Time for nicotine to be cleansed from human system during abstinence?

Answer 1

The average half life of nicotine in the body is about 60 minutes. That means that if you stop using, all but a tiny percentage of the drug will be metabolized in about 6 hours. The metabolites will hang around for another day or so, and these are what would be revealed by testing. Different people metabolize nicotine at different rates. Some people even have a genetic mutation in their liver enzymes, whereby the mutant enzyme is much less effective at metabolizing nicotine than the normal variant. If a person has this gene, their blood and brain nicotine levels stay higher for longer after smoking a cigarette.

Unfortunately, recovery from the effects of prolonged nicotine use takes much longer. The changes that have taken place in the brain to accommodate the presence of the drug must heal, and this takes several months, and weeks before the desire begins to ebb.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known. Most addiction specialists recommend replacement therapy with "the patch," along with complete abstinence from cigarettes or other oral sources of nicotine. This hiatus gives us a chance to become used to not grabbing for a smoke, not dipping, not lighting up when on the phone, after a meal, etc. Once the physical habits have been overcome it is easier to withdraw from the drug itself.

The patch is considered superior to the gum, since it suppresses the withdrawal symptoms without reinforcing any oral habits, and because it is easy to simply keep on using the gum, thus prolonging the addiction. We associate smoking with putting something in our mouth and getting relief from the craving for nicotine. The gum is simply another oral source.