Quitting smoking: cold turkey most popular method

15 October 2010

Going 'cold turkey' is still the most popular way to quit smoking, trumping nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), an Australian survey has confirmed.

A Cancer Institute NSW survey of 1068 recent quitters revealed 69% of successful quitters had used the 'cold turkey' method of smoking cessation. The results, presented at the Asia Pacific Conference on Tobacco or Health (held in Sydney on 6-9 October 2010), found nicotine replacement therapy and 'cutting down, then quitting' were the second most popular quitting methods.

Younger quitters were more likely to stop smoking by going 'cold turkey' compared with older quitters. The latter, along with quitters who were less educated, were more likely to use assisted methods.

Professor Ian Olver, CEO of Cancer Council Australia, said the findings confirmed that 'cold turkey' was a successful strategy, and NRT "probably ... should only be used when the quit attempts fail".


 

Last Reviewed: 15 October 2010

Reproduced with kind permission from Medical Observer Weekly.
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