Nicotine patches, gums and other forms of NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) are readily available to purchase at any grocery or drug store, but do they really work? Studies have shown that using NRT products are about as helpful as giving alcohol to an alcoholic in the hopes they will stop drinking. So, what exactly are the NRT companies hiding from smokers worldwide? Are there any safe and effective alternatives to help quit smoking? Nicocure, a next generation stop smoking aid seems to provide some answers.

First, lets get back to the idea behind nicotine replacement therapy. The idea is that by slowly limiting the amount of nicotine that enters the body, a smoker will be able to gradually wean themselves from nicotine without any harmful side effects or withdrawal symptoms. With withdrawal from nicotine being very unpleasant, the developers of Nicocure say NRT is about as ridiculous as giving drugs to a drug addict to help them quit their drug of choice. I tend to agree and I speak from experience as an ex-smoker who used to rip through a pack and a half per day for over 10 years. Don't take my word for it though, look through the scientific studies yourself!

1) March 2003 - A study conducted by NRT industry consultants studied the effectiveness of 7 over-the-counter NRT products and found that only 7% of the study participants were smoke-free 6 months after using the NRT product. But it gets worse as we see from the next study conducted only a few months later.

2) November 2003 - The same industry consultants conducted another study and found that as many as 7% of nicotine gum and patch users were still hooked on the gum or patches after a 6 month period. It is obvious from reading the above 2 studies that combined we are witnessing a 0% rate of effectiveness in regards to NRT. That is quite revealing!

It is interesting to note that the studies of the colossal failure of NRT are far and few between today. It was difficult to find these major studies, and they are certainly not listed at any government health site. There is something wrong here. As a consumer looking to find the best possible means of quitting smoking and improving your health, wouldn't you like to know this information as well as what, if any alternatives there might be?

Nicocure is a nicotine-free stop smoking aid that seems to show some promise. Although it has been shown that the vast majority of smokers who quit do so cold turkey, there are also many who have found success with alternatives to NRT as well. The obvious fact here is that no matter what, if you wish to quit smoking you will need to come off the nicotine. Withdrawal from nicotine is not the easiest thing to deal with so it makes sense to get it out of your system as quickly as possible, not drag it out indefinitely as is done with NRT methods.

I quit smoking cold turkey without the use of any stop smoking aids such as Nicocure, so I cannot personally endorse the effectiveness of it. The company that manufactures Nicocure claims a very high success rate and offers a guarantee that you will quit smoking using their patches within 30 days or your money back. If you have had difficulty with the cold turkey method and just cannot seem to get over that withdrawal hump, you are not alone. Do not feel ashamed or weak. Nicocure may be exactly what you need to finally break free from the nicotine, naturally and safely, and that is all that matters.