There are people out there who have nicotine gum addiction. They have replaced their cigarette addiction and now they are addicted to the “cure.” Or in some cases, they continue to smoke AND use nicotine gum in cases when they cannot light up a cigarette.
This is a big issue, in my opinion, because I have seen people that I know that have struggled with it. Being addicted to nicotine gum is still a problem, even if it is not quite as bad as being addicted to cigarettes. And if you happen to be using a nicotine replacement product, such as the gum, and continue to smoke cigarettes, you need to stop one of them right away. It’s either the replacement therapies or the cigarettes. Never should you combine the two, that is asking for trouble and can really be quite dangerous.
Nicotine replacement therapies
My take on nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) is that they do not really work. Sure there are people who have quit successfully with the patch or the gum, but it is my belief that most or all of those people could have quit anyway. NRT always looks good in short term studies because using those products produces better short term success rates than going cold turkey. But if you look at 3 year, 5 year, or 10 year success rates you will see that cold turkey quitters start to outnumber those who used NRT products.
In the end, everyone quits cold turkey. It sounds like a nice idea to use a nicotine patch to “ween yourself down” off the nicotine, but this doesn’t really help much. The withdrawal symptoms are the same severity when you finally stop putting nicotine in your body.
That’s an important point: it doesn’t seem to matter what level of nicotine you are hooked on. When you take it away, the withdrawal is agonizing. That is why NRT products tend to fail. They are no better than going cold turkey in the end. You still have to face your physical existence without the nicotine at some point. And when you do, there is going to be a nasty withdrawal, regardless of how much you have “stepped down” using NRT products.
This is what makes the Nicotine gum addiction so insidious. Getting down to zero nicotine intake with the gum is going to feel exactly the same as quitting the cigarettes cold turkey. They both feel the same in terms of withdrawal symptoms. So really, kicking the gum is just as difficult as getting off the cigarettes.
But then there is the insidious logic to it all: it is easier for us to justify and rationalize long term NRT use. We know that the gum is healthier for us than smoking, so we stay hooked on it. But addiction is addiction, and Nicotine gum costs money and keeps you trapped in a cycle of using. There are still huge benefits to getting off the NRT products as well – one of which is that you will increase your chances of not returning to cigarettes. Part of staying hooked on NRT products is that when they fail they lead you back to your drug of choice: smoking cigarettes.
In other words, if you’re hooked on an NRT product, then you stand a bigger chance of relapsing back to smoking than if you were completely nicotine free. Why? Because nicotine is extremely addictive! This is a very powerful physical addiction we are dealing with here, and if you continue to put the drug nicotine into your body then your body will never be free of the addiction. Thus your chances of going back to smoking remain extremely high when you’re using NRT products.
The solution
Have you ever been afraid to take off a band-aid because you knew it was going to hurt to tear it off? You can pull it slowly and go through agony, or you can rip it off fast and be done with it.
You know what the solution is. The solution is to stop putting nicotine into your body. You quit smoking cigarettes, now it is time to quit using nicotine. A drug is still a drug. And there is no easy way to do it other than to just do it.
I do have one suggestion that helped me immensely in getting free from nicotine: sleep through the worst part of your withdrawal. That might sound a bit too simple but it absolutely works if you do it right. To make this technique really effective I suggest that you quit nicotine cold turkey and then stay awake for at least 24 hours. That way you will sleep long and deep through the worst part of your withdrawals. Sounds crazy but this actually worked for me and I haven’t had any nicotine for over 3 years now (and saved over $5,000 dollars!).
Recommended Reading
- Overcoming Addiction
- Using Creation to Quit Smoking
- Quit Smoking 3 Years Ago – Enormous Benefits to Ongoing Abstinence
- What About Recovering Drug Addicts and Alcoholics that Continue to Smoke Cigarettes in Long Term Recovery?
- Holistic Addiction Treatment Center
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
DUDE – So true – I am using gum and I know just after 3 weeks I will have to face music soon… all I have done is changed the delivery method… body is just as hooked if not more so as the gum is quite potent if chewed rapidly.
Although I find it has empowered me a little (false sense of security) into thinking I am more in control.
I am surprised no-one else has commented – mate we live in a dull sheep like existence and people really need to open up.
Thanks for short simple yet refreshing read.
Hi I Truly liked your article, I have been addicted to Nicotine Gum for 2 1/2 years. I have convinced myself it is Okay. I know I have to Quit but I am Scared. I don’t like to go through the Cravings. I think your article has bounced me back to reality and I will have to give up my addiction……
Thanks.
Treen
I almost died from nicotine posioning.
I kicked the nicotine gum habit today! Wasn’t really planning on it, it just happened. (Actually started a cleanse and had to stop the gum, but in my head this was only temporary)….I might as well just give it up altogether. I’m just wondering how long the withdrawals last?
Withdrawal will generally peak around the 72 hour mark from the last time you ingested any nicotine. It will be pretty much over at one week and completely gone by 2 weeks.
Good luck Anne!
I’ve been addicted to nicotine gum for many years. I was a pipe smoker and I inhaled. I quit smoking in 1989 and my Air Force doctor (sorry…physician assistant) provided the nicotine gum; it was prescription at the time and not available OTC. I received over 40 boxes of gum from the Air Force. After I returned to the States, it was available OTC. I too convinced myself it was far better than ever returning to smoking. I am now 60 years old and still chewing the gum with a $300 per month habit. I’ve experienced numbness and tingling in my feet and was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy (non-diabetic). I just finished reading several internet articles from medical journals and chronic nicotine can be one of the causes of peripheral neuropathy. I will get off the gum and I may have to do an inpatient program or get a cabin in the mountains for a month.
@ Jim – I like the cabin in the mountains idea, very novel and enticing. I wish I had done that when I tried to quit smoking back in the day. I say, go for it! Sounds like an adventurous way to take back your freedom from the darn gum.
Good luck!
I just got a free box of nicotine gum from NYC dept of health. I have been going back and forthe bet cigs and gum. I did notice when I was chewing the gum in the past, I felt insecure and paniced if the gum was running low. I really have to agree any type of nicotine can ge quite addictive. I have a coworker who’s been chewing the gum for 15 years. It’s crazy isn’t it? Just bought a book “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” bu Allen Carr. I think many people quit after reading this book. He does not believe in NRT or will power to quit smoking. I will read this book.
I quit smoking 20 years ago, then started back again.I forgot how good I felt,the smell of the summer rain,wonderfully preparied dinners,walking briskly,clean cloths,clean hair,car that does’nt smell like one huge ashtray.I’ve been on the patch for 2 weeks, so has my boyfriend. I decided to rip that patch off ,and just call it quits…….it;s been 3 days now……not feeling to bad…..food smellls good now, walking briskly again,some of that dull fogness is disappearing. Ya know, I think I’m going to make it……..
Hi to all, need to write this in the hope that it will help me through a very difficult period. I have been using NRT for over 9 years, in the form of lozenges. As I have got older the detremental effects on my digestion have got worse and 15 weeks ago I decided to try to give up. I replaced the lozenges with patches and followed the directions exactly. 6 weeks ago I stopped using the lowest dose patch. Fine for 3 and a half weeks and then incredibly strong nicotine cravings. Went out a bought more lozenges, but within 6 hours I realised that I could not go back as they upset my stomach really badly. It’s now been 17 days and the last 4 have been very bad. I am having anxiety attacks and this is having a bad effect on an already delicate digestion. Got a tiger by the tail and now I can’t let go. Just hope I can get through the next few weeks.
hang in there Bill! it will pass, maybe it doesn’t feel that way now but it will.! some people withdraw longer and harder then others. i am at week 6 with no smokes and starting week 2 without nicotine gum… anxiety, cramps, depressed, blocked nose, dizzy at times… smoked for 23 years started when i was 14. I WILL NEVER SMOKE AGAIN!
good luck u’all! lol
well, i don’t agree. i gave up with gum very easily, no side effects, no cravings. i only needed it for a few days. and even if you develop a new addiction, at least you’re not bringing on cancer, heart attack, bad teeth, etc. while you deal with it :)
I have been on the losenges for 1.5 years and have not been smoking in that time. It is very expensive but I am told it is better than smoking. I am just looking for the right time to quit the NRT. I am concerned that there will be some side effect of the NRT. I hope not. Thats how I ended up reading this article.
I have been addicted to nicotine gum for 2 years. I have been smoke-free for 2 years – and was so proud of myself for that – as it took at least 12 attempts at quitting over 12 years with no success. The gum truly helped me kick the habit. HOWEVER, it is still nicotine, and I basically just switched addictions. I recently had arrhythmia and pvc cardiac problems (I’m 36 and exercise 5 times a week) – the doctors and cardiologists thought the gum had absolutely nothing to do with it. However, after a week of not chewing, the symptoms have alleviated. I also am not having daily headaches or acid reflux. I was chewing about 8 pieces a day of the 2 mg pieces/split in half (so maybe just 8-10 mg?) But it took 2 years to start wreaking some havoc in my body. And Patrick is right, this past week has felt just like quitting smoking ALL OVER AGAIN!! Depression, lethargy, anger, irritability – and I have two young kids so I couldn’t sleep through the worst of it:) So – it’s true – if at all possible, try to just go cold turkey – save yourself some time and money, and going through withdrawals again. I can’t say whether I could have quit at that time without the gum – I really do think it helped me a lot. But it’s a double-edged sword – don’t let doctors or anyone else let you think it “safe” long-term. They really just don’t know, and mainly just want you to stop smoking. Best of luck to all who attempt to break the imprisonment of nioctine.
hi i have been on nrt for 5 years now swapping from on product to another to try and stop my habbit but i feel i am going to have to go cold turkey soon i too had digestion problems on some products but took antacid tablets not good . i was addicted to normal gum as a youngster even sleeping with it in i have tried replacing nrt with normal gum so many a day but still not cured i may try the nasal spray as it maybe the need to have something in my mouth that is the problem .cannot use patches as my husband does not know i have a problem ,i dont like feeling that something is in control of me. it costs too much and there is the sneeking about getting rid of the evidence , the only up side is i get a lot of boots advantage points but even swap chemists as i have had a few comments from the sales assistants before will let you know soon if it works hope so .
who cares……at the end of the day …NRT is safe ….and smoking isnt…so better to be addicted to NRT for the rest of your life….than smoking even 1 cigarette…..ive been on the gum now for about 45 years…and i dont care…its not exactly harming me…and the amount of nicotine is minimal compared to even 1 cigarette…so my addiction is much less..and i am becoming safe from lung cancer…plus i can do a 10 mile run without stopping now…whereas before i was wheezing and tired walking up stairs.
Nicotine gum is a lot safer than smoking or dip. I would rather see people I know use the gum if they have to use.
This website is selling a product. They are trying to convince people that use nicotine gum to pay them. This article is biased.
I was a hard-core smoker, only NRT worked for me. I am grateful to it. But I later became addicted. So I’m happy to see resources popping up for NRT addictions, I don’t know why it hasn’t been researched before allowing it to be OTC! I was so shocked to learn of all the related symptoms and potential health risks. I had the usual gum probs, dry mouth, gassiness but surprised to find (at whyquit.com) that a lot of ppl report hair loss, fatigue, depression, muscle weakness, brain fog, itching, and it is suggested that it may deplete gray matter, and prevent expelling of toxins and dead cells. I had so many of these and have been researching them, finding my symptoms relate to Celiac Disease and Candidas Albacans. Maybe the gum caused them. Because I also learned, after 2 years of dry mouth and constant use of breath sprays, the gum contains sorbitol which creates “sugar” addiction; also sorbitol causes gas ’cause it’s a laxative AND it drys the mouth causing sore tongue, receding gums & dryness throughout the body and organs, inc hair & nails. Listerine type sprays exacerbate the problem. To fix the dryness and gas probs switch to a gum that has xylitol instead of sorbitol (while your quitting). P.S re Allen Carr “Easy Way To Quit Smoking”, I heard the CD and he actually says he quit through hypnosis, not through his own system. He kind of glides over this point but it’s there. (& I could not figure out what his system actually was in the first place.) I don’t recommend that.