People think that to give up smoking, all they need to do is to replace the nicotine supplied by the cigarette. There are numerous of products in the marketplace, many over the counter, that give an ample supply of replacement nicotine. However, they aren’t very effective. The reason people continue to smoke is due to the Psychological Smoking Mechanism, not a need for nicotine.
nikotiini pussit In this article, we will look at some research on the potency of nicotine patches and gum.
The Nicotine Model of Smoking
Back the 1990’s, nicotine got called a highly addictive substance. It was blamed for the reason people find it hard to give up smoking. Yet, cigarette smoking does not fit the definition of a chemical addiction.
In the nicotine model, craving nicotine is what keeps a person smoking. It followed that when nicotine could possibly be provided from a source other than cigarettes, the smoker wouldn’t normally crave cigarettes. Thus, the individual would stop smoking cigarettes by replacing the foundation of nicotine with a nicotine patch or nicotine gum. Then, the new source of nicotine could be gradually reduced as time passes before smoker’s “addiction” to nicotine was removed.
This would be considered a nice, simple solution if nicotine was the real driving force to smoke cigarettes. However, when there is some other reason people smoke, such as the Psychological Smoking Mechanism, supplying nicotine will not be an effective substitute. Let’s look at some research on the potency of nicotine patches and gum.
The Research
Two products that follow the chemical addiction model of using tobacco are nicotine patches and nicotine gum. They’re superb products and do precisely what they say; they provide a very ample way to obtain nicotine. Because the smoker is getting generous amounts of nicotine, that they are supposedly craving, the patches should be incredibly effective and take away the desire to have a cigarette. But how effective are they?
Some research shows, (Davidson, M., Epstein, M., Burt, R., Schaefer, C., Whitworth, G. & McDonald, A. (1998)), only 19% of individuals on nicotine patches had stopped smoking at six weeks and it was reduced to 9.2% at half a year. Looking at it another way, at 6 weeks, 81% of the people using nicotine patches were still smoking and at 6 months, about 91% were still smoking. Yes, 10% of these that had stopped were back at it again.
The results for the gum was a comparable. Despite the fact that the gum was providing the smoker with plenty of nicotine, at 6 weeks, 84% of the people were still smoking and at six months, 92% were smoking.
The study showed that the 8% – 9% of individuals who had stop smoking utilizing the nicotine patches and gum were highly motivated to give up smoking! Basically, they were removing their Psychological Smoking Mechanism.
A GENUINE Life Example
A radio host was interviewing me concerning the Psychological Smoking Mechanism and in the course of the interview he told me he was an ex-smoker. He said he had used nicotine gum to give up and it had taken him 2 yrs until he was finally off of cigarettes. TWO YEARS!
Consider that for a moment. The nicotine gum was providing a big supply of nicotine in the same way it is made to do. Yet, this man was smoking AND chewing the nicotine gum. Quite simply, the gum, packed with nicotine was not substituting for the cigarette since it theoretical should have done.
Since the man wished to quit, he finally stopped after 2 yrs. But it wasn’t the gum, it was him changing his Psychological Smoking Mechanism without even realizing consciously what he was doing. Just like the 8% – 9% of the people in the study study mentioned above.
Nicotine is Not the Motivator to Smoke
The quantity of nicotine a smoker gets in a single cigarette is quite small. Compare the cigarette to your system mass; it’s tiny therefore is the amount of nicotine it contains.
However, these very effective nicotine dispensing products, nicotine patches and gum are loaded with nicotine. That’s what they’re designed to do; put adequate nicotine into the smokers system to, theoretically at least, replace the necessity to smoke a cigarette. However, most smokers have effects to these products because they are getting ultimately more nicotine than they ever did smoking. What does all of this extra nicotine do?
According to the American Lung Association, side effects with the nicotine patch are:
Headache
Dizziness
Upset stomach
Weakness
Blurred vision
Vivid dreams
Mild itching and burning on your skin
Diarrhea
Yes, nicotine does have an effect on the smokers body. However, with all the items that smoking does to the smoker, it generally does not produce the consequences mentioned by the American Lung Association. That is another clue that nicotine is not the motivator to smoke.
Conclusion
If you go by the nicotine model to quit smoking, you are going to be disappointed. The only way to quit smoking would be to remove the Psychological Smoking Mechanism through the use of proven, psychological techniques. When the mechanism is gone, so is smoking.
� Copyright 2010, R. Michael Stone
R. Michael Stone, M.S. – Counselor
33 years experience with subconscious communication and subconscious programming techniques.
Creator of The Unlearn Smoking Success System? – The program that gives you the powerful psychological tools essential to disassemble the Psychological Smoking Mechanism. This easy 28 day program helps you become, not an ex-smoker, but a Non-smoker. Learn how this program can assist you permanently remove cigarettes from your own life.