Nicotine Chewing Gum

“Giving up smoking is easy… I’ve done it hundreds of time.” These are the words from the famous writer Mark Twain. His words wittily sum up the experience of most people who try to stop smoking. It is the withdrawal symptoms that appear after you quit smoking that keeps people going back to the habit. If that sounds like you, nicotine chewing gums might help you get out of this vicious cycle.

Chewing gums are nothing new to humans. According to history, people have been using gums for well over six millennia. It was how people kept their mouth smelling fresh and also it was something to do when they got bored. But chewing gums that contain nicotine is not all that ancient. It was in 1980 when scientists came up with the idea to add nicotine to chewing gums so that smokers can use those to relieve withdrawal symptoms. And it worked. At first, they were classified as prescription medicines around the world. But these days you can buy them easily without any prescription. This article will give you a basic understanding of nicotine chewing gums and how to use them.

A complete guide to nicotine chewing gum

People who want to quit smoking go through a cycle of trying to quit and succumbing back to the habit several times in their life. Some resort to vaping as a less harmful substitute. People are still not sure whether or not vaping is less harmful than smoking, though. But nicotine chewing gums are more effective than any of those in helping you quit smoking. Although some people might need additional support apart from using these chewing gums, there is no doubt that they are safer to use when compared to regular cigarettes or vaping.

Benefits of nicotine anti-smoking chewing gum

The main benefit of using chewing gum to avoid smoking is that you save yourself from a great many varieties of harmful substances. You are still taking in nicotine, but that’s far less deadly than smoking cigarettes. People who replace smoking with gums don’t experience weight gain that some people experience after they quit smoking. There is solid scientific evidence to prove that nicotine chewing gums can reduce withdrawal symptoms of smoking and make it easier to quit. And if you managed to reduce the number of gums that you take in a day, you can eventually cure nicotine dependence altogether.

Drawbacks of nicotine chewing gum

Probably a thing that concerns most people is the addiction to the anti-smoking chewing gum itself. Because it also contains nicotine, it is quite easy to get addicted if you are not careful. Albeit being a minority, a few people, end up using the gum for up to fifteen years. For people who are trying to quit smoking by using the gums, they are actually taking up a less harmful habit. But for people who take up the habit of chewing gum for its convenience, this is actually bad. Apart from the nicotine in the gum, excessive chewing can cause pain in the jaws and teeth.

How to use nicotine chewing gum

Unlike normal gum, there are guidelines to use nicotine chewing gums. And if you want it to actually help you quit smoking, you should try to follow it as much as you can. It is recommended that you take a nicotine dependence test to determine how often you should chew the gum to avoid any withdrawal symptoms. You should reduce the number of gums you chew in a day every four or six weeks. It is okay to go a little bit here or there from the recommended time period depending on how your body reacts to you, reducing the number of gums. But you should try to stick to the schedule as much as possible.

Deciding whether to use them

Nicotine chewing gums are for smokers who are trying to quit. So, if you are trying to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke or want to quit altogether, these chewing gums can smoothen the transition. The act of chewing itself can provide a distraction from the oral fixation that smokers experience during withdrawal. If you are not sure whether or not you should use nicotine chewing gum, you can seek advice from your doctor or a pharmacist. If you are taking any other medications or have any health condition, you should not use chewing gums without a doctor’s advice.