Survey Says!

[Thesegoto11]

Kept this during my Quit.  Thought some of you might find the numbers interesting.  

Gallup Survey
--------------------
Since 1977 the Gallup organization has conducted an annual "Consumption Habits" poll.  This data is from 2013:

Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted July 10-14, 2013, on the Gallup Daily tracking survey, with a random sample of 2,027 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Introduction

There hasn't been a lot of sustained or significant change in smokers' desires over the years. An average of 74% of smokers have said they wanted to quit over the 25 surveys on which Gallup has asked this question since 1977.

    * 85% of smokers say they have tried to quit at least once in their lifetime including 45% who have tried at least three times.
    * 72% of smokers claim that they are "addicted" to cigarettes.
    * On average smokers attempt 3.6 times to quit smoking over their lifetimes
    * 56% of respondents claim they have never smoked.
    * 24% are former smokers (41% are 65 and older, compared with 12% of those aged 18 to 29.)

The 24% of Americans who have successfully quit smoking, when asked to name the strategies or methods they used to quit, are most likely to attribute their success to just deciding to quit "cold turkey." Smaller percentages of reformed smokers name willpower, support from family and friends and prayer, use of the nicotine patch, ceasing to be around people who smoke, using chewing gum or candy, and using an electronic cigarette.

When asked to detail the major reasons or factors that finally caused them to quit smoking. These reformed smokers were by far most likely to mention factors relating to health, including mentions of pregnancy, bronchitis, cancer, and other causes.

Summary
Smokers on average are engaging in a habit they wish they didn't have, and, in fact, the average smoker has attempted to quit at least three times in their lifetime. The difficulty in quitting is attested to by the fact that more than seven in 10 smokers say they are addicted to cigarettes.

The varied strategies for quitting cited by former smokers suggest there is not a dominant "magic bullet" method, but rather just a basic decision at some point in smokers' lives to quit cold turkey.

The majority of former smokers say their concern for their health was the main factor that caused them to quit smoking. This is an important finding, but given that 91% of smokers already admit that smoking is harmful to smokers' health and 79% admit that smoking is a cause of lung cancer, it is clear that the specter of bad health, disease, and death has not been enough in and of itself to get smokers to stop.

[sweetplt]

I am not much for study’s...because I wonder who they poll ?...is there such a thing as an “average American” and/or “average smoker”...anyways, thank you for sharing the information...Colleen 

[indingrl]

Thanks for sharing and I am very glad it HELPED YOU stay a n.o.p.e. family member

[Barbscloud]

I always find research studies interesting, but

Why Some People Can Quit Cold Turkey

With the recent hard hitting anti-smoking campaigns, cigarette use is becoming very unpopular, leading many to consider kicking the habit. Despite all the options available some people still chose to opt out the old fashion way – quitting cold turkey.  How can some people so easily quit, while most have a myriad of obstacles along the way, even picking the habit back up?

A recently published study in Medical Daily reported that “the consensus in the scientific field of tobacco control has put the rate of quitting smoking for extended lengths of time cold turkey at a miniscule three to five percent. Currently, a combination of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), prescription medication, and counseling is considered the gold standard in smoking cessation”. But a 2012 Harvard study negated that claiming that “long-term relapse rates of former smokers was similar between those who quit cold turkey and those who relied on NRT”.

So, which is really the most successful?

Unfortunately, both options present hurdles that require willpower and determination to overcome. Researchers suggest that if you plan to quit cold turkey, your genetics will likely play-in to whether or not you succeed. A New York Times study suggests that nearly 20 percent of the population has a gene that reduces the level of happiness felt by certain addictions when the addition is stopped, making it easier to quit without support. Conversely, reverting back to the findings in the Medical Daily report, the NRT method has shown higher success rates, but often for only short periods of time as the reliance on others (such as doctors or cessation programs) was often a burden.

Choosing an option that best suits your needs, goals and timeline often will help to narrow down which choice is best for you. No matter which is chosen the decision to quit is always a healthier one.

National Emphysema Foundation

I get concerned when cold turkey is promoted, making quitters that choose an aid, feeling less than there counterparts. Aids work--NRT or medications.

Barb

[elvan]

I quit cold turkey but I have nothing against NRT or meds and I would have used them in a heartbeat if I hadn't been so sick that quitting was too urgent to go to the store for aids.  I needed to quit THEN.  After I had been quit for a while and I was struggling, someone told me that I should get patches.  At that point, I did not want to reintroduce nicotine into my body.  I think that whatever works is the most important thing.  I don't get out much anymore so I am not really aware of how many people are out there still smoking.  I DO know that it really bothered me when I would be in a parking lot and several people would be smoking...of course, I WAS one of them once upon a time.  I seriously had NO IDEA how far the smoke traveled or how intrusive it was to others. 

Interesting study.  Thanks for sharing.

Ellen