Before I get started with an overview of smoking cessation products, let me just say that I always hesitate to discuss this topic. The reason, of course, is that the best way to quit smoking is always your own will to stop. No product in the world can make you stop smoking, and that sometimes gets lost amongst people trying to quit for the first time. Regardless, “stop-smoking products” (as I will occasionally call them) do have their uses, and using them as a supplement with your behavioral and lifestyle changes can help to quicken the quitting process. With that, I’ll move on to the products themselves and my thoughts on each of them individually. Just so you know, I’ll only be mentioning products that I’ve used personally, but I may discuss some other options in a later post.
If you been trying to quit smoking for a while now, chances are you’ve tried at least a few products promising to end your addiction. The different kinds of product options on the market are wide and varied, and it can be difficult trying to make a decision on which ones are worth your time (and more importantly, your money). I’ve tried a bunch of different things, but I’ve only used three of them with regularity (patches, gum, and electronic cigarettes). Some of these options were more valuable than others, but my goal is to give you an evaluation of each so you can make your own decision from there.
Patches
This is one of the oldest and most common stop-smoking products currently on the market, and there’s a large selection to choose from. When I first started trying to quit, this is one of the first products that I purchased, and it was not hard finding them at all. You can go to just about any Wal-Mart or drug store and find a wide selection of these, and the prices range anywhere from mega-expensive ($75-100) to less expensive (around $20). I’ve been on both ends of that price range, and I can honestly say that I didn’t notice much a difference between the two options. As far as their potency is concerned, there was some mild effectiveness in curbing my addictions, so I would recommend them as a supplement to quitting along with more basic behavioral changes. Just don’t waste money on the more expensive brands. The cheap options work just as well.
Gum
Smoking is an oral exercise, so when we quit, we oftentimes find ourselves yearning for that oral fixation. There are ton of gums out there aimed specifically at lowering our appetites for nicotine, and I’ve personally found them to be quite useful in my experience. The only drawback I would mention is that they sometimes leave a very numbing feeling in your throat, which isn’t all that pleasant. Other than that, I would typically recommend most gums to people looking for something to curb addiction. I should mention that most of the gums you find will be quite expensive, but there are many off-brand, non-expensive options that work just as well.
Electronic Cigarettes
I will refer to these as e-cigarettes moving forward. These little items have really exploded in popularity recently, and they are quickly becoming some of the most sought-after stop smoking products. I’m not sure why, because my experience with them was less than spectacular. Please understand that this is just one man’s opinion, but the first night a tried an e-cigarette, I went back to the store to buy a real pack of cigarettes. (I was particularly angry with myself because the whole kit cost me $50 with no refills). Plain and simple, the e-cigarette did not work for me, and many people who I know and respect have echoed the same feelings. When I think about it, I’m not sure why I expected them to help me quit smoking in the first place. Using something that has the look and feel of a cigarette but lacking in flavor is only going to make me want a real cigarette. This is the exact opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish, so why waste money on it? Again, there may be others out there who disagree with me, but if you force me to make a recommendation, I would insist that you stay away from these cash-suckers.
These are the only three stop-smoking products that I’ve tried during the quitting process, and each of them had varying levels of effectiveness (except for the e-cigarettes, which didn’t work at all). Please use discretion when trying any product, and remember to do your due diligence and research your options beforehand. Also, as mentioned earlier in the post, none of these products will end your smoking habit, but they can be used in conjunction with natural approaches to help you through the process. The only way to quit smoking for good lies in your will to do so, and you should always remember this as you work towards your ultimate goal: becoming smoke-free.
Curtis
