Archive for the ‘Nicotine Addiction’ category

Addiction to Nicotine Gum

December 4th, 2009

In a recent report regarding nicotine gum addiction, researchers concluded that 5-9% of nicotine gum users relied on it for longer than the recommended three months. Nearly half that amount of nicotine gum chewers relied upon nicotine gum for six or more months and many others continue to chew the gum for years.

Although chewing nicotine gum is safer than smoking cigarettes, you probably don’t want to go from one addiction, cigarettes, to another, nicotine gum addiction – especially since the cost of the gum is exorbitant. There are other problems that are also associated with the excessive gum chewing – the jaw pain that is produced by the constant chewing, week after week and month after month

How Nicotine Gum Addiction Affects Your Body

Nicotine gum addiction may not be as life threatening as addiction to cigarettes but the gum still contains nicotine, and nicotine is highly addictive. Nicotine provides an almost immediate “jolt” because it causes a discharge of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex. This stimulates the central nervous system, and other endocrine glands, which causes a sudden release of glucose.

The stimulation caused by nicotine is then followed by depression and fatigue, and if you are hooked on nicotine, whether it is through nicotine gum addiction, patches, nasal spray or cigarettes, your body will then begin to crave more nicotine. And so the vicious cycle continues and you are not fully cleansed of your nicotine addiction.

Getting Help for Nicotine Gum Addiction

To finally end the cycle of nicotine addiction for good, choose a nicotine-free smoking cessation product such as a medication for smoking cessation or natural treatments such as herbal remedies for nicotine addiction, which are safer and don’t contain the risk of nicotine addiction.

Another benefit of using herbal treatments is that you don’t have to replace a cheap, life threatening product that contains nicotine, such as cigarettes, with a more expensive product that still contains nicotine and may keep you on your path of nicotine addiction.

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Treatment for Nicotine Addiction

November 24th, 2009

Many nicotine addiction treatments are available to you for over-the-counter purchase or by prescription. Research these products carefully to find the treatment for nicotine addiction that will benefit you the most as you strive to become nicotine free.

Nicotine and Addiction

Nicotine replacement therapy, such as nicotine gum, the transdermal patch, and nicotine nasal spray use nicotine as a treatment for nicotine addiction. One problem that arises with these products is that you may become dependent on the product because of the nicotine in them. Many people use nicotine replacement therapy for far longer than prescribed and in turn become addicted to the replacement therapy.

Nicotine Addiction Treatment Drugs

Stop smoking drugs are a non-nicotine treatment for your nicotine addiction. Stop smoking drugs are available only by prescription and work by cutting out the pleasure that smoking a cigarette brings and by reducing withdrawal symptoms.

Behavioral Treatments for Nicotine Addiction

Behavioral treatments have also become more widespread in the treatment for nicotine addiction. Basically, behavioral methods are used to discover high-risk relapse situations, create an aversion to smoking, develop self-monitoring of smoking behavior, and establish coping responses. Support from family, friends and a therapy group also enhance the effectiveness of this treatment for nicotine addiction.

Using Herbs to Treat Nicotine Addiction

Using stop smoking herbs is a natural treatment for nicotine addiction. Mixtures of herbs calm your nicotine cravings and help manage your withdrawal symptoms.

One of the herbs that help with your treatment for nicotine addiction is Lobelia. This herb produces effects similar to nicotine on the central nervous system and also acts as a calming influence on your body. The other ingredients combine to ease the effects of withdraw, which include anxiety and nervous tension, digestion and respiratory difficulties, and fatigue.

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Nicotine Withdrawal

November 18th, 2009

The most challenging part of trying to stop smoking is the nicotine withdrawal. As a regular smoker, you become a nicotine addict. As such, it’s only natural for your body to have nicotine withdrawal symptoms when you decide to stop smoking. How you handle these withdrawal symptoms will determine if your bid to stop smoking is successful or not.

Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

The harshest nicotine withdrawal symptoms come within the first few weeks of your stop smoking journey. Some common things you may experience are tingling in your extremities, intestinal disorders, sweating, anxiety, headaches, and respiratory problems. And these are just the physical symptoms.

Remember, there will be plenty of mental and emotion nicotine withdrawal symptoms you have to manage as well. These include insomnia, general confusion, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, and depression. Needless to say, the decision to stop smoking is the beginning of a long, trying battle. But with the right plan and support, you can get through the dark times to reach a healthier, happier you.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

One of the most common ways to combat withdrawal is nicotine replacement therapy. And it’s exactly what it sounds like. Essentially, you’re replacing the nicotine intake from smoking with a lower level of nicotine from another source (medication, patch, etc.) The idea is that by decreasing your nicotine intake slowly over time, you’ll eventually wean your body off nicotine completely. In theory, it sounds like a good idea. But is it really wise to continue pumping nicotine into your body day in and day out?

Herbs that Help Nicotine Withdrawal

To answer that question, we say no. We believe there are healthier options available to fight nicotine withdrawal. That’s why we suggest taking herbs that help nicotine withdrawal. A couple of the most effective herbs are lobelia extract and passion flower. Lobelia helps improve the health of your respiratory tract, fighting off the damage done from smoking.

The passion flower is effective because it helps reduce anxiety. A lot of stress comes with trying to stop smoking, and you need all the help you can get to limit it. Passion flower can do that for you.
If you want to stop smoking, do it the healthy way. Use herbs that help nicotine withdrawal.

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Nicotine Addiction

November 16th, 2009

Nicotine addiction should not be taken lightly. Nicotine is 1,000 times more potent than alcohol and five to ten times more potent than cocaine or morphine. A one-pack-per-day smoker takes up to 200 hits daily for years. You may want to quit smoking cigarettes but it becomes much easier to continue because of the addictive quality that nicotine possesses.

Nicotine addiction is so powerful because of the way it makes you feel, both emotionally and physically, and because it becomes a part of your daily routine. When you become addicted to smoking, you keep smoking cigarettes in order to achieve the physiological (physical) and psychological (mental) satisfaction that smoking provides.

Unfortunately, the satisfaction that you receive from smoking is very brief and you begin to crave another cigarette in a short period of time. An additional problem that arises is that the more you smoke cigarettes the more exposure you have to nicotine, which results in a growing tolerance for the drug. Consequently, you have to smoke more cigarettes in order to reach that physiological and psychological “high” that your body is craving.

Nicotine Addiction Cycle

Nicotine interferes with the reward pathways in your brain. Every time you smoke, nicotine stimulates your neurons to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes you feel good, while also releasing glutamate, the neurotransmitter connected to your memory. So not only does nicotine make you feel good, it creates a cycle in your brain linking that good feeling back to a cigarette.

Plus, nicotine is metabolized rapidly, so it vanishes from your body completely in just a few hours, which makes you need to smoke more often to continue to feel the same pleasurable effects. That’s what makes nicotine addiction so dangerous and sinister; your brain and your body are telling you that you need to have nicotine.

Nicotine Addiction Withdrawal

After you quit smoking and try to beat the nicotine addiction, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, including depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating or sleeping, headache, and tiredness. Stop smoking herbs help with the nicotine addition withdrawal and “smoker’s flu.”

In the end, recognizing the nature of your nicotine addiction, the physical and psychological cravings, can help you to identify and get ready for the struggle you might have to contend with while you are in the process of quitting. Yes, nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be painful, but it is better than prolonging the risk to your health and your future.

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