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Nicotine Gum: It's Proper to Grieve

by Dan B

Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

After 25 years of smoking and numerous attempts I've fianally done it with the holistic approach of mental preparation, nicotine gum, herbal cigarettes and strong mints. After reading two books on changing your thinking about smoking I decided to give myself every chance for success by stacking up methods. Besides reflecting on all the benefits of not smoking for about 2 weeks, the Nicorette was very effective to combat cravings. Since nicotine withdrawl only lasts about a week, it's a good marketing ploy to suggest 3 months of buying their expensive product though some might find it neccesary. My failures in the past were due to having one cigarette after quitting for one or two weeks and then feeling the power of nicotine cravings surging through me. This time I decided to try herbal cigs to have something to fall back on for a desperation smoke. I have smoked 3-4 per day when I have a huge craving or while waiting for the Nicorette to kick in. There is no compulsion to smoke them since they are nicotine free. I believe one reason it can be so hard to even want to quit is the finality of never smoking again scares people. Like it or not, smoking is a habit that has accompanied people through many situations and it's proper to grieve the loss of this constant companion. Using the herbal cigs lets one graudually let go of thier companion while facing and beating the nicotine withdrawl at the same time. I'm not advocating replacing a tobacco habit with herbal smoke but it's way more realistic to smoke a couple of cigs a day or a week with non-addictive cigarettes. After one week of not smoking, the cravings are really diminishing and the desire to smoke the herbals is almost non-existant. I plan to keep herbal cigs with me for a long time because if I ever feel an irresistable urge to smoke, I know I can without dealing with the nicotine cravings coming back. Even knowing that I can smoke something gives me comfort without wanting to smoke again. Good luck to all quitter's. DB