Creatively Using a Nicotine Test Kit to Help Quit Smoking

A home nicotine test kit which gives instant results could be an incentive to quit smoking and refrain from relapse once your quit smoking goal has been achieved.

The key to successfully stop smoking is to have a quit smoking strategy which includes a quit date and the notification of family, friends and coworkers of your stop smoking plans with a request for support and understanding. In addition to moral support and encouragement, motivation in the form of measurable benefits is also an important ingredient of a successful quit smoking endeavor.

As with any undertaking that requires continuous effort and commitment, the main motivation to continue the effort is measurable benefit(s), such as the achievement of a desired weight from a weight loss program, obtaining a grade of A on an examination after extensive studying or receiving a job promotion for diligent performance. Although blood pressure and heart rate decrease within 20 minutes of stopping smoking, these are the only benefits that are immediately measurable.  Improved circulation which also occurs within 20 minutes of stopping smoking is not measurable, and other benefits such as improvement of cough and shortness of breath take weeks to months to be appreciated.  Other benefits such as reduced risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease occur one to several years after one has stopped smoking.

Home urine nicotine test kits measure cotinine, a metabolite or breakdown product of nicotine which is measureable in the urine for from five to seven days following tobacco use and is an indirect indicator of the concentration of nicotine in the body.  There is only one home urine nicotine test kit on the market which provides an immediate test result of the concentration of cotinine from which one’s level of tobacco exposure can be determined based on the cotinine concentration expressed in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) and the interpretation scale that accompanies the kit. A reading between 0 and 10 ng/ml is interpreted as a non-smoker with no nicotine exposure, whereas a result between 10 and 30 ng/ml is interpreted as a non-smoker with low passive nicotine exposure, also referred to as second-hand exposure.

Cotinine levels of between 30 and 100 ng/ml correlate with a non-smoker with higher degrees of passive nicotine exposure, and concentrations of 100 to 1000+ are interpreted as active smoking or use of tobacco products.

In this creative model the level of nicotine exposure of the person participating in the quit smoking plan, henceforth referred to as the subject, as well as family members and other household contacts is determined by performing nicotine tests with the instant quantitative home test kit at the beginning of the stop smoking program and continued until the smoker has successfully managed to stop smoking.

Testing the subject from start date to stop date is designed to provide motivation and positive feedback so important for successfully quitting smoking.  The testing of household contacts at or prior to the start date of the quit smoking campaign is for the purpose of providing the subject with added motivation to begin the quit smoking plan by providing measurable data showing the potential harm that his or her smoking habit poses for his or her dear ones if their test results are consistent with passive nicotine exposure. Daily urine testing of the subject with recordings of declining cotinine levels, providing nicotine use is at least decreasing, is designed to provide the smoker with measurable positive feedback to continue the quit smoking plan, even if the stop date has to be adjusted further into the future.

Daily or random testing of household contacts until the quit smoking date has been reached is designed to provide additional immediate gratification and reward for the subject once the level of nicotine exposure of those individuals reaches the 0 to 10 ng/ml level.

Since relapse is a big problem with many smokers who have managed to stop initially, it would be reasonable for the former smoker to give family members and others in his or her support group permission to perform random quantitative urine nicotine testing as a surveillance safeguard and hopefully, a deterrent to relapse.  It is appropriate and recommended that your healthcare provider be involved in the nicotine testing and all aspects of the stop smoking plan if he or she is willing.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purpose only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical consultation with a qualified professional. The author encourages Internet users to be careful when using medical information and to consult your physician if you are unsure about your medical condition.