This is our official list of the best alternatives to nicotine patches on the market today. Scroll further down for full details on each product.
5 Highest Reviewed Nicotine Patch Alternatives
Most smokers started in their teens or early twenties when they didn’t know any better. Many people get older and decide that they want to quit smoking. A study was performed in 2010 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and they found that 7 out of every 10 smokers in the United States wanted to quit smoking completely. Of the people that wanted to quit, only 30 percent were successful in quitting.
Most people want to quit smoking due to the health issues that smoking can cause. Others want to quit because it is a very expensive habit. Most people who choose to quit try the nicotine patch. The patch delivers small doses of nicotine to the blood stream. If a person wants to quit but they don’t want to use the patch, there are several alternatives to nicotine patches.
1.) Nicotine Gum
Nicotine gum is very helpful for people who are struggling with nicotine withdrawal. This gum comes in 2 mg and 4 mg dosages. A person who smokes less than 24 cigarettes should take the 2mg dose and people who smoke 25 or more cigarettes a day should go with the 4mg dose. What a person drinks during the day can affect the amount of nicotine that is absorbed.
If a person is going to drink coffee, juice or soft drinks, they shouldn’t drink them 15 minutes before chewing the gum. They also shouldn’t drink these beverages while they are chewing the gum. Before a person decides if nicotine gum is the best alternative for them, they should consider the pros and cons associated with the gum.
PROS
- The smoker can control the dosage based on how bad the nicotine withdrawals are.
- If the craving is especially strong, the individual can pop an extra piece of gum.
- The nicotine in the gum is absorbed into the body quicker than the nicotine in a patch.
- This is great if a craving comes on suddenly.
CONS
- Some people can end up getting hooked on nicotine gum.
- Studies have shown that 15 to 20 percent of smokers who successfully quit smoking with the gum end up taking it for over a year.
- Most doctors recommend that people chew the gum for no longer than six months.
2.) Nicotine Inhalers
Nicotine inhalers are only available with a prescription from their doctor. The inhaler looks like a cigarette and it contains a cartridge that contains nicotine. When the user takes a puff of the inhaler, the nicotine vapor is absorbed into the mouth and throat area rather than the lungs.
When a person smokes a cigarette, it takes 7 seconds for it get to the brain from the lungs. This gives the smoker a hit of dopamine. This is what makes cigarettes so addictive. With the inhaler, the nicotine is delivered directly into the bloodstream.
PROS
- The there is no smoke involved, making this option much safer than cigarettes.
- The risk of addiction is very low due to the way that the nicotine is absorbed.
CONS
- Since there is no rush of dopamine in the brain, the effects of the inhaler are not as gratifying as if the individual were smoking a cigarette.
3.) Smoking Cessation Medication
The two most common smoking cessation medications are Chantix and Zyban. Chantix contains no nicotine. The brain has receptors that respond to nicotine. When a person takes Chantix, it interferes with these receptors. This medication will reduce the mental and physical pleasure that a person gets when they smoke.
It also helps to weaken the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Zyban is an extended release antidepressant. Not only will it help with the withdrawal symptoms it also acts on the brain the chemicals of the brain that are associated with nicotine cravings.
PROS
- Both of these medications are very easy to take.
- After receiving a prescription, the individual would just take the pills as directed.
- Neither medication contains nicotine, therefore, there is no risk of toxicity if the individual still smokes.
CONS
- Both of these medications have the risk of side effects.
- Some are relatively minor, such as headaches and nausea.
- Others are more serious, such as depression, trouble sleeping, and agitation.
4.) Electronic Cigarettes
The American Lung Association says that they don’t support using electronic cigarettes as a method to quit smoking. However, there are many people who have quit and said that it was electronic cigarettes that helped them. Most electronic cigarettes look like a real cigarette.
They are white and the same shape and size of a cigarette. They also have a brown filter and the tip glows red. The devices are battery powered and they are filled with liquid nicotine. When a person takes a puff from the electronic cigarettes the battery will heat up the nicotine. This would create a vapor that is inhaled into the lungs to give the user the feeling that they are smoking.
PROS
- Part of what people struggle with after they quit smoking is not keeping their hands busy.
- When they start using electronic cigarettes, they will use the same motions as if they were smoking a cigarette.
- If a person is out in public, they are very limited to the areas that they are allowed to smoke.
- This is not the case with the electronic cigarette. They can be used anywhere.
CONS
- According to the Food and Drug Administration, electronic cigarettes could contain ingredients that could possibly be toxic.
- Many of the other ingredients aren’t considered safe.
5.) Sheer Willpower
Many people try to quit smoking on sheer willpower alone. They don’t use any type of gum, patch, medication, or smoking cessation devices. They just tell themselves one day that they just smoked their last cigarette and they try their hardest to keep from buying another pack.
It takes a very strong person to commit to quitting and then do it on their own. Quitting without help can be even more difficult at times when a person craves a cigarette the most, such as with their morning coffee, after a meal, or with a cocktail. These are the times that a person who is quitting with just willpower are most likely to falter.
PROS
- When a person quits smoking with willpower alone, they would not be using a method that contains nicotine.
- People can become addicted to these products, therefore, they would be exchanging one addiction for another.
- There is no risk of this happening when a person quits with sheer willpower.
- People can become addicted to these products, therefore, they would be exchanging one addiction for another.
- When a person is not any smoking cessation devices or medications, there is no chance of them suffering from any side effects.
CONS
- The biggest downside of quitting smoking with willpower alone is that it is very difficult.
- Many people cannot deal with the withdrawals and they go back to smoking within a few days.
- Also, the chance of relapse is greater in people who try to quit smoking with willpower alone.
Wrapping Up
Digital tire gauges are remarkably popular, but they do have some downsides. If you have one in your glove box, the high summer temperatures that can be reached in closed, parked cars may kill it. In regions with cold winters, temperatures below 20F are the end of the batteries.
We suggest that you store them at home near your car keys, so that they’re handy to use before you leave the house, and only store them in the car when you have a frequent need, keeping a mechanical gauge in the car for emergency use.
When they fail (as all electronics do, eventually), they could give erratic readings rather than die obviously. Many use 2 types of battery, a lithium battery for the circuitry and button batteries for the display and lights. The lithium batteries can’t always be replaced, depending on the design.
Whichever one you select, we hope that it works out well for you!