Ways to Quit Smoking Compared

There is no single right way to quit smoking. The best method is the one you will actually use, and the evidence says your odds improve a lot when you combine treatment with support.

The options at a glance

Method	How it works	What the evidence suggests
Cold turkey, unaided	Stop completely on a set day using willpower alone.	Works for some, but only a small minority of unaided attempts last a year.
Cutting down first	Reduce cigarettes gradually before a quit date.	Can work, but in a large UK trial, stopping abruptly on a set date led to more people quitting.
Nicotine replacement	Patches, gum, lozenges, sprays and inhalators supply nicotine without smoke.	Increases quit rates substantially; combining a patch with a fast-acting product works best.
Prescription medicines	Varenicline, bupropion or cytisine reduce cravings and withdrawal.	Among the most effective single treatments; discuss with a doctor.
Nicotine vapes	Deliver nicotine in an aerosol rather than smoke.	Good evidence they help people quit; policy views differ between countries.
Behavioural support	Counselling, stop-smoking services, quitlines, text and app programmes.	Adds to the effect of any medicine; strongest results come from combining both.

Cold turkey

Most ex-smokers in the past quit without help, simply because so many people tried. But success per attempt is low: studies suggest only a few in every hundred unaided quitters are still smoke-free a year later. Cold turkey doesn't have to mean going it alone, though. You can stop abruptly on a fixed date and use nicotine replacement, medicine or support. That combination is what many health services recommend. Tony quit cold turkey after a shock, and he is the first to say he wouldn't wish his reason on anyone (his story).

Cutting down

Gradually reducing can feel less daunting. A UK trial published in 2016, in which both groups had nicotine replacement and support, found that people who stopped abruptly were more likely to be smoke-free at four weeks and six months than those who cut down first. If you prefer to cut down, set a firm quit date anyway and use nicotine replacement while you reduce.

Treatment plus support: the strongest combination

The NHS says you are around three times more likely to quit successfully with the help of a stop-smoking service and medicine than by willpower alone. Support can mean:

• Stop-smoking services, free in many countries, offering weekly check-ins and carbon monoxide tests.
• Quitlines. Most countries run a free national telephone quitline staffed by trained advisers; your health service or doctor will have the number.
• Text and app programmes that send tips and check-ins at high-risk times.
• Your doctor or pharmacist, who can recommend and, where needed, prescribe treatments.
• Friends and family, who can help a lot if they know how (see helping someone quit).

What doesn't have good evidence

Many products and techniques are marketed for quitting. Some, such as hypnotherapy and acupuncture, have been studied without clear evidence that they work better than placebo. Others, like "detox" supplements, have little or no evidence at all. They're not necessarily harmful, but don't let them replace proven treatments.

Choosing your mix

1. Pick a quit date in the next two weeks.
2. Choose a treatment: combination NRT, a prescription medicine or a nicotine vape.
3. Add support: a stop-smoking service, quitline or app.
4. Plan for cravings, triggers and slips using Tony's quit plan.

If one attempt doesn't stick, it's not wasted. Most ex-smokers needed several tries. Read slips and relapse for how to get straight back on track.