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New research highlights the importance of making routes to quitting easier to find. In the US, tobacco products are the leading cause of sickness and death, and cigarette smoke contains at least 70 cancer-causing compounds. Although there are health benefits for quitting at any age, when you stop smoking younger your health outcomes are even better. For example, over 410,000 adults were followed since the 70’s and those who stopped smoking before age 45 eliminated 87% of their risk of cancer. Plus, if they overcame their smoking habit by age 35, their risk of tobacco-related cancers was eliminated entirely! Cancer risk is substantially reduced if you quit after the age of 50 or 60, too.

If someone is ready to quit, what works best for supporting those who are ready to say goodbye to cigarettes for good?

Self-help educational materials can inform cigarette smokers and improve their resolve to quit, but have limited effectiveness compared to broader approaches that address skill-building. This is why modern tobacco cessation approaches involve problem-solving approaches to increase quitting attempts. The reality is that it usually takes several attempts before a person is able to quit for good, so these attempts must not be viewed as failures!

Behavioral approaches help to solidify the goal of quitting, and reinforce positive ways of viewing their efforts, even when repeat attempts are needed. Quitting comes with cravings, so these skills help to develop healthier coping strategies for dealing with persistent urges to smoke. Importantly, behavior training can help individuals cut-down on smoking, which decreases lung cancer risk. 

Combination support

The most effective tobacco cessation programs offer behavioral and pharmaceutical avenues to support their mission. This means that the user is supported by behavioral approaches and also has the option of reducing cravings through nicotine replacement therapy or other medications. Behavioral support is a key component because this appears to “enhance quit rates over and above nicotine replacement therapy.”

Upon quitting, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and a low mood can cause former smokers to feel drawn to light-up again, so prescription drugs are common adjuncts to behavioral approaches.

One of these medications is a common antidepressant known as buproprion. This is marketed as Wellbutrin or Zyban. Together with nicotine replacement therapy, pharmaceuticals show significant benefits in helping people kick the habit. For instance, a tightly-controlled study found that buproprion doubled the amount of individuals who successfully quit, and was even better if used in combination with nicotine replacement therapy. 

Another FDA approved product is varenicline tartrate, marketed as Chantix or Champix. Those who gain access to Chantix and behavioral aids are about 50% more likely to successfully kick the habit than those who receive behavioral help alone. This drug blocks the effects of nicotine in the body, helping to reduce the reinforcing effects as a person cuts down their cigarette use. 

Lower healthcare costs

Even though comprehensive strategies include multiple levels of support, they do provide a cost-effective investment when you consider the alternative. The average healthcare costs of employees who smoke far exceed that of non-smokers. 

Smoking-related health care costs exceed $170 billion every year, including 96 billion in direct medical expenses and a whopping 97 billion due to lost productivity. The total financial burden is not only realized by smokers themselves but also by healthcare systems and society as a whole. For this reason, the Surgeon General’s annual report highlighted the need for insurance coverage for smoking cessation that is “comprehensive, barrier-free, and widely promoted.”

Taken all together, it’s clear that smokers need all the support they can get. It benefits their lives principally, but also combats rising costs for the rest of the healthcare system as a whole!