Before we begin, allow me to say that most of the information here is anecdotal. If you suspect that you might be allergic to nicotine or anything in nicotine patches, or if you're suffering from any physical or mental condition, you should seek professional advice before using them.

This is not a sponsored post or anything like that. I'm just sharing my experiences in the hope that it could be useful for someone who tried quitting cold turkey and didn't succeed with that method. I’ve quit many times with patches, and I'll also be talking about my mistakes so you can avoid them. Also, remember that it might take multiple attempts to get rid of this habit for good. If that happens, you shouldn't see it as discouraging but try to understand why you smoke in the first place. My personal observation is that most people smoke to suppress their underlying mental issues (such as depression, anxiety, learning problems, trauma, etc.) without realizing it, or in the long term, they do realize it, but being in this loop is too "comfortable" to get out of. That's what I mean when I say if you relapse, don't feel guilty but observe what really happened.

It is said countless times that smoking doesn't solve any problems. It's just burning paper with some herbs in it and inhaling it. How could that solve anything? I don't think it needs to be retold, but nicotine euphoria is very short-lived, and once we develop a tolerance to it (which happens extremely quickly), we no longer get the buzz that makes us feel good but keep smoking just to feel normal. It's also worth mentioning that in some countries, you can get patches for free if they offer quit-smoking services or campaigns by visiting hospitals.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get started.

1. Can you get addicted to nicotine patches? Isn't it just another way of taking nicotine?

Technically, you can get addicted to anything, but there are a few very important points people seem to ignore when they talk about patches.

Romanticization: Making withdrawals go away makes us feel relaxed. The issue is, the cravings are created by the addiction in the first place. Imagine a sunny day, you're on your balcony, drinking your coffee and smoking. Now, we take that memory and attach its beauty to the cigarettes. When the absence of this moment hits, we want to recreate it with a physical act—rolling your cigarette, burning it, and inhaling it. Another issue here is that you might be doing breathing exercises when you're smoking without even realizing it, which promotes relaxation, and we can also relate that to smoking. With patches, there's no physical act. There are no memories you're creating with it, so to speak. You put one on in the morning and forget about it. The more important thing here is:

I'm actually quite surprised that even a lot of pharmacists are not aware of how these patches work, and more importantly, how the delivery of nicotine plays a crucial role in addiction. It also upsets me when people advocate for cold turkey and cold turkey only, as if that's the only way to do it. There are many studies showing that reducing addictive substances slowly has better success rates (there are studies proving this for nicotine, cocaine, etc.). There's no method that fits all, but nicotine itself is actually not the biggest issue here.

Did you know that inhaling nicotine through cigarettes plays a huge role in addiction? Such delivery puts nicotine into our system in under one second, if I'm not mistaken, which creates that "buzz" or "hit" effect.

"Accumulating preclinical data shows that nicotine has both addictive and therapeutic effects depending on the rate of delivery. In humans, when delivered rapidly by cigarette smoking or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), nicotine is highly reinforcing and addictive. In contrast, products delivering nicotine slower than cigarettes or e-cigarettes while achieving comparable blood levels (e.g., nicotine patch, lozenge, or spray), have negligible addictive effects but, among abstinent smokers, retain their ability to alleviate craving and suppress withdrawal Such discrepancy may be explained by the diverse mechanisms underlying the various effects of nicotine."

With nicotine patches, you don't get this, since it is delivered through the skin very slowly and systematically. Therefore, getting addicted to it, in my experience, is extremely unlikely.

2. Can I use nicotine gum in addition to patches?

If you have a very low tolerance (for example, if you chain-smoke throughout the day or smoke more than one pack of cigarettes), I suggest starting with a nicotine patch (step 1) and 4mg gum. These will help keep your cravings under control, and you'll just need to find ways to occupy your time. At this point, don't worry about the nicotine addiction itself. You’ve smoked for a long time, and while it’s understandable to want to quit immediately, it’s easier to give your body the time it needs to adjust and heal. First, focus on addressing the romanticization of smoking, the physical act, and getting used to not having nicotine spikes. Keep yourself occupied, and avoid activities or even friends who smoke for a while. After some time, quit the gum, as it’s fast-acting, and I found it somewhat addictive and capable of creating a buzz. I've never used lozenges, but I'd assume they produce the same effects that gums do. We don't want any spike of nicotine after a while so while at the beginning it's okay to use them, the moment you feel comfortable with patches only, I advise dropping them.

3. Timeline and What Should You Expect?

The very first thing you'll do in the morning is put on a patch and take a hot shower. I suggest buying the transparent ones (Sold under the name of Nicorette usually), but not the circle/orange (Nicotinell) ones, as the transparent ones don't come off in the shower. I recommend taking the shower with the patch on, as increased body heat speeds up the absorption of nicotine through the skin, which will give you relief from the uncomfortable nicotine withdrawal feeling that you'll experience in the morning. Please read the paper that comes with these patches, as sweat oscillation affects how fast nicotine is absorbed. Doing heavy workouts could lead to nicotine poisoning or other very serious side effects. I have never experienced these effects myself, but there is always a risk, please keep that in mind.

Step 01: I think the first 3 days are the most difficult, or up to a week. Then your cravings go away slowly. You might have some concentration problems during the first days, but they go away very quickly.

Step 01 to Step 02: As I said, I quit many times with the aid of patches, and almost every time when I switched to step 2, a big depression hit me that lasted 2 weeks to up to a month. You might also experience smoker’s flu or symptoms like feeling very cold in the morning. Your morning cravings could be very intense at this step because your body is adjusting to having less nicotine. Some brain fog might appear, but it gets better after 1 or 2 weeks. The flu-like symptoms might stay for a while. I advise that if you’re not feeling ready to switch to step 3 after a month, keep using step 2 for another 2 weeks or a month. You should step it down when you are somewhat comfortable with your current patch. If you are still having cravings at this stage, it doesn’t make sense to lower the dosage even further. But it's always a good idea to consult a professional about it.

Step 02 to Step 03: In my case, step 3 always felt a bit unnecessary, but I always did it for a week or 3 to 5 days for the sake of completing the program, and suggesting the same. At this stage, you might get extreme brain fogs that last up to a month, but no physical cravings at all. And yes, the brain fog goes away.

Step 03 to No Patches: When I used the patches for the first time, I was very concerned about what would happen if I got addicted to them. It would be for nothing! It would mean I just replaced my addiction with another method, and Google was never helpful in finding results regarding this matter since people don't really update their results at this stage. But each time I quit, I had zero physical symptoms and didn't feel the need to smoke or put on another patch. So I can assure you that you won't have any physical symptoms at this point.

4. 24h/16h long patches, can I sleep with the patches on?

I suggest removing the patch before going to bed for a few reasons. Firstly, since nicotine is a stimulant, it can make it very hard to fall asleep when absorbed through patches. Secondly, it can cause vivid, often scary dreams. Lastly, you may not feel fully rested, as it can prevent you from entering REM sleep.

16-hour patches deliver 21mg of nicotine in 16 hours, whereas 24-hour patches deliver 24mg. Therefore, the 16-hour patches tend to make cravings more manageable.

A few additional remarks

• If you are a coffee drinker like me, you can start drinking it again when you are on step 2. I don't advise doing it in the first weeks of using step 1, since your brain is still trying to adjust to having no nicotine spikes, and it might trigger extra cravings at this stage.
• Do not try to get rid of brain fog with caffeine; it will not help, and it will make you feel jittery or anxious if you drink too much of it. Let your body do its healing. It's also important to note that this brain fog is not patch-related, so this may happen if you go cold turkey.
• Remember that during this period, you're still under the danger of relapsing, and nicotine will try to trap you back. After the program is done, you should never go back to "just having one." That's how I found myself going back to smoking over and over again. Once an addict, always an addict. You can't use it recreationally.
• Do not smoke under any circumstances while the patch is on. This could result in nicotine poisoning, heart attacks, or other serious symptoms! If you are having extreme cravings, try supplementing the patch with gum, drink Cola Zero, or, even though it’s not the greatest idea, eat something sweet (assuming that you do not have any conditions such as diabetes, etc.). In my case, I found it easier to lose the weight that I gained through eating sweet stuff rather than keep being a smoker, but it's better if you just drink water.
• My mentality was always like "Having one smoke means doing the whole program over again", so if you ever feel like having "one puff" think if it's worth the money and time you put into quiting it.
• And lastly, again, this post is just my personal experience and not medical advice. Do your own research and seek professional help if you are unsure or suspect you have mental or physical conditions.