Nicotine Replacement Therapy Lesson 1: An Overview

The theory behind Nicotine Replacement Therapy (henceforth referred to as “NRT”) is simple, if not a bit inane.

The idea is to wean the smoker off of smoking, the delivery system of the drug to which they’re addicted, by supplying them with that very same drug using a different delivery system.  That’s kind of like saying “We’ll cure your cocaine snorting addiction by providing you with hypodermic needles to inject it.” But regardless of the seemingly contradictory nature of NRT it is accepted by many medical professionals as the most effective way to quit smoking.

There are quite a few different types of NRT but I’m going to reduce them to these:

1) Nicotine Delivery Systems: gums, lozenges, inhalers, p atches, and nasal sprays. Each of these remedies does the same thing, delivers nicotine, but in a different way. It’s kind of like different brands of the hypodermic needle mentioned above. Effectiveness* varies, but studies show that using one of these products will double your chances of being smoke-free after one year over someone who uses no NRT. That’s a whopping 17% success rate, by the way.

2) Pills: There are 2 biggies in the pill category. First is bupropion, most often marketed as Zyban or Wellbutrin. Bupropion is an antidepressant and while no one quite understands exactly how it helps smokers, it has been shown to reduce irritability, restlessness, anxiety, cravings and the depression (duh!) that often accompanies a quit. Effectiveness? 20 out of 100 smoke free after 1 year.

The (relatively) new kid on the block is varenicline, trade name “Chantix.” This medicine binds with nicotine receptors in your brain and blocks them so that when you smoke the “pleasure” is not there. Think of eating your favorite food every day for dinner; eventually you’d get tired of it and the pleasure would be gone. 23 out of 100 users will still be smoke free on their anniversary date.

3) New Age, Do-It-Yourself and Cold Turkey: People will try anything to quit including, acupuncture, hypnosis and chaining themselves to the couch for 30 days (I read a book where a lady actually did that). Some people quit by switching to other forms of tobacco  ingestion; pipes, cigars and everyone’s favorite, stuff you have to spit out. Effectiveness varies but like other forms of NRT it is generally dismal.

While this article may seem somewhat uncomplimentary to NRTs one must bear in mind that a 20% success rate means that out of a million people who try, 200,000 become non-smokers. Keep in mind also that it typically takes more than one attempt to succeed, so of the 800,000 “failures” there will be many who join the 20% rank at some point in the future.

And speaking of the future, that is when I will be revealing the single most important step you can take to become a non-smoker; but I gotta get you ready to recieve first.

Stay tuned!