Nicotine replacement therapy could help some smokers quit gradually

Smokers who do not want to quit right now, but who are prepared to try to reduce their smoking are twice as likely to stop smoking in the long-term if they use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to help them cut down gradually, according to research by scientists at the University of Birmingham. The report, published today suggests that smokers not willing or able to stop abruptly might have more success by following nicotine assisted reduction to stop (NARS) programmes, also known as 'cut down then stop', 'cut down to stop' and 'cut down to quit.' Paul Aveyard, one of the authors says: " Smoking is one of the world's greatest killers. Half of UK smokers try to stop every year but only 2-3% of them succeed. One of the reasons for this is that while the majority of smokers want to quit, only a minority feel ready to do so abruptly. Our study shows that avoiding unsuccessful 'cold turkey' attempts to quit smoking is ultimately better in the long term for kicking the habit altogether ." The research is the first of its kind to focus on sustained smoking abstinence using NRT for smokers who have no immediate plans to stop smoking. Researchers at the University of Birmingham carried out a systematic review of seven randomised controlled trials that compared the outcomes of using NRT gum or inhalators to placebos. The trials enrolled almost 3000 smokers who were given NRT for 6-18 months.