Breaking the Habit on Your Own
Wait out cravings. You’re hopefully not smoking anymore if you’re chewing nicotine gum. But, you are still addicted to nicotine and its stimulant effects. That means cravings. Physical cravings usually last less than five minutes, so try to wait them out by distracting yourself, delaying the urge, or engaging in an activity. Try out coping mechanisms and find one that works for you. One tip is to take 10 deep breaths (or count to 10), walk to the sink for a glass of cold water, and slowly drink it until the craving passes. Try going for a walk, washing dishes, cleaning, or gardening. Call a friend for support or meditate. Alternatively, keep an interesting book with you. Pick up the book with a pen or highlighter and read when you feel a craving, taking notes and occupying your mind.
Find a substitute for gum. You might be surprised to learn that only a small number of nicotine gum users meet the standard of physical addiction. This doesn’t mean you don’t have a habit, and some users do get withdrawal symptoms. But it’s more likely that your habit is psychological. You might be chewing because you feel anxious, nervous, or out of sorts without it. Constant chewing of nicotine gum may be an oral fixation for you. Try something else in its place, like gum without nicotine or a peppermint. Try chewing on ice shards, mastic gum (made from plant resin), or honeycomb. You can also engage your mouth by eating a healthy snack. Chew on some carrots, celery, or cucumber. Keep in mind that chewing tobacco is NOT a good alternative, as it has many of the same cancer-causing ingredients as cigarettes.
Learn to spot and reject rationalizations. The human brain is crafty and can justify just about anything. You may find yourself thinking, “What’s the harm in just one piece today?” This is a rationalization and can derail your efforts to quit. Learn to spot these thoughts and suppress them. A rationalization is an excuse. It is an attempt to create reasons for doing something you know, deep-down, you really shouldn’t do. It is a form of self-deception. Watch out for rationalizations like, “What’s the harm in just one?” “I’m in control; I can stop any time I want,” “Today is an exception, I’m having a really stressful day,” or “Chewing is my only way of coping.” When you recognize a rationalization, remind yourself why you want to quit chewing in the first place. Review your reasons. Write them down and carry them in your pocket, if need be.
Exercise regularly. Studies show that regular exercise can reduce the negative effects of nicotine withdrawal. Working out will blunt your cravings and release feel-good endorphins, but also focus your mind on the activity and away from the gum. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. Do exercises you enjoy. This might be walking, running, swimming, cycling, or weight training. Consider joining an exercise class, like yoga, pilates, or aerobic dance. You might even take up a team sport in a rec league, like basketball, hockey, or softball.
Avoid high-risk situations. Everyone who’s hooked on nicotine knows that they have weak moments — things, experiences, places, or people that will trigger your craving for nicotine. And certain times and places are worse than others. Do you have more cravings when you’re with smoker friends, for example, or socializing at a bar? These are your high-risk situations. These triggers could cause you not only to chew gum when you're trying to quit, but even start smoking again. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Spend your work breaks somewhere else if you get cravings while your friends smoke. If you get cravings at bars, go out less frequently or find alternate venues like coffee shops. Do you have the urge to chew after meals? Since you still have to eat, consider chewing on a toothpick instead. If you find you want to chew or smoke when you're stressed, bored, or anxious, it is important you find more productive ways to relieve these feelings. Try journaling about how you are feeling to relieve anxiety. Pick up a new hobby to prevent boredom and keep your brain occupied so you don't have time to think about cravings.
Coping and Getting Support
Have a network in place. Talk to trusted friends and family and ask them to be there for moral support and encouragement. Let them know what you’re going through. They should be only too happy to help you. You might ask your supporters for specific things. For instance, you could ask them not to smoke or use nicotine products around you. They might be able to have your favorite healthy snack around whenever you visit. You may also just want a sympathetic ear. Ask if you can vent or call them if you’re in a moment of weakness.
Join a support group. Arm yourself with more support than just family and friends. There are plenty of smoking and nicotine cessation support groups available. Find one and share your experiences with other people who know exactly what you’re going through. Look online or in the phone book for smoking and nicotine support groups in your area. Call for more information or go to a first meeting in person. There may also be online support groups held in chat rooms if you can't physically get to a meeting. For example, Nicotine Anonymous is a non-profit, 12-step program on the lines of Alcoholics Anonymous. Organizations like the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institutes of Health can also provide you with listings of support groups.
Get counseling. Your nicotine gum habit is either a psychological or physical dependence, maybe both, and might qualify as an addiction. Try setting up an appointment with a therapist or counselor who deals with addiction if you are serious about quitting, and she can help you kick it once and for all. A counselor will offer you strategies to cope. For example, she might have you try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT. This will teach you to recognize your problematic behavior and to learn better alternatives. Your therapist might have you talk about how gum chewing affects your life, for example, and its pros and cons. She can also teach you to moderate your cravings and avoid those “high-risk” situations to avoid a setback.
Weighing the Risks
Talk to your doctor about the risks of nicotine gum. Doctors prescribe nicotine gum as a short-term smoking cessation aid. They normally do not advise anyone to use it for more than one to two months. Even as part of longer treatment for ex-smokers, nicotine gum is not designed for use beyond 12 months. People who chew for long periods of time often report chronic jaw pain. Nicotine gum still has stimulant properties that narrow blood veins, raise your heart rate, and increase your blood pressure. Users may therefore be at higher risk for heart palpitations and chest pain. Nicotine affects your immune system, increases risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders. It can predispose you to metabolic syndrome (which increases your risk of diabetes), affect your reproductive health, and more.
Know about the possible cancer risks. We definitely know that smoking cigarettes causes cancer. So can chewing tobacco, another product that contains nicotine. Some studies with lab animals suggest that long-term use of nicotine in general and in gum may elevate your risk of cancer, too. Nicotine gum is quite different from smoking, however. It delivers the drug slowly through the tissue in your mouth and enters your bloodstream much more slowly, at much lower doses, and doesn’t contain the same ingredients as tobacco. The risk of cancer from gum is also not proven. While nicotine is very addictive and even poisonous in high doses, scientists haven’t shown so far that it can cause cancer by itself. Be aware that the science is unclear. Chewing nicotine gum may be harmful, but we really don’t know yet. However, the risk on the whole is lower than in smoking.
Do what’s best for you. Many people who chew nicotine gum aren’t necessarily addicted, at least physically. They do it because they are afraid of having a setback and going back to smoking. This is a pretty good reason to continue to chew. In the end, though, you’ll have to decide for yourself. Ask yourself whether you are ready to give up chewing nicotine gum and feel safe that you won’t fall back on cigarettes. Weigh the pros and cons. If need be, write them down to map out how nicotine gum affects your life, positively and negatively. Above all, know that, according to what we know, smoking cigarettes is far more dangerous than chewing nicotine gum.
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