How to Quit Smoking Successfully

Behavioral and Physical Tools Offer Best Chance of Success

(ARA) - Nearly half of America’s smoking population - more than 20 million people - say they want to quit smoking in 2005…again. For most smokers, 2005 won’t be the first year they’ve tried to quit. Nearly all have tried at least once, and one out of five smokers (20 percent) has tried to quit five or more times. "We now have a great deal of evidence about what works and what doesn’t, so don't waste time on what doesn’t," says Dr. Robin J. Mermelstein, clinical psychologist and smoking cessation expert at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “We know that what works the best is a combination of specific approved medications meant for stopping smoking and behavioral treatments.”

Now, a new clinical study has shown that Committed Quitters (www.CommittedQuitters.com), an individualized Web-based support system, can increase the chances of smoking cessation success. Smokers using the online Committed Quitters program with NicoDerm CQ increased their chances of success by more than 28 percent compared to smokers trying to quit using the same product and non-individualized support.

For the millions of smokers who have tried to quit multiple times, experts say that previous attempts at quitting smoking shouldn’t discourage them from trying again. In fact, going through the process helps smokers learn more about their smoking behaviors, so they’re better prepared to face the challenges of quitting.

“Past attempts to quit should make you more confident about future attempts - not less!” says Dr. Mermelstein. “Each time smokers try to quit, they learn more about the specific, individual challenges they’ll face.”

Committed Quitters features free, easily accessible and highly individualized support. Participants enroll by answering an in-depth online interview that gathers information about their habits, behaviors and motivations for smoking and quitting. The data is then compiled to craft a customized smoking cessation plan, which includes proactive e-mail outreach and newsletters that address each individual’s specific needs, while providing support and encouragement that is available 24/7. The support and tips for a life-long smoker can differ greatly from those designed for a younger smoker who has trouble avoiding smoking in social situations.

By providing smokers with individualized tools, tips and information, Committed Quitters can help them deal with the psychological and behavioral challenges that may have led them back to smoking in the past, while nicotine replacement therapy like NicoDerm CQ reduces the physical withdrawal symptoms like cigarette cravings.

For those looking to quit, Dr. Mermelstein offers the following tips:

• Think about the reasons you smoke. It will give you a clearer path to quitting. Does smoking relieve stress? Is it a large part of your social life?
• Get your head in the game. Dr. Mermelstein recommends that clients get support products like nicotine replacement therapy and online help before they quit, so they can read up on materials before they’re under the pressure of quitting. Not only does this help raise consciousness about the patterns of smoking, it gives them the tools they’ll need when they make the decision to quit for good.
• Check out online support services. The online Committed Quitters program provides support and encouragement to help you break your behavioral and psychological link to cigarettes, and is proven effective in helping smokers quit.
• Get yourself physically ready. Start walking, take in more fluids and get plenty of rest.
• Put a support system in place. Fight the urge to keep your plans to yourself and enlist the help of family and friends. By letting others know of your intention, you can create a circle of support to help keep you on track.

For more information on Committed Quitters or to learn more about how to prepare yourself to quit smoking, visit www.committedquitters.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content