What the rising cost of cigarettes, and the increasing difficulty in finding public places which permit smoking has not done for millions of smokers, clear signs of deteriorating health might. When walking fifty yards across the mall parking lot at Christmas time is no longer an option; or hiring a landscaping service because the yard work is now too strenuous seems like the way to go; or the annual physical keeps getting postponed because of what it might reveal, the impetus for kicking the habit might finally get into high gear.

And the moment when smokers finally realize the seriousness of their health situation is the same moment in which they are most vulnerable to racing to the nearest pharmacy aisle devoted to stop smoking products, and empting their wallets. Will buying any or all of those stop smoking products make a difference in their odds of successfully defeating their nicotine demons?

Studies have shown that nicotine ranks right up there with heroin in terms of addictiveness. The nicotine in tobacco smoke enters the bloodstream through the lungs, heads for the brain, and settles comfortably on certain neural receptors, which tell the brain and other organs to start releasing all sorts of interesting things. The most important, however, is dopamine.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter associated with “rewards.” Dopamine lets us associate certain experiences, like eating, with feeling good so that we will continue to do them. Dopamine is necessary to our survival, but it can also be our downfall. When dopamine tells us something feels good, we want more and more of it. Addiction is a real possibility.

In the case of nicotine, the more a person smokes, the more neural receptors friendly to nicotine he or she develops, and the more they demand to be fed. Do the stop smoking products really address this situation?

Most stop smoking products available without a prescription are themselves nicotine-based. The gum, lozenges, sprays, inhalers, and, of course, patches, are all designed to allow a smoker to ease out a nicotine addiction without suffering too strongly from withdrawal. Stop smoking products will level out the nicotine cravings so that they are tolerable, and keep the body supplied with a small amount of nicotine while it detoxifies from the chemicals which have accumulated over years of smoking.

Nicotine-based stop smoking products should never be used in combination with cigarettes or with each other; doing so can easily result in a nicotine overdose. And the use of each of the stop smoking products will depend on the strength of the nicotine it contains; so if you have decided to use one of the stop smoking products pay attention to the instructions which accompany it. Don’t think all stop smoking products work the same way.

Even if you find that stop smoking products have helped you lick you nicotine cravings, you will not be assured of remaining addiction free unless you make a commitment to behavioral modification. You need to learn, and eliminate the emotional reasons for your nicotine dependency if you are ever to become fully comfortable as a non-smoker.

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