However, keep in mind that while NRT (and quit-smoking medications) can help with withdrawal symptoms and lessen your cravings, it isn’t a fix-all. As NRT alone won’t cure you of your habit or help you manage stress or negative emotions, it’s best to incorporate NRT into your quit-smoking toolkit, rather than relying on it as a standalone solution.
If you live in New Zealand, Quit Strong provides free NRT when you meet with their quit-smoking coaches.
Australians can get discounted nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
If you’re in the UK, check with your local NHS about NRT subsidies, and gaining free access if you live in Scotland. Canadian residents can also access free or discounted NRT, depending on which province you’re based in, and a limited number of US-based programs offer free NRT, so it’s worth investigating what’s available in your state.
Ease: Excellent
The availability and variety of NRT options make this one of the easiest tools to include in your quit-smoking plan.
Cost: Average
The average cost of a quit attempt with NRT is around $185USD. If you can’t access free or subsidized NRT, like many quit tools, it’s still cheaper than remaining a smoker.
Long-term success: Average
Research suggests long-term NRT use doesn’t increase your nicotine intake, and it’s a safe and effective way to keep you away from cigarettes.
Medications
Smoking cessation medications have proven effective, and it’s worth speaking to your doctor about which ones to include in a comprehensive quit-smoking plan.
Bupropion is a nicotine-free tablet that is thought to positively impact your brain and decrease your cravings and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. For the most effective results, Bupropion works best for smokers when taken in combination with quit coaching support.
Also, ask your doctor about Varenicline (Champix), which helps reduce your urge to light up by lessening the enjoyment you get from nicotine, making it easier to quit. Research reports that Varenicline in particular is more effective and likely to work when used in conjunction with NRT, rather than taking it on its own. Keep in mind, this medication does come with potentially troubling side effects such as drowsiness, depression, and behavior changes like hostility.
Both of these medications are approved by the FDA in the US, but just note that Varenicline is not available in the UK and the NHS recommends you chat to your doctor about alternatives.
Like NRT, these medications will give you the best chance of smoking your last cigarette when incorporated into a broader quit plan, rather than using medication as your only tool. Speak to your doctor about combining these medications with quit methods that focus on your ‘why’, like hypnotherapy or following an online program.
Ease: Good
Incorporating medication into your overall quit plan is simple and straightforward, but you must speak to your doctor first about your options.
Cost: Great
Depending on where you live, the cost could be free or significantly subsidized by insurance, health plans, or clinics.
Long-term success: Good
Medications will support your long-term success, but only if used in conjunction with other quit therapies like quit smoking classes and NRT.
Two more options
Cold turkey
Quitting cold turkey is a complex strategy that can seem appealing and daunting at the same time. This method is when you simply decide you’ve smoked your last cigarette for good, rather than tapering off slowly or devising a more comprehensive quit strategy, you’re just done.
The advantages are it’s free and you can go cold turkey anytime, anywhere, even right now as you read this. However, a little planning and more thought is required to make it stick if you opt to take this route, such as actively removing yourself from places or situations where you used to smoke to reduce temptation. You will also have to think about changing your habits. For example, if you’re a first-thing-in-the-morning smoker, developing a new wake-up routine will help your cold turkey strategy stick. The Canadian Lung Association acknowledges quitting in this way can and has worked for people. And studies have shown that quitting abruptly could possibly even lead to abstaining from smoking for longer.
However, once withdrawal kicks in, you may be wondering where your willpower has disappeared to, and you’ll quickly see why this quit-smoking method has a much lower success rate and why some experts call it the least effective quit method.
Quitting cold turkey without additional support could be fighting a losing battle, thanks to the incredible power of nicotine. Like other drugs, nicotine stimulates the release of feel-good dopamine in your brain. It works by signaling your mind to repeat your smoking behaviors over and over. So, by going cold turkey, you’re battling a brain that has learned how to smoke, and just like learning to un-ride a bike, it’s very challenging for your brain to stop telling you it’s time for a reward without additional quit strategies in place. As research has shown, it can take smokers anywhere from eight to 30 attempts to quit, so a comprehensive approach to quitting is likely to be more effective.
Ease: Average
You can quit right now, which is simple enough, but staying off the cigarettes is the real challenge.
Long-term success: Poor
It’s incredibly difficult to use this strategy in the long term without additional support tools, but if you manage to stick with it, you will see success.
Cost: Good
It costs nothing to quit cold turkey, but you might pay in other ways, such as through relapsing and continuing on with a costly cigarette habit.
Vaping
Scientists say the research is lacking about using vaping as a stepping stone to quitting smoking. While some organizations recommend it as a NRT-style quit tool, others have raised concerns that it may do more harm than good.
Vapes are electronic devices where you inhale nicotine in a vapor instead of smoke, like you would with cigarettes. It works by heating a solution known as e-liquid that usually contains propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavorings, and nicotine.
Vaping may be a healthier (although not necessarily healthy) option as you’re not inhaling smoke. E-liquids are available in different nicotine strengths, so you can lower the amount as you go until you’re ready for nicotine-free vaping. There are also options like Füm, which is similar to a vape except users inhale nicotine-free natural plant extracts in different flavors with no vapor or fumes of any kind, a great solution for those who need to keep their hands busy.
However, many people have a limited understanding of the chemicals they’re inhaling through their vaping habit. The CDC reported an outbreak of lung injuries caused by chemicals commonly found in e-cigarettes, and research connecting lung cancer to vaping is now calling it “an area of significant concern.”
Another new development to be aware of is traditional tobacco companies like Phillip Morris (now known as the Altria Group) have become big players in vaping. Many are the distributors of popular e-cigarette brands like JUUL and Vuse. These companies have worked hard via persuasive marketing to frame vaping as the safer option in response to decreasing cigarette consumption (and falling profits). However, there has been notable pushback, with JUUL recently settling more than 5,000 vaping lawsuits after being accused of targeting teenagers with its products.
In Australia, pharmacies were even being offered incentives to stock particular vape products owned by Big Tobacco, a move that anti-smoking groups and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) swiftly shut down.
So, while vaping may be slightly less harmful than cigarettes for now, rethink whether you really want to swap one bad habit for another.
Ease: Average
Many countries have vaping laws similar to cigarette smoking, such as it’s illegal to vape in certain public settings. Quitting smoking (and vaping) will always be the easiest solution.
Long-term success: Below average
Evidence is limited to non-existent, and it’s difficult to assess long-term success for this quit strategy just yet.
Cost: Average
While cheaper than smoking cigarettes, vaping will still cost you on average a little over US$2,000 per year. Is your money better spent elsewhere?
The Wrap Up
While many science-backed quit strategies are available, it often takes more than one method, and combining quit tools and approaches is most likely to lead to the best result: a life free from cigarettes. In-person quit-smoking classes are the best option for those seeking support from a community of like-minded people working towards the same goal. But if classes are limited in your area, a comprehensive all-access online alternative is your best bet. Hypnotherapy, which scientists say is more effective than CBT and 10 times more effective than quitting cold turkey, is the best option if you’re particularly focused on getting your brain into non-smoking mode. While hypnotherapy once involved expensive visits to a therapist, now it’s relatively low-cost with quit-smoking apps available, like the three-week Finito program. NRT and medications are both supported by reliable research, but work better when they are included in a broader quit strategy. Quitting cold turkey and vaping each have unique advantages. Still, both options may not be suitable for long-term success, and emerging research reveals vaping is potentially causing more harm than good.
References
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Gov.UK. (2022). Smoking and tobacco: Applying all our health. Gov.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smoking-and-tobacco-applying-all-our-health/smoking-and-tobacco-applying-all-our-health
Hasan FM, Zagarins SE, Pischke KM, et al. Hypnotherapy is more effective than nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation: results of a randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2014;22(1):1-8. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.012
How to quit smoking: Quit smoking cold turkey. iCanQuit. https://www.icanquit.com.au/quitting-methods/cold-turkey. Accessed December 7, 2022.
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