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Why are you addicted to nicotine?

Now for the sciency bit:

• We have natural nicotine-like chemicals in the brain
• These chemicals keep our mood stable. Some of them pep us up - some relax us
• When you introduce nicotine into the body two things happen
1. It destroys naturally occuring chemicals that pep us up or relax us
2. It stops the body producing as much of these natural chemicals
• When these two things have occured - you are officially addicted. Your brain will compel you to ingest nicotine to fill the receptors that are usually sated by naturally occuring chemicals

How nicotine gum works

Nicotine gum works by releasing nicotine, which your body craves during quitting smoking, into your blood stream through the lining of your mouth. As you chew nicotine is mixed with saliva and is absorbed into your body. It is transported to nicotine receptors in the brain which are then satisfied.

Who is nicotine gum good for?

Nicotine gum is a great way of getting nicotine into your body quickly. Chewing is a great stress reliever - so if you found yourself using cigarettes in stressful situations, nicotine gum is probably for you.

How to use nicotine gum

Nicotine gum is a medicine. You must read the instructions that come with it completely. You must quit smoking before using nicotine gum. Here's a general guide to using nicotine gum:

1. In the first six weeks you chew the gum every one or two hours
2. You then drop down to chewing a piece of gum every two to four hours
3. In the final stage of quitting you chew a piece of gum every four to eight hours
4. You chew the gum until you feel a tingly sensation in your mouth. This might take 10 or 15 chews. This sensation is the nicotine being released
5. Stop chewing when you feel the tingling and place the gum in your cheek tucked down by your gums. The gum is still doing its work here
6. When the tingly sensation is totally gone - chew the gum again until it returns
7. Keep doing this until the tingly sensation doesn't come when you chew. This means all the nicotine is gone from the gum
8. Wrap the gum up and throw it away
9. To start with you should be using nine or more pieces of gum a day
10. If you get really bad cravings you can chew another piece of gum straight after finishing one - you must not do this frequently though

Nicotine gum brands

There are two major brands of nicotine gum:

• Nicorette gum
• Nicotinell gum

Side effects

Chewing the gum to fast or frequently can cause lightheadedness, dizziness, hiccups, nausea, vomiting or insomnia. You should be free of your nicotine addiction after 12 weeks. If you still feel the need to chew nicotine gum after 12 weeks - see your GP.