Editor’s note: This article contains references to addiction.
Addiction is a complex and difficult thing to beat, and nicotine addiction is no different. While all nicotine-based products come with the inherent risk of addiction, it’s crucial to recognize not all are created equal. Some present significantly fewer health hazards than others.
It’s essential to understand which options might be the lesser of many evils, offering a potentially safer bridge for those seeking alternatives or transitional aids.
These products are of immense importance to those who want to quit. Although stopping cold turkey can work, it is not incredibly effective and is taxing on your physical and mental health. Based on 25 years of polling and research, only about three to five out of 100 will actually quit for longer than six months.
Trying to quit cold turkey doesn’t give enough credit to the addictive nature of nicotine. When you attempt to quit abruptly, you leave yourself exposed to heightened levels of anxiety, depression and insomnia.
Forms of transitional aid to quit smoking are typically the safest form of nicotine products.
These types of products include nicotine gums, patches and inhalers. Skeptics of transitional aids and Nicotine Replacement Therapy may argue it is unnecessary since there are no such devices for many other addictive substances like alcohol.
However, there are forms of transitional therapy that do not center around transitional devices. Programs like Alcoholics Anonymous or rehab play the transitional role NRT plays in nicotine addiction.
Transitional aids and NRT slow down the pathways nicotine takes to reach your brain, causing not only the reduction of the impact of nicotine but also the uncomfortable feelings of nicotine withdrawal.
Reducing the amount of anxiety one has off a nicotine product makes it more likely you are successfully able to quit nicotine altogether. The dependency begins to wane, and you feel like you can begin to live without the product.
For this reason, the FDA has approved and championed NRT to be a safe and effective form of nicotine cessation.According to studies by the International Journal of Health Sciences, NRTs can increase the rate of quitting by 70%.
Although NRT is the safest way to transition out of cigarettes, it is not the most effective. Recent studies have surprisingly concluded e-cigarettes are more effective than NRT in helping to end nicotine addiction. E-cigarettes, however, are much more dangerous.
E-cigarette products contain an immense amount of synthetic products that can damage your respiratory system. They also contain products like formaldehyde and acrolein, a herbicide used to kill weeds.
Vapes are not as dangerous as traditional cigarettes. Cigarettes are the cause of 90% of all lung cancer cases. They contain 60 cancer-causing agents, while e-cigarettes contain much less.
Navigating the maze of nicotine addiction can often feel like an uphill battle. It’s heartening to know there are bridges available, like NRTs, which are considered the least of all evils.
As stated before, it’s also worth noting e-cigarettes have emerged as a promising tool to escape dependency, especially when compared with the devastating health consequences of traditional cigarettes.
Battling addiction is challenging, and often feels unending. The grip substances like nicotine can have on an individual is relentless, causing not only the body but also the mind to enter a cycle of dependence that is incredibly arduous to break. The advent of safer nicotine products such as nicotine replacement therapies and e-cigarettes presents a beacon of hope.
These alternatives, designed to be less harmful, can serve as stepping stones on the journey toward a life without the financial and physical burden that accompanies some nicotine products. They represent a semblance of control and choice in a battle that often feels overwhelming, providing hope.
You can provide hope to others as well by informing your peers who wish to quit that they have options when trying to wane off nicotine.
