I’m not a doctor or scientist, so I don’t quite understand why the electronic cigarette is not considered a form of NRT like the gum or patch since it is a device that delivers nicotine without all the harmful tobacco chemicals – but it is not considered NRT or a quit smoking device.

I do think, however, that someone who switches from smoking tobacco to smoking an electronic cigarette would be more likely to quit in the long run than if they kept smoking tobacco and would be better off for their health. But that is only an opinion of someone who is not a doctor.

But if someone in my family were a smoker and they did not want to quit completely, I would rather have them use an electronic cigarette than to keep smoking tobacco.

For me, that makes the gum better than the patch because you don’t have to feel any panic that you can’t smoke – you can always chew the gum to get the nicotine your body is craving.

The downside of the gum for me was that – it is still nicotine – so you are still addicted to it. However I was able to eventually taper off the gum and finally quit it altogether, but I did chew it much longer than you are supposed to – not finally stopping for a couple of years. Still, I think it is much better to chew the gum than to have smoked that time and now I have been completely free of all nicotine for many years.

So for me, I think the most important points in quitting are to have a clear commitment and quit plan, and then to get help with the withdrawal symptoms with something like Nicorette or whatever product will work best for you.

The commitment is also equally important though – so if you are having trouble with commitment and motivation, I would also look into a good goal setting program.