Even those who do manage to give up may have tried many times before they finally succeed. The urge to smoke can last for years, and many ex-smokers find it very easy to start smoking again. But for smokers who do give up, the chances of getting a serious or fatal disease are greatly reduced 33 . We want to help them in the most effective way we can. 4.2 Research has been done on how best to help people give up smoking.
Research shows that there is a range of cheap and effective ways of helping people to quit.
Not surprisingly, when a doctor talks to a smoker about the benefits of giving up, it can be a powerful motivator 34 . At the other end of the scale, a full course of specialist counselling combined with nicotine replacement therapy can lead up to 25 per cent of smokers to give up 35 . Although such methods may not work for everyone, they can significantly increase the chances of giving up successfully. The research also shows that, whatever kind of support is given by doctors and experts, nicotine replacement therapy doubles the chances of quitting successfully 34 . We know that many smokers do not want to quit, and that is their choice.