Addicted to Nicotine Gum

Monday August 24, 2009

A reader asks:

"I quit smoking 8 months ago, and I used nicotine gum to help me do it. I still chew the gum, and I think I may be addicted to it/ I only chew a couple of pieces of nicotine gum a day, though. Isn't that a lot better than smoking a pack of cigarettes everyday?"

While it's true that the physical shot of nicotine you're getting daily from nicotine gum is small when compared to smoking, psychologically, the effect is significant. The message you're sending and receiving is that you can't live without nicotine -- that you're not strong enough to give nicotine up completely. Don't sell yourself short. If you managed to stop smoking, you can go one step further and eliminate your dependance on nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as well.