A recent study by researchers at the University of Oxford is conclusive: smokers who gradually reduce their dose of nicotine to quit tobacco fail more than those who choose to quit without hesitation.
For the work, led by Dr. Nicola Lindson-Hawley, 697 people who wanted to quit this harmful habit were recruited and divided into two groups: the first one completely quit tobacco on a set date; the second was progressively decreasing the number of cigarettes consumed over the two weeks prior to the “big day”.
The two groups enjoyed the advice of specialists, and were provided with nicotine patches and gum and other aids. After smoking cessation, the research participants were assessed weekly for four weeks, and again at six months. In addition to asking them how they felt, the researchers measured the amount of carbon monoxide they breathed out, an objective test of whether they were still not smoking .
Within four weeks of quitting, 39% of the people who had gradually quit were free of the habit, compared with 49% of the group who had abruptly quit. This means that the seconds had a 25% greater chance of fulfilling their purpose : the differences were already verified on the same day that one and the other were completely deprived of nicotine: more subjects in the second group endured 24 hours in a row without taking a cigarette.
According to Lindson-Hawley, those who quit tobacco little by little face two challenges: abandon their habit altogether, and gradually meet the goals of reduction. However, nippers have only one (albeit tough) task ahead of them. This could explain the differences between them.
The researcher points out that “those who want to quit smoking and have help and therapies to do so have a better chance of success if they radically abandon their habit. However, in our research we have discovered that there are individuals for whom it is impossible to stop suddenly: in that case, it is better to reduce the dose than to do nothing ”.
