... but I'm still addicted to nicotine

Are you worried about the possible nicotine side effects from your addiction?

Surprisingly you may be addicted to a recognizable brand name nicotine replacement chewing gum.

That addiction may be harder to give up than when you were physically smoking cigarettes.

Are you desperate to give it up before the dangers of nicotine does any further damage to your health?

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) can be somewhat of a mixed blessing.

Perhaps someone you know who has quit smoking by chewing nicotine gum has encouraged or even badgered you to try NRT...maybe even your doctor.

How easy it seems, but if it is so easy why are so many ex smokers chewing nicotine gum ... some for over Ten (10) years since they stopped smoking cigarettes.

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. It doesn't take people long to feel the biological effects. The brain receptors respond to substances such as nicotine and they very quickly want more.

It is one of the most addictive substances and we know that nicotine side effects are not only a danger of smoking. 

But how many smokers that quit smoking have actually swapped one nicotine addiction for another?

If you are looking for effective way to stop cravings, the urge to smoke and withdrawal symptoms from tobacco-delivered nicotine-dependence yu will be happy to know that there are some terrific nicotine free non addictive products available. Many of these products made from natural ingredients.

Some of these alternatives to NRT’s even contain dark chocolate which has been proven in clinical studies to increase cardiac function and arterial blood flow in smokers.

Take your time and look for what will work for you to take away your addiction.

OTC and counseling considered successful in study

A study by the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention found the most effective way for smokers to quit smoking is to combine therapies and over-the-counter products into a daily treatment regimen

The study is the largest to date for comparing OTC quit smoking and nicotine dependence treatments against each other, according to a UW-CTRI statement.

“We started collecting stop smoking data in January 2005,” said Megan Piper, lead nicotine dependence researcher at UW-CTRI. “Folks who signed to join the quit smoking programs agreed to three years of participation. Many finished the third year and many are on their second year and are still smoke free We recruited in both Madison and Milwaukee from television and newspaper ads.”

More than 1,500 Wisconsin smokers 18 and older participated. Every smoker involved in the study was also given at least six sessions of counseling, according to Piper.

The study compared nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges and a combination of the two; bupropion — a prescription medication — and its combination with the lozenge; and a placebo. Of the methods, combinations of the patch and lozenge were deemed most effective. The placebo, or quitting cold turkey, was the least effective.

“These results were targeted for daily smokers — at least 10 cigarettes a day,” Piper said. “Someone smoking maybe not every day, but less, [might find] that a combination (of a patch and lozenge) may not be as good for them because they would experience a nicotine overdose if they were not used to [that amount].”

While the national rate of adult smokers is 19.8 percent, in Wisconsin 19.6 percent of adults are smokers, according to UW-CTRI spokesperson Moira Harrington.

“I think smoking is a problem on most college campuses. Many student would like to stop smoking. Most people start before they get to college, but some smokers start a daily smoking pattern while they’re in college or before,” Piper said. “People start while they’re trying to study for finals, or have one in a bar, then go on to develop a true dependence.”

While the patch and lozenge were the most effective combination, many other methods including natural products to ease nicotine withdrawal symptoms were left out of the test.

 “I think the big message is that if you’re a daily smoker and you’re smoking at least half a pack a day, the idea of getting coaching or counseling in addition to a product to ease tension and tobacco withdrawal symptoms will help greatly” Piper said.

She added frequent smokers might find an online or telephone hot line could also help smokers trying to stop smoking decrease their dependency through numerous methods, including counseling.

As a nationally prominent research center and a part of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the UW-CTRI functions as a research community committed to determining the nature of tobacco and nicotine dependence and developing evidence-based treatments to assist smokers to quit smoking.

It was founded in 1992 to combat smoking as the No. 1 cause of preventable death, Harrington said.

A reprint of an article written by Alex Skanavis
Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Common Nicotine Gum Use Adversities

Common complaints among long-term nicotine replacement gum users (one year or greater) include: nicotine addiction and with intense gum cravings realted to nicotine withdrawal, anxiety, irritability, dizziness, headaches, nervousness, hiccups, ringing in the ears, chronic depression, headaches, heart burn, elevated blood pressure, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, sleep disruption, tiredness, a lack of motivation, a heavy feeling, recessed, bleeding and diseased gums, diminished sense of taste, tooth enamel damage, tooth loss, jaw-joint pain and damage (TMJ), canker sores with white patches on the tongue or mouth, bad breath, dry mouth, sore or irritated throat, difficulty swallowing, swollen glands, bronchitis, stomach problems and pain, gastritis, severe bloating, belching, achy muscles and joints, pins and needles in arms and hands, uncontrollable foul smelling gas that lingers, a lack of energy, loss of sex drive, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, fecal impaction from dehydration, scalp tingling, hair loss, acne, facial reddening, chronic skin rashes and concerns about immune system suppression. All this means is that nicotine withdrawal is associated with nicotine replacement making NRT less than a best stop smoking aid because of nicotine's side effects.

Other Health Concerns

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is not blind. It has seen industry commercials and knows that nicotine gum is addictive and that nicotine withdrawal is a problem encountered by long time users of nicotine replace as a stop smoking alternative. It is being marketed as both a great tasting supplement to smoking and a permanent stand-alone harm reduction solution. Sadly, this is being done without any meaningful long-term research regarding the consequences of long-term NRT use or the influence of harm reduction marketing in fostering youth nicotine addiction. In the initial clinical studies supporting FDA approval it was never intended for these uses. As a matter of fact during the 13 week trials regular gum shown to have a 60% placebo effect in subjects enrolled in the study.

Recent studies raise a host of use concerns as smoking alternative because of nicotine side effects that most users will not notice until it’s too late. Researchers are concerned that nicotine is a super toxin that appears to destroy brain gray matter, prevent unhealthy cells throughout the body from dying natural deaths (apoptosis), promotes lung, breast and pancreatic cancer, hinders bone healing, induces angiogenesis which causes plaque build-up within arteries to harden, and that it accelerates tumor growth rates.

Better to try a more natural smoking alternative when you have the urge to smoke.

A federal judge may soon decide whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate electronic (e-) cigarettes as drug-delivery devices and nicotine delivery systems, the Christian Science Monitor reported Oct. 17.

Number of pregnant smokers on the rise

A new report from Flint, Michigan confirms what health professionals around the United States say is one of their toughest challenges: Trying to increase Stop Smoking among pregnant women is on the rise.

Last week's new Kids Count report shows the percentage of women who smoked while pregnant rose to 20 percent in 2007. The findings, released Tuesday, were collected by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Dr. Ivana Vettraino, director of maternal fetal medicine at Hurley Medical Center, is familiar with the smoking problem. She said the best word she can use to describe the numbers who she has counseled to quit smoking is "disappointing."

"When they (patients) look at you and say, 'I've tried to stop smoking before and it hasn't worked,' and then they just walk out, it is a little -- disappointing is the best word I can come up with -- because many of the patients I see have a lot of medical problems. But still, their biggest risk for having a poor pregnancy outcome is their tobacco use resulting from addiction to nicotine ," she said.

Potential negative outcomes can include low birth weight, increased risk of cardiovascular and heart disease later in life, and problems with the placenta that could result in early birth or death.  "There's a lot of knowledge now about what happens in utero sort of prognosticates what's going to happen to you later in life," Vettraino said.

Smoking --is the leading cause of low birth weight –getting pregnant smokers to quit smoking isn't getting any easier.

April Smith, 34, of Flint knows how tough quitting smoking can be. She said that when she was pregnant, she was able to cut back on her smoking the most, but there were "key points" in her day, such as after meals, when she had cravings for tobacco she just couldn't resist.

"There's always a battle inside your mind. Yes, you feel bad for doing it, but your craving or nicotine addiction, you feel good," she said. Smith compares quitting smoking to losing weight, saying that if you're not committed to changing your entire life, you're not going to succeed.

Trissa Torres, a preventive medicine physician for Genesys Health Systems, started a program at the Genesys Flint East Campus to help pregnant women stop smoking. Within her program, Torres said the majority of people she works with -- all of whom sought help themselves -- know smoking can be dangerous.

At Hurley, though, Vettraino said she's surprised by how many patients say they aren't aware of the effects of tobacco can have on an unborn child. And among those who are aware of the risks, she said, the effort to quit smoking often isn't there.

"I'm always surprised when there's somebody that tells you they didn't realize the risks. But most of the time they look at you and they nod. They know, and what they tell you is they're really trying hard to quit. Most of them will tell you that they cut down," she said.

Vettraino said some expectant mothers quit smoking immediately once they find out they're pregnant, but others, even with the offer of smoking cessation aids such as nicotine patches products to quit smoking, don't make the effort.

Even for those mothers who manage to stop smoking, Torres said the larger challenge is staying off cigarettes after children are born. Smith's children are now 8 and 3. She still smokes but said she's cut down, makes a point not to light up around her children and tries to keep them away from other smokers.

"I get angry with myself because it's ridiculous. ... Some days I can go all day without smoking, but the next day I make up for it. It's ridiculous," she said. "I regret it."

Reprinted and Exerpted
Scott Atkinson | The Flint Journal

Monday August 03, 2009,

Researchers say that there is no doubt that nicotine gum, nicotine lozenges are products to quit smoking but would you use them as part of your stop smoking program if you knew they could cause oral cancers.

Now new genetic research from the U.K.'s Medical Research Council suggests that nicotine-replacement drugs like nicotine gum and lozenges when used to stop smoking could raise the risk of mouth cancer, Medical News Today reported on April 26.

Researcher Muy-Teck Teh of the Institute of Dentistry, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University London said that nicotine appears to increase expression of the gene FOXM1 in the mouth; increased levels of the gene is known to be associated with some forms of cancer.

 "Our study found that FOXM1 was enhanced during the early progressive stages of mouth cancer. This means if someone has increased levels of FOXM1 in their mouth, it could indicate the early stages of mouth cancer," said Teh. "We were surprised to find that nicotine increased the levels of FOXM1 in the cells. We used the same amount of nicotine found in nicotine  replacement therapies such as chewing gums and the amount was enough to activate the gene."

Most mouth cancers are caused by smoking, chewing tobacco, and/or drinking alcohol. Although several recent studies seem to confirm nicotine is mutagenic, it has not previously been considered to be a carcinogen.

"Although we acknowledge the importance of encouraging people to quit smoking, our research suggests nicotine found in lozenges and chewing gums may increase the risk of mouth cancer," Teh said.

This research published online in the journal PLos One may cause those smokers seeking the best way to to quit smoking to look for more natural stop smoking alternatives which are easily found by searching the internet.

Tobacco retailers should be required by their local boards of health to post accurate warnings to smokers as well as smokers seeking to quit smoking. These warnings must truthfully inform all tobacco consumers as well as those seeking to quit smoking that smoke free tobacco/nicotine products are far less hazardous alternatives than cigarettes, and that switching to low tar low nicotine cigarettes doesn’t significantly reduce the risks of smoking. Even those so called nicotine replacement therapies (NRT’s) like nicotine gum, lozenges and patches can be dangerous in the long run because the nicotine in tobacco is mutagenic and it is equally as bad for the heart because nicotine constricts blood vessels.

Smoke free tobacco/nicotine products do not reduce health risks nearly as much as stopping smoking and quitting all tobacco/nicotine use. With millions of smokers having already significantly reduced their health risks by quitting smoking,  the switch to pharmaceuticals like Zyban and Chantix must be done with extreme caution (See FDA Black Box Warnings).

Smoke free tobacco/nicotine and pharmaceutical products do not absolutely reduce the risk from smoking and may do more harm than good.

Unfortunately, many local boards of health have yet to acknowledge or inform any heavily addicted smokers that smoke free tobacco products are hazardous and the switch to harm reduction alternatives to cigarettes.

Blog Food 6 2 2009

You want to quit smoking, or cut back on using tobacco, or maybe you don’t want to quit at all. Sometimes you just want an alternative to cigarettes and tobacco products when you want to smoke but just can’t light up.

Everyone tells you about nicotine gum and nicotine patches and how easy it is to quit … Well, there are all forms of nicotine replacement therapies that are advertised all over television and before you give in to replacing one form of nicotine for another give this some consideration. As unbelievable as it seems, addiction to those so called aids to quitting smoking like nicotine gum and nicotine patch addiction is for real!

Lots and lots of former smokers who quit smoking using gum and patches are still addicted to nicotine. Those smokers who may have quit using nicotine patches or other form of nicotine replacement therapies often report being unable to come off the patches or gum. Their nicotine addiction has continued on for many more months or even years after the gave up smoking. This much more than is told by epharmaceutical company's guide literature and goes unreported as required in their post marketing reporting to the FDA. They would say those numbers are not significant. Hog wash, not significant to who? What about those that have heart problems and other mutagenic problems that can be tracked back to nicotine.

So if your quitting smoking, thinking about cutting, or just not interesting in stopping smoking at all there are alternatives to nicotine that are natural, great tasting with significant success rates like smokerZchoice which gives you the freedom to decide what you want to do with out replacing one addiction with another.

Of course the decisions are yours as are the choices. Find the best product for what you need and you’ll find the right answer.

I guess I thought it was cool back then.  After all all the cool guys were smoking.

But after 25 years of smoking and after many attempts I was able to break the smoking habit. I guess I tried to quit smoking a thousand times. In 1984, (the last year I smoked a cigarette) I developed a product to help others to quit smoking based on my personal experiences. The product included a fairly comprehensive behavior modification program that was self paced and self administered. It also included a non nicotine approved pharmaceutical medication called lobeline sulfate. I chose lobeline because In comparative studies lobeline compared favorably to nicotine in its ability to alleviate withdraws symptoms. When combined with the behavior modification program the entire lobeline based product had an overall 20% success rate. Nicotine replacement therapies had 22%.  Is that a statistically significant difference ..who knows?

That was years ago. And the major pharmaceutical company sponsoring nicotine replacement therapy were not interested in the Public Health Services mandate to reduce cigarette and tobacco consumption. GEEZ, I thought we were all in it together. Getting people to stop smoking or cut down that’s what I thought it was all about. . I know. I was naïve. How stupid of me. I contacted them altruistically with good intentions. That wanted to put me out of business and did their damndest to do it. Believe me when I tell you they had me on the ropes. These Big Pharma guys only wanted to dominate the market  and put big profits on the bottom line.  Let the consumer (that smoker trying to quit that is) be damned. That was and still is their marching orders and they could care less about the smokers quitting smoking if they weren’t buying their products.

My contention is best not to use nicotine. That is up to you to decide. You can choose to believe the advertising message they are pitching about nicotine gum or nicotine patches or you can choose for yourself.

 All of my products are botanically derived and contain no nicotine. I think there is real health benefit in avoiding nicotine. Using nicotine to break a nicotine addiction flies in face of logic and besides that the underlying science speaks for itself.

Since then, I've been working on other non-nicotine alternative tobacco products because I have seen the studies and I know nicotine is dangerous, toxic, and mutagenic. I think my all natural botanical solution is better. I believe in it so much I am giving away free samples. Not little tiny samples but full size samples of the same product you would pay $29.95 in a store or online. There is no sign up, no credit card, no postage fees to pay.

I have business and I am a business man.  I want to sell my products too. But I don’t believe customers are sheep. I believe in what I sell and I know that if you like the sample you’ll use it and buy it and if you don’t you let me know

So If you want quit smoking, cut back on smoking or keep on smoking that’s your choice. Give smokerZchoice a try.

What have you got to lose?  It’s on me.

Go to www.smokerzchoice.com and choose for yourself.