Smoking Cessation and Nicotine Replacements

               Tobacco use can be a very hard habit to kick, but there are many opportunities to overcome this addiction. It is widely known that tobacco can cause many health issues, including respiratory problems and cancer. Surgeon’s General warnings are posted on cigarette packs in order to inform the smoker of what he/she is putting into their body. There are certain “scare tactics” that may be beneficial when it comes to smoking cessation, but researchers have come up with other ways to aid in this process.

            One of the more modern techniques involved with decreased tobacco use is the implementation of nicotine replacements. These replacements can include nicotine gum, patches, lozenges, and more. Researchers (Pack, Jorenby, Fiore, Jackson, Weston, Piper & Baker, 2008)

 conducted a study comparing the effectiveness of nicotine lozenges versus nicotine gum. 408 participants were selected to receive either the lozenge or gum over an 8-week treatment period. After this period was over, 15.1% quit smoking after using the lozenge, while 11.3% quit after using the gum (Pack et al., 2008). Overall, the two methods seemed to be equally effective. These quit rates seemed to be fairly low, so other alternatives to smoking cessation promotion should be used in accordance with this.

            The CDC provides suggested methods to quit smoking including clinical interventions (doctor’s 

advice), counseling, and behavioral cessation therapies. It is also recommended that if using a nicotine 

replacement product, one of the above methods should be used in accordance ("Smoking cessation," 

2013). 

CDC, (2013). Smoking cessation. Retrieved from website: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/cessation/quitting/index.htm

Pack, Q., Jorenby, D., Fiore, M., Jackson, T., Weston, P., Piper, M., & Baker, T. (2008). A comparison of the nicotine lozenge and nicotine gum: An effectiveness randomized controlled trial.