Nicotine Products Don’t Help Much

Quitting smoking is one of the most important steps people can take to improve their health. It is also one of the hardest. That is why aids such as nicotine gum and nicotine patches have been so popular over the years. But a new study suggests that they work about as well as going cold turkey. Investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Massachusetts found that about two-thirds of smokers who quit had begun smoking again within four to five years. Those who relied on nicotine replacement therapy were just as likely to relapse as those who quit without a nicotine crutch.
[Tobacco Control, Jan. 2012]