If you’re a cigarette smoker, chances are you want to quit. That’s the case for 84% of adult cigarette smokers in the UK. But only around 25% of those in England who take that leap will stick the landing. Feelings of restlessness, irritability, frustration, tiredness, and even difficulty sleeping or concentrating can all come knocking when trying to close the door on cigarettes, especially if it’s trying to quit cold turkey. Those are just some of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal that someone on their Quit Journey might expect. And that’s exactly where NRTs (Nicotine Replacement Therapies) like Nicorette can help.
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How can you quit cigarettes when willpower alone just isn’t working?
When quitting smoking is your end game, NRT might be the support to help you win the race.
Cigarette smoke contains a cocktail of harmful toxins including tar, lead, carbon monoxide, ammonia and even cyanide. One other ingredient is nicotine. While nicotine is relatively harmless, it is responsible for making smokers come back for more and more.
Within 10 seconds of being inhaled, the nicotine from a cigarette reaches the brain where it binds to receptors in the ‘Reward Pathway’. The reward pathway spans areas of the brain associated with positive reinforcement, desire, pleasure, attention, and even motor function. Nicotine primes the brain to respond to and seek out more and more cigarettes.
“It’s the nicotine that people who use tobacco smoke eventually become dependent on” says Professor Caitlin Notley*, Professor of Addiction Sciences, University of East Anglia.
Simply put, the more you smoke, the more you crave nicotine. And the more you experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. People also start to associate certain activities with smoking, for example socialising with friends. These activities can become triggers for cigarette cravings.
Going ‘cold turkey’ has the lowest success rate of any quitting strategy. In fact, only 3-4% of smokers who try to quit without support are still smoke free after one year.
One kind of support is Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) like Nicorette. Unlike the instantaneous nicotine hit of a cigarette, NRTs work by releasing slower and lower amounts of nicotine into your brain in a controlled manner, helping people manage withdrawal symptoms gradually.
NRTs don’t contain chemicals like tar, ammonia, lead, carbon monoxide and cyanide that are found in cigarettes. Allowing you to gradually reduce your nicotine dependency without those nasty chemicals.
“Generally when we are supporting people to quit smoking, we advise them to switch to using nicotine in a less harmful way so they don’t experience withdrawal,” Professor Notley says. “They will have much better chances of quitting smoking if they do that with support.”
Studies have shown that with the help of NRT, people can increase their chances of quitting vs willpower alone. Everyone has their own Quit Journey when it comes to cigarettes. While willpower and commitment to the goal of quitting are undoubtedly important, NRTs like Nicorette are another powerful tool to consider when taking that journey.
*This person does not endorse Nicorette.
Nicorette Icy White 2mg Gum contains nicotine. Stop smoking aid. Requires willpower. Always read the label.