Nicotine patches help smokers quit
One of the most effective ways to help yourself stop smoking is to use nicotine patches. These are like pieces of sticking plaster impregnated with nicotine.
Nicotine from the patch is absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. This will reduce the craving which so many smokers feel and which causes them to light another cigarette. Instead of getting a series of ‘fixes’ from each puff of a cigarette, they can now get a steady dose of their nicotine for 24 hours of the day.
Each patch is stuck on the upper part of the body and lasts for 24 hours. Some people find that the patch interferes with sleep. If this is the case it can be taken off at bedtime and a new one applied first thing in the morning.
Treatment is usually carried on for 3 months, using patches with smaller amounts of nicotine as the treatment progresses. At the end of that time, if the treatment is successful, the addiction to nicotine is cured and the need to smoke has vanished.
The cost of the patches is about the same as the cost of a packet of cigarettes a day.
But this treatment will not work for everyone. There are no magic ways to stop smoking and you have to really WANT to stop, first of all.
Last Reviewed: 11 July 2001
