I have never been a big fan of Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) such as the patch or the gum.  But we cannot discount this technique, because many smokers have successfully quit cigarettes by using these products.

Nicotine replacement strategies are seductive.  Compared to the agony of cold turkey withdrawal, nicotine replacement sounds like a walk in the park.  “I’ll just wear this Nicotine patch all day, and I won’t get cranky or have withdrawal symptoms.” This is the main attraction behind quit smoking medication.

Well, there are at least 4 major problems with that statement that I found to be true for me while attempting to quit with the Nicotine patch:

1) I still experienced some withdrawal, even when wearing the patch all day. It wasn’t necessarily that I wasn’t getting enough Nicotine (although that may have been part of it), but there are also 5,000 other chemicals in cigarettes that you are now missing out on….perhaps your body is addicted to some of those as well?  Wearing the patch felt like a perpetual withdrawal.  It was like slowly prolonging the agony of quitting.  Cold turkey is truly brutal, and is about 5 to 7 days of pure agony for most people, but wearing the patch for several weeks on end seems to me like it is this same agony stretched out over time.  At first, the patch seems to help, but then you realize that your mind and body are still screaming out for a real cigarette, and all the while you are keeping your body perpetually hooked with this constant trickle of Nicotine…

2) I still wanted to smoke, quite badly, in spite of the patch. It wasn’t just the fact that I wanted to medicate with more Nicotine, but I wanted to feel the harshness of the smoke on the back of my throat too.  I was still yearning for the ritual of lighting up.  It was more than just the chemical I wanted.  The patch failed me in this regard.

3) There was a truly wicked withdrawal when I finally took the patch off for good. Then I relapsed.  You can’t wear the patch forever, right?  Sooner or later you have to stop wearing them.  Just realize that when you finally quit wearing the patch, it’s going to be like your withdrawal is starting all over again.  5 to 7 more days of agony…

4) I thought the patch was going to be more effective in helping me quit, so I slacked off on other techniques that could have helped in combination with the patch.

So NRT didn’t really work for me.  Nevertheless, some people have done well quitting with the patch, and it was the thing that finally gave them triumph and success over cigarette addiction.  If you are still struggling with cigarette addiction, you owe it to yourself to investigate every possible quitting technique.

Action items: what you can do

1) If you’re going to try the patch, combine your efforts with other quit smoking techniques, so that you are not relying on this “magic bullet” to be your ultimate cure.

2) Never give up quitting.  If the patch fails you, try something else.  Don’t just keep smoking.

In spite of my fairly negative experience with the patch, I highly recommend that smokers try everything at least once until they manage to quit for good.

The cost of continuing to smoke is too high.  Try the patch, it might save your life.

If it doesn’t work for you, then try something else.  This is the great secret to a successful quit. You must persist until you gain true freedom.