HOUSTON – If you're one of millions of Americans who've tried again and again to quit smoking, you know it's tough. The patches and gums are a billion dollar business, promising to help you quit the habit, but a new study finds they're just not doing the job.
Researchers said you're no more likely to stop smoking long-term using nicotine replacement therapy than if you try to stop cold turkey.
Dr. Patrick Carter with the Kelsey Seybold Clinic's Main Campus has recommended nicotine patches and gum to his patients who are heavy smokers who go through two or three packs a day.
He explained, "I can't say that it's going to hurt anything to use a nicotine patch for the first couple of weeks to get over that acute craving. But, a couple weeks doesn't help you that much. It's the long-term and a lot of those folks will relapse. The deal with (quitting) smoking is it's a life long project."
Doug Webb is now a proud nonsmoker after 20 years of lighting up.
So why did he finally do it? "Nine kids. I didn't want to have them seeing me come up smoking," Webb said.
Brenda James is still trying to keep her New Year's resolution.
She told Local 2 that at first, "I didn't smoke for about half a day."
She's having another go at it without gums and patches because she believes cold turkey is the only thing that works.
The recent study funded by the National Cancer Institute found nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) may work in clinical settings, but not so much in real life.
Researchers tracked smokers as they tried to kick the habit. Nearly a third of them relapsed, no matter if they used nicotine gums and patches or not.
Even counseling didn't make much of a difference.
Lead researcher Gregory Connolly, director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at Harvard School of Public Health said, "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should only approve products that have been shown to help smokers quit and stay off cigarettes for years."
The manufacturers have fired back.
Sarah Sanders, spokeswoman for London-based Glaxo said, "NRT products have helped millions of smokers quit by gradually weaning them off of their tobacco addiction and is recommended as a first-line therapy for quitting. Despite the authors' conclusions, there remains strong support for NRT's efficacy and its positive impact on public health."
Dr. Carter likens quitting smoking to trying to lose weight -- it requires a total lifestyle change. The reward is a longer, healthier life.
He explained, "Even though smoking rates have declined, they're probably half of what they were in the 60s and 70s. It is still the most important changeable risk factor for very serious illnesses, cancer, heart disease -- those sort of things."
So if you are ready to quit -- set a date and make it public so you're accountable, experts said.
Also, try a support group or quit line.
Finally, really examine your triggers, knowing what makes you relapse may help you avoid doing so.
For more tips on how to drop the smoking habit, visit www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/ and www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GuidetoQuittingSmoking/index.