Want to quit smoking? Don’t switch to low-tar

It’s amazing the ways in which we sabotage our best intentions. How many bursts of enthusiasm have been lost with the thought "but I’ll just do this first"? If you’ve tried to start an exercise routine, you’ll know how it goes. I’ll start jogging, but I need to buy new running shoes first. I’ll go to the gym, just as soon as I get these chores finished.

Some smokers think that a great first step to quitting smoking is to switch to a lower tar brand first. After all, that means less addictive nicotine, fewer harmful substances, and shows they’re serious about change, right?

Wrong. Studies show that smokers draw more deeply on lower tar cigarettes, so they inhale about the same amount of harmful substances as smokers of higher tar brands. Not only that, but smokers who switch to a lower tar brand are much less successful when they try to quit altogether.

A recent study looked at the smoking behavior of more than 30,000 Americans. The study found that smokers who switched to lower tar brands were more likely to attempt to quit, but less likely to succeed. Only 9 in 100 people managed to quit after switching brands, compared to 17 in 100 who quit without switching first.

The researchers can’t be sure why this is the case, but they found that it was particularly true for people who said they switched in order to quit later. Maybe the effort they put into switching meant they had little enthusiasm left for the quit attempt. Or maybe they wrongly felt it was less important to quit, once they were smoking lower tar cigarettes.

What you need to know. If you want to quit smoking, put all your energies into stopping smoking altogether. Switching brand won’t help, and may just be a delaying tactic. There are lots of ways to make quitting easier. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor about which smoking cessation aids might work best for you.

—Anna Sayburn, patient editor, BMJ Group

ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.

Nicotine is just as addictive as heroine, cocaine, or alcohol. Read more things you should know about nicotine addiction, see how quitting can save you money, and take a look at our comparison of 10 drug and non-drug treatments to help you quit smoking (subscribers only).

Comments

[medalert]

it was hard for smokers to quit smoking. maybe this could be done. but usually a smoker will quit smoking when they're getting the impact of these cigarettes. like me, I quit smoking because of the diagnosis the doctor said I suffered from hypertension and lead to a stroke in the direction of my young age. so before worst, stop smoking now.