I dont think you can quantify it that way, Tina, because the patch gives you a continuous nicotine feed, where cigarettes give you a "one time" nicotine hit. Most light cigarettes contain 8 mg of tar, 0.6 mg of nicotine, and 9 mg of carbon monoxide, while Regular cigarettes contained 12 mg of tar, 0.9 mg of nicotine, and 12 mg carbon monoxide (according to StudyHealth).
But if you were trying to figure it out anyway, I guess you would take the number of hours each patch lasted and divide that into the # of milligrams, e.g. 14 mg/24 hrs = .583, so in theory you would be getting just about one cigarette's worth of nicotine per hour. But, since it is continuous, in theory you shouldn't be craving for nicotine.
I guess that just goes to show that this addiction is about more than just the nicotine. After many years of smoking we all have become dependent on cigarettes not just because of the nicotine and other hundreds of chemicals in them, but also dependent on them to reward ourselves, to mark time, to alleviate boredom, to avoid dealing with unpleasant emotions, to keep us company, etc, etc.
btw, no question is daft. It just shows you are thinking about this quit. I suggest you take the time while you are using the patches to address the other aspects of this addiction so that by the time you go off the patch you will, psychologically, be a non smoker already. The quit program workbook and glove compartment are good places to start. Keep reading and posting.
[B]My Milage:[/B]
[B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/22/2007
[B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 286
[B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 11,440
[B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,944.80
[B]Life Gained:[/B]
[B]Days:[/B] 40 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 47 [B]Seconds:[/B] 35
