Scientific evidence linking smoking and lung cancer did not appear until the 1950s, although the link was long suspected. Over the years, aggressive and generously funded efforts by the tobacco industry attempted to suppress, obfuscate, and manipulate the research findings associating smoking with cancer, cardiovascular disorder, and pulmonary disorders. Experts now agree that cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease and that it is “the most important public health issue of our time.”
The vast majority of cigarette smokers recognize the health hazards of smoking, and some 80 percent would eagerly kick the habit if they could. However, smoking is among the most difficult addictions to wrest free of, with most ex-smokers returning to smoking multiple times before quitting for life.
Nicotine is the addictive chemical in tobacco products. Its absence among erstwhile quitters is responsible for such nicotine withdrawal effects as irritability, difficulty concentrating and sleeping, depression, and increased appetite leading to weight gain. These effects may persist for weeks. Smokers have learned that nicotine craving and withdrawal can be prevented or readily suppressed by smoking or by taking nicotine.
First available in 1991, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) provides this source of nicotine as a gum, transdermal patch, nasal spray, or inhaler. Unlike the immediate but transient pleasurable effects experienced after each puff of a cigarette, with NRT products, nicotine levels in the body remain constant throughout the day. As there are no major differences in the relative effectiveness of any of these approaches, it’s a matter of personal preference which method is selected. When used in conjunction with a smoking cessation program, the chances of quitting are doubled. Although this sounds impressive, after one year, only 20–25 percent of smokers have been reported to have successfully quit, and the results of studies conducted in 2012 have even questioned whether NRT produces any long-term benefits. Although all NRT approaches cause side effects, these effects are far less harmful to health than continued smoking. The search continues for a safe and effective smoking cessation product.
SEE ALSO Methadone (1947), Chantix/Champix (2006).
Nicotine replacement therapy is intended to substitute harmful sources of nicotine, such as cigarettes, with less harmful sources, such as nicotine gum. These replacement products reduce cigarette cravings and nicotine withdrawal effects.