Gentle Approach to Kicking the Habit




According to a recent publication in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, scientists from the University of Vermont have revealed that cutting back on the amount of daily cigarettes can lead to eventual smoking cessation. The method of gradual reduction therefore can provide a gentle alternative to quitting smoking “cold turkey”. Before arriving to this finding, the researchers have analysed 19 placebo-controlled clinical trials on smoking cessation and found that cutting back was an effective method of stopping smoking even in patients who were initially unwilling to kick the habit. The best results were shown in the studies where the gradual reduction approach was combined with nicotine replacement therapy.


“Smoking fewer cigarettes is an approved strategy of smoking cessation in some European countries, however, in the United States it is not widely applied,” says researcher Dr. John Hughes of the University of Vermont College of Medicine. “Our study demonstrates that most smokers can successfully overcome their nicotine addiction by gradually lowering the number of cigarettes they smoke daily. Our review also proves that cutting back can be a very successful strategy to change smoking habits and eventually quit smoking altogether.”

According to the study, cutting back can be effective as a smoking cessation method even in those patients who did not respond to other, more conventional methods of therapy.

However, smokers should also be aware of the fact that smoking fewer cigarettes does not reduce the risks of heart disease, lung cancer, and other tobacco-related illnesses. Therefore, gradual reduction should only be considered a positive measure when it is a step taken by smokes in order to eventually kick their tobacco dependency for good.

Jimmy Edwards

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Posted on July 31, 2008 
Filed Under How to Quit Smoking, Stop Smoking, Stop Smoking News

Comments

One Response to “Gentle Approach to Kicking the Habit”

  1. Chuck Tedesco on January 14th, 2009 4:29 am

    I agree that gradual reduction is much smarter than cold-turkey, yet two equally important factors should be considered: Making a plan and sticking to it—at what rate will you cut down? And, second, awareness that it is important to do the same thing with any NRT. There are a lot of folks who end up getting hooked on the gum and use it in work and social situations because it makes them stink less than tobacco smoking.

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