National Survey Shows It Takes Smokers an Average 11Attempts Before They Quit for Good.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1998--Data from a national poll conducted by the Hazelden Foundation show how challenging it is for smokers to give up their habit. On average, it took former smokers 18.6 years before they finally quit. The average former smoker tried to quit 10.8 times before he or she was able to abstain from smoking tobacco products.

The poll also indicates that two-thirds of current smokers (66.8 percent) have seriously tried to quit smoking at least once. On average, current smokers said they have tried 3.4 times to give up their habit.

"These numbers reflect the serious nature of nicotine addiction," said Elliott Driscoll, manager of smoking cessation services for Hazelden New York. "Nicotine is a powerful drug, just like alcohol or heroin, and those who want to quit often relapse in spite of their good intentions."

According to current smokers, stress was the primary obstacle to quitting for good (28.7 percent). Other respondents said they like to smoke too much (12.0 percent) or the craving was too strong (12.0 percent). Far fewer cited weight gain as a concern (5.4 percent) or said it's too late (0.6 percent).

"One of the keys to treating nicotine addiction is to identify what is preventing the smoker from quitting for good," said Driscoll. "If stress or pressure causes the smoker to relapse, he or she needs to find other ways to cope, whether it's exercise or reaching out to friends for support."

What Motivates Smokers to Quit?

According to former smokers, health reasons or a major health episode finally prompted them to quit (53.0 percent). Family pressure was not as effective (11.6 percent), nor was choosing to quit at a particular time of year such as Lent or New Year's (0.0 percent).

"Clearly, education is the key to preventing people from starting to smoke and encouraging current smokers to quit," said Driscoll. "According to the Centers for Disease Control, advice from health care providers to quit smoking increases cessation rates by 30 percent. That would go a long way towards fighting the nicotine epidemic we're seeing in our country."

How Do Smokers to Quit?

Among current smokers, the most frequently tried method of quitting is gradually smoking fewer and fewer cigarettes before giving it up completely (an average of 3.9 times). Other popular smoking cessation techniques include switching to lighter cigarettes before quitting completely (an average of 2.6 times) or going cold turkey (an average of 2.6 times). These methods were followed by support groups in popularity: an informal support group of friends (2.4 times); help from one other friend also trying to quit (2.3 times); and formal support groups such as Nicotine Anonymous (1.9 times). Nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine gum (1.7 times) and a nicotine patch (1.6 times) were lower on the list.