Quitting Smoking: Which Is Better, Abruptly Stop, or Taper?

A study in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 2013;310(1):91-92. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.6473) found that whether a smoker stops "cold turkey", or attempts to quit by cutting down on the number of cigarettes, with the goal of abstinence, does not significantly affect the quit rate. Outcomes in terms of staying stopped from smoking using either abrupt cessation or a taper are poor. In a review of ten randomized controlled studies from 1978 to 2010, involving 1528 men and 2108 women, in four countries (U.S. Spain, Austria, Switzerland), with the outcome, using either abrupt or gradual smoking cessation, being staying abstinent for at least six months, here are the quit success rates:

-Gradual quit success rate for at least 6 months = 14.1%
-Abrupt cessation quit success rate for at least 6 months = 15%

Other research suggests that, while use of medication (e.g., Chantix, bupropion) to quit smoking may be associated with slightly better quit success outcomes, long term abstinence rates are still poor. Use of nicotine substitutes (what I call "nicotine maintenance") certainly do help lessen lung damage and other medical problems (if the individual stops smoking) but often the individual finds it difficult to stop the nicotine replacement. Although this post may seem discouraging for those wishing to quit smoking, remember that if a method for stopping smoking works for you, it is 100% successful, and that statistics are just numbers; the individual can achieve long term abstinence. I myself have 33 years abstinence from smoking, using tools learned in my recovery from alcohol and sedative addiction. As always, comments are invited. Jan Edward Williams, www.alcoholdrugsos.com. 07/23/2013.