Nicotine patches are one of the most common and, arguably, effective methods used to quit smoking. By using a nicotine patch, you allow your body to take in the nicotine, which you would normally recieve from smoking, in order to eliminate the cigarette cravings you may experience. Although the goal is to get rid of the nicotine addiction altogether, the patch allows you to quit tobacco one step at a time, with the first step being to actually stop smoking.

The nicotine patch generally comes in several different doses between 5-25mg. It is recommended that you leave it on between 14-24 hours (at least while you’re awake). It is most effective when used while you’re awake, so put it on first thing when you wake up, however some people choose to leave it on for 24 hours. If you have trouble sleeping at night with the patch, remove it before you sleep. You can apply the patch anywhere on your body, but most people choose to place it on their hips or upper arm (make sure there is no hair in the area you place the patch).

Depending on how long you’ve been smoking and how much you smoke a day, you will need to determine which dose of the patch you should start off with. For the average smoker, who smokes between 3/4 - 1 whole pack a day, you should start off with a patch between 15-25mg and work your way down to 5-15mg after 6 weeks, and as soon as you feel you are not craving cigarettes any longer, you can stop using the patch.

A general guideline between how many milligrams of a nicotine patch you should take are how many cigarettes you smoke in a day. 1 cigarette is usually 1mg of nicotine, so if you are smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes a day, start off with a 20mg patch.

**NOTE: These are general guidelines on how to use the nicotine patch. KickSmokingASAP.com is not responsible for any mishaps that may occur by using the nicotine patch. Make sure you consult a doctor before going on the patch.