"Smoking is a chronic disease like other diseases"

More than 300,000 French people buy nicotine substitutes (patch, chewing gum or chewing gum, lozenge, inhaler …) every month since September, reveal franceinfo Thursday 29 November. Since May, the government has introduced the reimbursement of these substitutes by social security. There is no more ceiling and no more money in pharmacy. As a result, doctors' prescriptions jumped + 66% over last year. "Smoking is a chronic disease like other diseases"Marioninfo, a tobacco expert, explained on franceinfo.

franceinfo: Is the 100% refund a good thing?

Marion Adler: It was important to consider that smoking is a chronic disease like other diseases. When we are dependent on alcohol we have the reimbursement of cures, when we are dependent on heroin we have the reimbursement of Subutex. So it was important to consider the need for reimbursement of smoking cessation treatments. It is the poorest people, in general, who are the most addicts and who need it the most with nicotine.

So the smoker is a sick person?

Yes, we are dependent on nicotine and we smoke despite ourselves every day and we can no longer spend a day without smoke. It's a lack of freedom.

Is there a risk of doing too much?

The risk is the cigarette not the nicotine. Nicotine in cigarettes is the only thing that is not dangerous, but it's addictive, that's what makes you smoke every day. So, it's important to know that nicotine is not dangerous in itself, but will help you not to suffer from what you feel when you're not smoking for a few hours or days. So it calms the pain of lack. It's essential. If you take too many gums, it's like when you smoke too much during a party, you have a sloppy mouth, nausea, headaches. If you put too many patches you will feel the same.

Substitutes are not everything. Should I be accompanied?

This may help, but what is a very good thing is that substitutes are over-the-counter in pharmacies. So people can buy them without a prescription and it's cheaper than buying cigarettes. Some people buy substitutes and stop smoking without a prescription because it works very well. It is true that it helps better if we are accompanied, if we can help people manage every moment that is an obstacle to stopping smoking.

Is the electronic cigarette recognized as a weaning aid?

It's not a drug, but what we see in our patients is that there are people who are helped by the electronic cigarette. It's something that will help them eliminate tobacco. It can be badociated with validated treatments such as patch or erasers.