Nicotine gum is a FDD (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved method for NRT (nicotine replacement therapy). Nicotine gum’s purpose is to help with smoking cessation. But there are strict instructions for using nicotine gum and you are only supposed to use it for 12 weeks. Nicotine gum is a medicine but all medical purpose substances need to be used in a designated way so they would not cause medical harm. It is easy to become addicted to nicotine gum. Nicotine gum contains nicotine, nicotine is an extremely addictive and harmful substance. The best thing for your health would be to avoid all substances that contain nicotine. Because nicotine gum is discrete and can be used practically everywhere it is easy to overuse it and become addicted.
This article will give an overview of the importance of quitting nicotine gum and what is the best way for doing it. Nicotine gum addiction is a serious illness and should not be taken lightly.8 Follow these guidelines to get over nicotine gum addiction.
1. Assess Your Current Nicotine Gum Usage
Assess your current nicotine gum usage. Write down how much and how often you use nicotine gums. It is important because nicotine gum is so discreet that it is easy to use much more nicotine gum than you were aware of. For example, write down I use 2 mg nicotine gum in every half an hour all throughout the day it comes to 20 nicotine gums.
The next passage will help with setting the goal and timeframe for quitting nicotine gum.
2. Set a Quitting Goal and Timeframe
Set a quitting goal and timeframe means are you lowering your nicotine intake over a course of time period or do you wish to quit cold turkey (no more nicotine gums at all) straight away. When your nicotine gum usage has been low then it is easier to quit cold turkey, but if your nicotine gum consumption has been big then setting a lowered intake over a course of time is more sensible. In that case it is easier to withstand the withdrawal symptoms. For example, if you have been using 4 mg nicotine gums and use 50 per day then for the first week you might start lowering the usage to 45 then to 40, lowering the number by 5 each week.
The next passage will tell you more about the importance of choosing the easiest time for reducing nicotine gum use.
3. Identify the Easiest Time to Reduce Gum Use
Identify the easiest time to reduce gum use means knowing it might be hard to reduce gum use when there are more stressful events. It is stressful enough reducing gum use, there is no need to do it at a time when you are already stressed from surrounding events. For example, to not choose the time for reducing gum use when your in-laws are visiting, or your company is getting restructured. Choose a time when you know you are least stressed- a holiday for example.
Read on to learn how eliminating one gum a day can be your progress step.
4. Eliminate One Piece of Nicotine Gum Daily
Eliminate one piece of nicotine gum daily is a realistic and doable step for most people. Everyone feels that one small step a day is easier due to the fact that it becomes a daily habit. Habits are things we do without consciously acknowledging them.
The next step will help you find alternatives to ease the withdrawal.
5. Use Alternatives Like Regular Gums
Use alternatives like regular gum means that you replace nicotine gum a day with regular chewing gum. It will keep your mouth occupied and mind busy which will ease the craving for nicotine.
Read on about the importance of making it a repetitive activity.
6. Repeat the Process with Each Additional Piece
Repeat the process with each additional piece means replacing one extra nicotine gum with chewing gum per day. That will become a habit and when we do habits the activity becomes automatic and we do it without realizing it. It becomes similar to locking the door after leaving the house- you usually do not even remember doing it.
This leads us to the seventh step – patience.
7. Stay Patient
Stay patient means constantly doing the same thing until you get to the desired end result without giving up first. Addiction is a hard thing to overcome and patience is the key in it. Give yourself a well done for every day on the journey to overcoming nicotine gum addiction. It is important to remind yourself of the end goal and patiently move towards it.
Monitoring the progress regularly will give you a sense of achievement which will help with patience.
8. Monitor Progress Regularly
Monitor progress regularly means keeping an eye on how long you have been without the use of nicotine gum. Is the feeling getting easier and how much easier? For example, notice how you are less irritable after a few days without nicotine gum. Appreciate the progress and appraise yourself for good work. That will give you strength to go through the process and be addiction free by the end of it.
Move on to the next step to get prepared for symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
9. Prepare for Nicotine Gum Withdrawal
Prepare for nicotine withdrawal means knowing what will come and normalizing it to make it easier to overcome the withdrawal symptoms without getting back to using nicotine gum. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are: anxiety; depression; difficulty with concentrating; impaired performance; irritability, frustration and anger; restlessness and impatience; increased appetite and weight gain, cravings; sleep disturbances, such as insomnia or sleeping too much. All these symptoms are normal with nicotine withdrawal and will pass. The first 3 – 4 days are the hardest and after that it is easier.
Read more about Nicotine Gum Withdrawal.
Read on to find out why quitting using nicotine gum is important.
Why is Quitting the use of Nicotine Gum important?
Quitting nicotine gum is important because it contains nicotine and nicotine is a highly addictive substance that causes harm to your body. Nicotine is a short-lived drug and using it will build up tolerance which means you will constantly need to get bigger amounts of nicotine into your system to satisfy your addiction. It is important to quit nicotine gum quickly because the longer you wait the bigger the addiction will become.
Read on to find out how long quitting nicotine gum can take.
How long does it typically take to quit Nicotine Gum?
It usually takes a few weeks to successfully quit nicotine gum. The withdrawal symptoms are the hardest for the first few days (same for all nicotine products). After that it will be more about mentally overcoming the habit of reaching for nicotine gum. It is easy to become addicted to nicotine gums due to the nicotine content. That is why it is important to follow the instructions that come with nicotine gums and use it only for 12 weeks.
Read more about Nicotine Gum.
Read on to learn how hard it is to quit nicotine gum.
Is it hard to quit Nicotine Gum addiction?
It is quite hard to quit nicotine gum when you have not used it according to instructions. Since nicotine gum is a FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration) approved method of NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) people assume that it is completely safe. The reality is that it still contains nicotine and nicotine is an extremely addictive harmful substance. Nicotine gums are so discreet when you use them that there are no obstacles to using them constantly. These factors mean that it is easy to become addicted to nicotine gums without realizing it. Overcoming any addiction is hard and should be taken seriously.
Read on to learn if nicotine gum is worse than smoking.
Is Nicotine Gum Worse than Smoking
No, nicotine gum is not worse than smoking. While you smoke you inhale burnt tobacco and other toxic chemicals with the smoke. When you are using nicotine gum there is no smoke or harmful toxins involved. Nicotine gum has lower levels of nicotine content. Nicotine gum is an FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved method for NRT (nicotine replacement therapy). Nicotine gum is designed to help with smoking cessation. But it is only meant to be used for 12 weeks.
Read on to find out about the side effects of nicotine gum.
What are the side effects of Nicotine Gum?
The side effects of overuse of nicotine gum are:
- Increased stomach problems: Increased stomach problems include the following symptoms: bloating, indigestion, abdominal distress, and nausea. It happens because nicotine from the nicotine gum gets absorbed into your body and causes reactions from your body.
- Sleep deficiency: Sleep deficiency means that you do not get enough sleep, sleep at the wrong times, you do not sleep well or do not get all the types of sleep you need. Since nicotine in the nicotine gum is a stimulant, it masks the sleepiness and blocks you from understanding what your body needs and that leads to disturbances in your sleep pattern.
- Gum dependence: Gum dependence is an addiction to nicotine gum- that means you need to consume it and cannot stop using it even when you wish or try to. Nicotine is a short-lived drug so it can lead to a cycle of constant use to relive the pleasurable sensation, the feeling of “high/buss”. Nicotine gum causes gum dependence because it contains nicotine and nicotine is a highly addictive substance.
- Untimely hair loss: Untimely hair loss means that you lose your hair quicker than you would normally without the influence of nicotine from the nicotine gum. When you use nicotine gum the nicotine gets absorbed into your system. Nicotine weakens blood circulation which means that hair follicles do not get enough nutrients. That leads to hair follicles getting damaged and falling out.
Read on to learn if using nicotine gum can cause cancer.
Can using Nicotine Gum cause cancer?
No, using nicotine gum does not cause cancer. Smoking a cigarette and vaping cause cancer because cancer causing chemicals are present in both smoke and vapor. When you use nicotine gum there is neither smoke nor vapor. But there is a risk of mutations in the FOXM1 gene and that mutation is what causes cancer when you use nicotine gum for longer than recommended (12 weeks).
Read on to learn if nicotine gum raises blood pressure.
Does Nicotine Gum Raise Blood Pressure?
Yes, nicotine gum raises blood pressure. Using any product that contains nicotine will raise blood pressure and heart rate. According to a medical research published by Benowitz and Gourlay, nicotine gum will acutely increase heart rate up to 10 to 15 beats/min and increase blood pressure up to 5 to 10 mm Hg.
Read on to learn if nicotine gum is bad for your heart.
Is Nicotine Gum Bad for Your Heart
Yes, nicotine gum is bad for your heart. All products that contain nicotine are bad for your heart, because nicotine raises your heart rate and blood pressure. Nicotine affects your heart in a way that is equal to engine burning through when driving at high speed constantly.
Read on to learn the recommended use of nicotine gum to avoid addiction.
What is the recommended use of Nicotine Gum to avoid addiction?
The recommended use of nicotine gum to avoid addiction lasts for 12 weeks under strict instructions. First choose the dosage 2 mg when you smoked your first cigarette of the day more than 30 minutes after waking up, 4 mg when in the first 30 minutes after waking up. For the first 6 weeks nicotine gum may be used regularly by chewing one piece of gum every 1 to 2 hours. In the following three weeks one piece should be used every 2 to 4 hours. For the last three weeks one piece should be used every 4 to 8 hours. When 12 weeks have passed you should quit using nicotine gums and when you are unable to quit contact your healthcare professional for advice.
Read more about Use of Nicotine Gum.