Smoking Cessation
Quitting smoking can lead to dramatic improvements in health. After 1 year of not smoking, the excess risk of heart disease is cut in half. After 10 years, the risk of lung cancer is cut in half. There are various techniques that are available to assist smokers in breaking the addiction. One of the most popular methods is the nicotine patch. This study (Daughton et al., 1999) examined the effect of different dosages of nicotine patches on maintenance of NOT smoking. There was marked recidivism for smoking for all groups but individuals on the higher dosages of patches, however were less likely to smoke at all 3 time points.
Notes:
Smoking statistics from CDC “fact sheets” on smoking (www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/fact/smok1995.htm). The graph of smoking cessation success was adapted from the following source:
Daughton et al., (1996). The smoking cessation efficacy of varying doses of nicotine patch delivery systems 4 to 5 years post quit day.