To prevent gastrointestinal discomfort or nausea we recommend using the "park and chew" technique.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Place the nicotine gum in your mouth and bite slowly and deliberately about 15 times or until a strong taste or tingling sensation is felt. These sensations indicate the nicotine is being released.
- Stop chewing and place the gum between your cheek and gums.
- When the intensity of these sensations decreases, begin to chew again.
- Repeat this cycle of "park and chew" for about 30 minutes, or until the peppery taste and tingling sensation subside.
That Nicotine has a positive effect itself is a misnomer, however here it is true. There are good things that can be done with nicotine gum, however odd it sounds. This is in line with the saying, "To catch a thief use a thief" or "Iron can only beat iron". In order to quit smoking you take the use of the Nicotine chewing gum as this acts two fold. Firstly, it keeps your mouth busy (and your mind as well) and secondly it releases small quantities of Nicotine in the blood through the mouth blood vessels, which counteracts some of terrible withdrawal effects that chain smokers experience while trying to quit.
Using nicotine gum is a safe alternative, though it has been noticed that this can too be an addiction, because it "hits" the blood stream and brain much later than the smoking, which goes directly to the lungs where it is absorbed by the blood and reaches the brain almost immediately. Because of the delayed action, people using Nicotine gum will not be so much dependent on the "high" feel that the cigarette induces. They would rather concentrate on the mechanics of chewing the gum, that the effects of the Nicotine, making it easy to change to ordinary gum later and totally substituting the bad habit with a healthy one.
Nicotine gum should be chewed like ordinary gums however. There is a "proper" way to use the Nicotine gum to have proper effects, you take the gum chew it a bit till it becomes soft and its peppery taste is released and then literally park it in your mouth between the cheek and teeth where it will release slowly the Nicotine it contains. Many people chew it like an ordinary gum and get bad stomach cramps, hiccups, and acidity with heartburn and even stronger cravings for cigarettes. This is why some people say the Nicotine gum does not work! Actually, the Nicotine should not go through the saliva and stomach, but through the blood vessels of the mouth to work well.
In order to have the nicotine gum work well avoid coffee and any acidic beverages like citric juices at least quarter an hour before you take it. The ingredients in these drinks totally interfere with the absorption of Nicotine. Be careful to use the gum as prescribed, i.e. have only as much as it is advised to have daily, no more no less, if you want to have the desired effects on your smoking habit. Those who eat too little invite the withdrawal symptoms effects while those who have too much will delay the quitting process.
Carefully monitor the changes in your smoke craving and as you find it diminishing reduce the number of Nicotine chewing gum pieces as well. Ensure always that you have support from your family and friends while quitting smoking as this acts as a tremendous control in your temptation to go back "just once". You may also use the hotline which helps people who want to quit do so. Most of the Nicotine chewing gums will have the hotline number of such a help centre on it. Make full use of it and keep yourself informed of what needs to be done when to enforce your quitting decision.