NCSCT UK reported recently on new evidence that quitting smoking abruptly is more likely to lead to lasting abstinence than cutting down first, even for smokers who initially prefer to quit by gradual reduction.

This evidence was contained in a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine* looked at the short term quit rates for 697 smokers either quitting abruptly or reducing by 75% in the two weeks before their quit date. Participants who preferred to quit abruptly were significantly more likely to be abstinent at four weeks than those who preferred gradual reduction (39% v 49%; p=.007).

* Lindson-Hawley et al. Gradual Versu s Abrupt Smoking Cessation: A Randomized, Controlled Non inferiority Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2016; 164:XXX-XXX. doi:10.7326/M14-2805.

NCSCT identified that lead author NicolaLindson-Hawley will be at this years UKNSCC presenting on the work of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group. More information on the UKNSCC