Does the nicotine patch/gum really work?

I’ve tried the patch. It’s great as a nic replacement, but it does nothing for the habit part- the actual process of getting a cigarette lit, blowing out smoke, having something in your fingers, etc.

It doesn’t hurt to try alternative nicotine delivery methods, as long as you stick to the program. As always, the most important factor of any method is to stop smoking. If a week’s worth of the patch or gum goes by and he smokes during that period, you might as well try something else. A smoker of 30 years might find it extremely tough to quit. Support is the most important secondary factor aside from dropping the cigs.

Also, if you happen to have a Nintendo DS, you could pick up a copy of My Stop Smoking Coach. Here’s a link for an article on that title: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/05/29/kick-habit-nintendo-ds

Other than that, there are myriad methods to try. Most of which may honestly yield greater success than patches or gum.

Yes the patches work. I quit 2 1/2 years ago using the patch. The cheap generic ones work just as well as the name brand at about half the cost. The biggest thing is breaking the habit of smoking. The patches curb the cravings, but the habit is hard break. You have to want to quit no matter what method you use. I recommend the patch myself.

The patches or other quit smoking remedies are only a supplement.
They make it easier to quit, but they won’t make quitting easy. That has to come from within.

My friend Raven, who must be 60 by now, quit smoking about 35 years ago using
Nicorette gum. Isn’t smoking. Is still chewing. She needs the nic and she needs something to do while practicing law. This is better.

Another story: my mother, who started smoking at 12, quit at 67 by convincing herself
it was bothering ME (I lived 2800 miles away and had for 15 years) which was fine.
Two years later she died of leukemia. Her doctors said that the physiological shock of quitting smoking may have affected her immune system. Just how tough is your dad, @afghanmoose?

That patch worked great for my husband, although he had to extend the amount of time he used it. He has been quit for 3 years. I am allergic to the adhesive they use in the patch so that’s out for me. Nicotine gum allowed me to reduce the number I smoked, but wasn’t enough to get me all the way off. I finally stopped smoking on 3/27/2009 by trading my last 10 cigarettes for using an electronic cigarette. I have absolutely no craving to light up a real cigarette. Between gum and the electronic cigarette, I take in enough nicotine to remain functional (be able to concentrate, pay attention, and remember what I need to.)