Report: Cold Turkey May Be Best Way To Stop Smoking

KYW Medical Report Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you want to stop smoking the best method might just be cold turkey.

According to a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine smokers who wanted to quit were more likely to succeed when they set a date and just stopped. The researchers compared two groups of smokers: those who set a date and those who did not set a date and tried to stop gradually.

The results were conclusive:  abrupt smoking cessation with a designated quit date was more effective than stopping gradually.  So what should you do? My feeling is that you should do whatever you can to stop and there is no doubt that there is not a simple solution or one way that works for all. But people seem to respond better to having a date or time that they need to honor. Either way—just stop!