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To quit, smokers may need more than willpower
Experts say support network, aids can be crucial
June 23, 1997
Web posted at: 1:49 p.m. EDT (1749 GMT)From Correspondent Al Hinman
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (CNN) -- Want to quit smoking? It takes willpower, of course, but it may take something more. Medical experts and ex-smokers say a support network can be crucial for kicking the habit.
Here in the North Carolina hometown of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a smoking cessation program claims a high success rate because it forces participants to help each other.
Social support, whether through formal counseling or just family and friends, can make the difference, says Jed Rose of Duke University in nearby Durham.
"It's extremely difficult for most smokers to kick the habit permanently on their own," Rose, the inventor of the nicotine patch, told CNN. "On any given attempt to quit, less than five percent ... actually succeed."
Dr. Erica Frank of Atlanta's Emory University agrees. "People who try to quit on their own, without letting their physician know, or without letting their family or colleagues know (are going to have a harder time) than somebody who just declares up front, 'I'm going to stop smoking on this particular quit date. Just watch me!'"
And when the support is combined with other stop-smoking aids, studies show the success rate climbs. "The more that you can do, the better off you are, and the more likely you are that you'll be able to successfully quit," Frank says.
Doctors and successful former smokers recommend trying at least one of the nicotine withdrawal products, such as the patch or nicotine gum, which are sold over the counter.
Other options available by prescription include a non-nicotine pill and a nicotine inhaler, which also may help ease a smoker's physical needs.
Whatever method smokers dedicated to quitting finally choose, studies show that the longer they go without sneaking a cigarette, the better their chance of stopping for good.
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