How twenty-first century technology can help you quit smoking for good

4 February 2014 by in Lifestyle

Last week the news broke that a fifth former Marlboro Man, Eric Lawson, has passed away due to smoking related causes (read about it here). It got us wondering how many people started 2014 resolving to fling the fags for good; and how many stuck to it. We all know people who are trying desperately to quit – maybe your boss is giving up again, your best mate has tried all the latest gadgets in her quest, or Uncle Larry is constantly covered in nicotine patches and just wants to feel free again. If you’re a heavy smoker yourself, your teeth are probably stained, your fingers may be yellow and your careworn family are very likely at their wits’ ends. Quitting smoking is never going to be easy, but these days there are many routes to success and they don’t necessarily involve going cold turkey. Here are some options we’ve tried:

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Going cold turkey? Only 3% of smokers succeed by
willpower alone

  1. The cold turkey approach: purge your house and pockets of cigarettes, resisting the urge to go scrambling after them in a nicotine-fuelled frenzy (superior willpower required – only 3% of smokers succeed by willpower alone);
  2. Get your hands on one of the latest e-cigarettes, such as Green Smoke, designed to take some of the nasties (and social stigma) out of smoking;
  3. Search the web for online stop smoking campaigns such as Stoptober and quit together with thousands of others;
  4. Nicotine patches. Lots of them;
  5. If you live in the UK, check out the range of support services provided by the NHS;
  6. Download a stop smoking app on your Android or iOS device (most popular at the moment are NHS Stop Smoking and Smoke Free);
  7. Websites. Many stop smoking charities, such as Quit, have sites where you can access information, shop for stop smoking products, develop your own ‘Quit Plan’ and find out where you can get the best support;
  8. Ditch your chain-smoking friends and start your new life as a Buddhist monk;
  9. Buy Stop Smoking or Quit Smoking for Good, read it from cover to cover and then tell all your friends and colleagues how life-changingly fantastic it is.

Ten years ago this list would have been a lot shorter. The recent growth of stop smoking products is due in part to smoking bans, making it far more inconvenient to smoke in public. Products such as electronic cigarettes, combined with online campaigns, supportive communities on social media sites and the many practical stop smoking apps available, have made us better equipped than ever to give up for good (the wonders of modern technology!) So if you don’t fancy going cold turkey or giving up your day job to seek enlightenment, have no fear – there’s probably another option for you (and probably for the big boss, Sarah and Uncle Larry, too)…