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