Who knows .... my return may well be imminent. Hope everyone is well. Christina ;-) x
Who knows .... my return may well be imminent. Hope everyone is well. Christina ;-) x
Member since:03.10.2003
Reviews:126
Members who trust:101
For the past two years I've really seriously been wanting to give up smoking. I had promised myself and anyone who would listen that I'd pack up on my 40th birthday; well I'll be 42 in August and it just didn't happen. It's been an interesting couple of years to say the least culminating in the break up of my marriage in October 2005. The moral here is that excuses NOT to stop are ten-a-penny and sometimes any excuse will do.
It was National No Smoking Day on the 8th March so I set my sights around that date and prepared myself by buying a pack of Nicotinell mint 4mg nicotine chewing gum - Extra Strength.
I've been smoking for 26 years - I started when I was 16 and have only really seriously attempted to stop once before when I lasted a grand total of six weeks. Today is day four so I'm in the very, very early stages but feeling pretty positive about things thus far.
I'm not sure why but other Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT) have never really appealed to me that much and at my last visit to my GP I had asked about obtaining the gum on prescription as it can now work out a lot cheaper that way. However, my health authority runs smoking cessation clinics and it's only by attending these that they will prescribe NRT. That's fine if you live and work in the local area and can attend the clinics within the normal day; it's not so fine when you commute to London
every day. Not to be put off, on a visit to Superdrug they were offering all their NRT products at half price so I half-heartedly bought the Nicotinell mint gum.
March 7th - 9.00 p.m. Had my final cigarette and "talked" myself into not enjoying it, concentrating on the financial cost, the cost to my health, the smell of my clothes, the smell of my hair and worse still the smell that lingered constantly on my fingers.
March 8th - National No Smoking Day - I woke up and got ready for work. After brushing my teeth, I consumed my first piece of nicotine gum. I had used gum before on my previous stop attempt and remembered it tasting foul and was curious to see whether the addition of mint flavouring had made it somewhat more palatable.
As it is medicated gum - i.e. impregnated with nicotine, there is a specific method that you need to use to obtain the maximum benefit from it.
1. Chew slowly until taste becomes strong,
Should you choose to ignore this instruction you will know immediately! Chew it too fast and the nicotine hit appears to be so great that it can almost make you feel light headed. Not only that, but the taste is "hot", not quite as bad as chewing hot chilli peppers, but not far from it either - and not at all pleasant.
Chewing slowly does help the release of the "mild" mint flavour, but believe me it's not exactly Wrigleys Extra!
2. Rest the piece of gum between your gum and cheek.
The idea is that once you have the nicotine buzz you stop chewing. You have two options really - do as your told or spit it out because if you continue to chew you will probably either pass out or vomit - or both! Firstly, because the strength of the nicotine release is very significant and does give an instant "buzz" and the latter because if you continued to chew the taste would be unbearable.
3. Chew again when taste has faded.
My experience tells me that one piece of gum when used correctly can last for ages. I tend to have a little chew when the craving for the dreaded weed is almost unbearable; the nicotine release for me personally is quite effective.
4. Repeat chewing routine for about 30 mins.
That's either a very long cigarette or in my opinion the waste of a piece of gum. I find that one piece of gum lasts a good 2-3 hours before it becomes "ineffective".
The gum works by releasing nicotine slowly and is absorbed through the lining of the mouth. The content list is quite scary and contains a heck of a lot of E numbers. However, I'm not planning on using it for too long and I'm sure the risks from E numbers are not quite as serious as the risks from cigarettes!
I opted for the 4mg extra strength gum as I considered myself a heavy smoker - wouldn't you at 20-30 a day? The pack informs me that most people use 8-12 pieces of gum a day and that you shouldn't consume any more than 15.
My pack of gum contained 24 pieces and I have 6 pieces left and tomorrow will be day 5. That means that my average consumption per day has been 4.5 pieces of gum. I suspect that consumption will be dependent to a large extent on how "physical" or "psychological" you perceive your individual addiction to cigarettes to be. Surprisingly, I think I'm discovering that my addiction was far more of a psychological nature as opposed to a physical one, though it has to be recognised that it IS both.
The gum comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet that provides lots of useful information as well as a huge list of do's and don'ts; and a frightening list of who should NOT use this nicotine replacement therapy - e.g. pregnant or breast feeding, diabetics, stroke victims, stomach ulcer sufferers, people who are fructose intolerant, etc. This list is by no means exhaustive and I'm thankful that my general health is good enough for me not to be unable to use it.
Use of the gum can have some minor side effects, but thankfully I haven't experienced any of them. They include a bitter taste in the mouth, hiccups or a sore throat; headache, feeling sick or dizzy and if you have a tendency to indigestion it can cause the onset of mild indigestion or heartburn.
Certainly for the time being Nicotinell mint gum is working for me; I might even invest in a second packet depending on how mentally strong I am over the next few days! However, it's worth noting that I forgot to take it to work with me on Friday and as a result I bought a packet of normal gum instead. I got through the day without giving in to temptation and that included a pub lunch with other smokers.
1. Clear and easy to read instructions. 2. It's a recognised brand name that's been around for years. 3. At £3.74 for a pack of 24 pieces of gum it was a bargain. 4. It appears to be marketed with honesty.
Things I'm not quite so keen on -
1. The mint flavouring thin is really just a "ruse"; it's not even as strong as a polo mint. 2. I wouldn't pay full price for it even though it is cheaper than cigarettes. 3. The level of "E" numbers used in the ingredients. 4. Coffee, juices and fizzy drinks may reduce the absorption of nicotine and shouldn't be taken for 15 minutes before chewing the gum - surely they can get round this problem?
On the whole, so far so good. If you do decided to use gum as your Nicotine Replacement Therapy of choice you do need to ensure you read and follow the instructions as they really are the key to a successful and relatively pleasurable experience.
Day 5 is looming - wish me luck. However, my real motivation has come from the following:-
1. My Dad's 70th birthday is round the corner and it's the best present I could give him. 2. A new partner who detests smoking and his two sons who come as part of the package; I don't want to be in any way responsible for encouraging them to take up such a disgusting habit. 3. My own health and well being and recognising that 42 is rapidly approaching middle age and I don't want the second half of my life to be dedicated in slavery to a drug that is meaningless, expensive and filthy.
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