I used to smoke a few cigarettes a day--maybe 2 packs a week. It was a bad habit, and the little high I felt from each puff on a cigarette wasn't worth the filthy feeling that I always felt afterwards. Of note, I always smoked more when I was around other people who smoked.
A few years ago, I had enough of smoking. I stopped smoking altogether. Fortunately, for me, quitting wasn't some epic battle. I just kind of quit and forgot about it. Not to say that I don't have my own addictions that rage inside me--just that smoking cigarettes isn't one of them.
I'm sympathetic that, for some, quitting cigarettes can be difficult. I always keep my eyes peeled for helpful advice that I can share with my friends and family members who smoke. Recently, I stumbled upon an interesting study.
In a study published in Lancet, British researchers found that smokers intent on quitting responded well to supportive text messages sent by researchers. These text messages encouraged smokers to quit and assuaged guilt caused by temporary relapse. Among smokers who received supportive text messages, 10.7 percent quit compared with 4.9 percent of smokers who didn't receive such supportive texts.
Although 10.7 percent may sound insignificant, we must remember that the chances of anybody quitting over a limited time period is small. In reality, an intervention, like texting, which doubles the rates of abstinence from smoking is pretty impressive.
So maybe sending your friend, who is trying to quit smoking, a supportive text message or two may be a nice (and even helpful) gesture. Something to keep in mind ...
