Most Physicians Say It Takes 5 to 7 Attempts to Quit Smoking. Here’s Why They’re Wrong

It might take more tries than you think to finally stop smoking for good: Smokers may need close to 30 quit attempts before they finally succeed, new research in BMJ Open found.

That’s well above the 5 to 7 benchmark that physicians usually refer to.

The 5 to 7 estimate comes from how many quit attempts former smokers actually remember having taken in their lives, says the study’s lead researcher Michael Chaiton, Ph.D.



“People aren’t great about remembering anything over the course of an entire life,” says Chaiton. “It’s hard to remember that one day you [tried to] quit smoking 20 years ago.”

This new study, on the other hand, followed smokers every 6 months for up to 3 years, and then used a mathematical formula to calculate future quit attempts based on that data. It’s a more accurate than simply asking about past recollection about quitting.

Plus, that 5 to 7 estimate doesn’t count the attempts from people who are still trying to quit or who aren’t ever successful, he says.

Your success with quitting smoking depends on how addicted you are to it.

People who are highly addicted—say, they smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day and must have one within 30 minutes of waking up—may find it harder to break the habit, requiring more attempts to quit for good.

So quitting smoking before you need a bunch of cigarettes daily would be easier than waiting until you’re going through a pack or two a day, Chaiton says.

But what can you do if you’re already hooked?

The good news is, the study shows that you’re not destined to smoke for the rest of your life even if you’ve struggled to stop previously—you can still quit even if prior, double-digit attempts were unsuccessful.

It just may take you a few more tries than you originally thought to kick the habit for good, says Chaiton.

In fact, it’s likely that it’ll take many tries before you knock the habit for good, Chaiton says.

People who used that technique were 42 percent more likely to be cig-free after 6 months.

And using more than one quitting aid can help, too, says Chaiton. Try a combination of behavioral counseling and medications like nicotine replacement therapy or varenicline.
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Article Source: http://www.menshealth.com/health/quit-smoking-attempts