The health risks of smoking are well-known. However, not all smokers who attempt to quit succeed. For most of them, quitting seems to be one of the hardest challenges they had to face. Fortunately, there are many ways to make smoking cessation an easier process.
One of the most common methods to quit smoking is the use of patches. These products are designed to gradually relieve your body from nicotine addiction by giving you a smaller dose of nicotine which gets even smaller overtime. Many companies offer free stop smoking patches. But you may want to ask – do they really work? What’s the catch?
The idea is that you’ll try the patch, like it, and eventually buy more. Stop smoking patches, to work, should be used for a considerable period of time (usually for 6 months). The free products that smoking cessation companies provide are only good for a day or two. Because the patch supplies nicotine to your body, you will immediately feel relieved from nicotine craving. However, this does not mean that this quitting strategy is effective. After using the patch for quite some time, there is still a possibility of getting back to smoking.
Another downside of using stop smoking patches is the cost. Although it’s free in your first try, most providers would force you to sign up for a multi-month supply of their products so you can go away from smoking. While a single patch might appear very affordable, you might want to consider the cost for the entire program. Cost wise, it is much cheaper to continue smoking than to keep using the patch.
Another thing to consider is the potential health risk of using nicotine patches. Many smoking cessation specialists discourage the use of quit products that contain nicotine. This is the substance that makes cigarettes addictive. Using patches is just like smoking cigarettes without the other chemicals. These products have side effects too, such as dizziness, nausea, upset stomach, tremors, anxiety, and headaches. Some people are allergic to patches which cause their skin to become irritated.
So do they really work?
The truth is that the results vary from one person to another. There is a possibility that your body won’t react properly to the patch. It is also important to keep in the mind the cost of the entire program. You may also want to consider other smoking cessation strategies to be able to find the one which is most suitable for you. Always consult your doctor before trying out any stop smoking product. Your doctor can make an intelligent assessment of your nicotine addiction and what are the best quit strategies that will work for you. Lastly, you need to be serious about quitting smoking now. Although quit products are going to help you, your success depends a lot on your determination. You need to have a strong determination to quit so in the future, even though you’re not using any product anymore, you won’t be tempted to smoke again.
