold turkey’ approach usually ends in a failed attempt, which is why so many of us who are genuine in our efforts to stop smoking find the various products and support groups more useful than the nagging, though well intended remarks, from friends and family members.
The Stop Smoking Patches 3 Month Course. Quit Smoking Products that Work!
When I first took a look at the various ways on how to quit smoking, it was the nicotine transdermal patches that made the most sense, and here’s why: A new self-adhesive nicotine patch is placed on the smoker’s skin for 24 hours and left to work its magic. What happens is that these patches release a steady flow of nicotine into your bloodstream at a continuous rate throughout the 24 hour period. It is this constant feed of nicotine which stops the physical craving which develops when a regular smoker is deprived of the drug. When smokers crave a nicotine fix they are at their most vulnerable and likely to either relapse or become impossible to be around due to mood swings including restlessness, irritability, and discontentment.
A course of nicotine patches usually lasts for 3 months and come in different strengths with the strongest being taken on month 1 and the weakest on the 3rd month. By the end of month 3, the craving should be pretty curbed and the smoker is free to stop the treatment. As smoking is a habit as well as an addiction, the habit may take a little longer to get over, but doesn’t usually pose a threat of relapse. There are plenty of stop smoking tips and tricks to help break the habit which will be added to this site soon.
So as you can see, if you’re serious about stopping, and are looking for ways on how to quit smoking, then you might want to consider using patches and especially if you’ve tried other methods and failed.
The drawbacks of nicotine patches is that they can be a bit expensive, but a box of 7 twenty four hour patches usually cost less than a week's supply of cigarettes for a moderate smoker, so that argument is not really valid! Some folks report skin irritation and aching muscles, so the solution here is to not put the patches on the same spot each day. And finally, other folks report problems with bad dreams but this is something you will have to try to find out.
Nicotine replacement therapy doesn’t stop at nicotine patches. There are inhalers, and gum too, but what many like about the patches is the simplicity of the program in that you just slap on one patch a day for three months. Additionally, the side effects of nicotine patches are usually little more than a slight skin rash developing and a muscular ache, but even these usually only occur when the patch is placed on the same location each day. By slapping your stop smoking patch onto a different area of skin each time will usually eliminate these mild complaints.
Myth: Nicotine Patches are so Expensive, Many Smokers can’t Afford them!
It's actually quite comical when you here a smoker complaining about the cost of the stop smoking patch after spending so much on smoking itself. Those of us who have quitted know now that it’s that denial thing again. Smokers are experts at finding justifiable reasons why not to quit! Let's look at this practically. How much is a packet of cigarettes for crying out loud? How much is a year’s supply of cigarettes? Ok, compare the above to a 3 months course of nicotine patches and you decide how the sums add up. Oh, and don’t forget to then tot up how much money you’ll be saving after your nicotine replacement therapy is over.
 Summing Up. The costs of Smoking!
Depending which country you come from, smoking can be very expensive. Critics often say that smokers are paying to die, but the same could be said with consuming various foods and drinks too. Enough said! Nevertheless, smoking is not money well spent whichever way you look at it. For example, folks in the UK who smoke just 1 pack of cigarettes a day will be spending an average of £2,000, that's $2,851 or €2,266.61 a year (rates as of June 2011). Of course, there are many who smoke far more than this! When put into perspective, quitting smoking with a 3 month course of nicotine patches doesn't seem costly at all. Does it?
It's now 2012, and there will be many smokers who made a New Year's resolution to quite once and for all. Sadly, this year, like all the years before it, there will be many who have been unable to stay stopped by the end of January.
Of 100 people who start with a plan today, 80 will drop out within 6 months. Of the 20 left, 16 will drop out within the next 6 months. Of the 4 left, only 1 will still be at it 6 months later. Be that 1.
It is not recommended that Nicotine patches be used by new Mums as a way to quit smoking during pregnancy if they are breast feeding their newborn babies. The reason given is that the nicotine released by the patch finds its way into the breast milk, and that's not good for baby. Any new Mum desperate to quit smoking should discuss other stop smoking options with her doctor or a maternity professional.
There's quite a lot goes into the making of a nicotine patch considering its simplicity in design. There are some basic building element that go into producing these quit smoking patches though, and they are as follows: Nicotine (the raw material of course), a backing layer to stop the chemical components from leaking out, and a strong adhesive to ensure it stays put for 24 hours. There's obviously a lot that goes into the entire manufacturing process but what we’ve mentioned here are the basics of every patch.
Some people experience certain side effects with the use of nicotine patches. The most common is rash and or irritation of the skin, and some even feel aches in muscles. The best way around this is to move the patch to a different part of the body each day so as to reduce any such discomfort. Some other side effects among some might include: Dizziness, Headache, Abdominal discomfort, Nausea, and Vomiting. There may be some others, but the above are the most commonly known.
Like any medical treatment, if you have cause for concerns, then seek professional medical advice without delay.
In the UK, some heavy long term smokers might be able to get nicotine patches for free on the NHS (National Health Service), but this will be decided on a case by case basis. For those buying over the counter, the average cost of nicotine patches will set you back about £16.00 for a box of 7 in 2012.
Many UK smokers complain about the cost of nicotine patches, but when you think that someone who smokes 40 a day with an average cost of £84/week, then they're saving £68/week from the off. Complaining about the cost of a life and cash-saving patch-in-a-box is a strange logic when you think about it.
In the USA the cost of nicotine patches will cost smokers somewhere between $20-$30 a week (box of 7). The price difference is depends on the brand and type of patches used.
Generally speaking, it's perfectly safe for most people to use the nicotine patch hence it's availability over the counter. Having said that, it, like any product, it will have some potentially harmful side effects for some people. Regarding the stop-smoking patches, you must start to use, or continue to use them, if any of the following relate to you or are experienced by you.
- You experience a severe or worsening chest pain or a noticeably irregular heartbeat
- You have a known allergy or experience an allergic reaction one of more of the ingredients found in the Nicotine Patch
- You have recently had a heart attack
- You are still smoking, chewing tobacco, using snuff, or any other products that contain nicotine
A Tale of Stingy Smokers
Someone wrote to the site and said that a lady at their office was trying to raise money for a special walker for her disable child. A colleague of hers, who just happened to be a heavy smoker trying to quit, said that he'd try and do his bit by trying to stop smoking and raising money through sponsors. Guess what? 3 fellow smokers in that office refused to sponsor him because they said he was cheating by using nicotine patches.
The moral to come out of this short tale is that the fellow smokers (who apparently have tried to quit on previous occasions 'cold turkey', but failed), knew in their heart of hearts that nicotine patches probably worked very well at helping with smoking cessation.
It gets back to that old devil of denial and that is smokers will only quit when they are truly ready and not before, and in the mean time they'll have a million and one reasons why right now is that a good time to stop! It's my guess, as an ex smoker, that these active smokers in the office were jealous of their colleagues determination to improve the quality of his life, and that of another, while they themselves selfishly squandered away their own health and finances.
Happy & Healthy New Year 2012
Addicted to More would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a happy and healthy New Year for 2012. We hope that this will be your year of quitting smoking, if that's your goal, and would like to think that something on our pages has helped you to make that bold decision. So once again, good luck and long may you live a fulfilling and active life.
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