Recent research studies conducted at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have showed that gradual quitting does work better than going “cold turkey.” However, it does not work well to simply decrease the number of cigarettes smoked, because this does not weaken the conditioned smoking habit.
With scheduled, gradual reduction (SGR), smokers smoke on a time-based schedule, not whenever they want to have a cigarette. Gradually, the time between cigarettes is increased until complete cessation is achieved.
Time-based schedule forces smokers to disrupt their usual smoking pattern, thereby weakening their habit.
The increase in time between cigarettes results in fewer being smoked per day, and therefore, nicotine intake is decreased. |
