How to Quit Smoking: The Methods That Work Best and What Happens When You Stop

Most smokers want to quit, and most need several attempts. The single best way to improve your chances is to combine a stop-smoking medicine with support from a trained advisor, rather than relying on willpower alone.

Imagine quitting cold turkey for the fifth time and giving in on day three. With the right medicine and someone in your corner, that same attempt could have been the one that lasted.

Methods that work

• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): using a patch plus a fast-acting product (gum, lozenge, spray or inhalator) works better than one alone
• Prescription medicines such as varenicline or bupropion, where available
• Behavioural support from a stop-smoking service, quitline or app
• In some countries, vapes are recommended as a quit aid for adult smokers

Handling cravings

• Cravings usually pass within a few minutes; distract yourself until they do
• Know your triggers (coffee, breaks, alcohol, stress) and plan something else
• Tell friends and colleagues, and avoid the smoking area at work for a while
• Keep something in your hands and mouth: water, sugar-free gum, a stress ball

What happens when you stop

The World Health Organization describes benefits that start within minutes: heart rate and blood pressure begin to fall soon after your last cigarette, and carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal within about a day. Within weeks to months, circulation and breathing improve. After a year, the extra risk of heart disease is about half that of a smoker, and the risk of lung cancer and stroke keeps falling over the following years.

But what if I slip up and have one?

A slip is not a failure. Don’t use it as a reason to give up: think about what triggered it, adjust your plan and carry on. Many people who quit for good had several attempts first.

Sources: World Health Organization, “Tobacco: health benefits of smoking cessation”; NHS, “Quit smoking”; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “How to quit smoking”. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or pharmacist.