Next year, a nicotine inhaler will be available. Yet there has been no consensus on the importance of medication in cessation treatment. Some specialists considered it unnecessary or a crutch for the unmotivated. Earlier this year, an expert panel sponsored by the federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research reviewed all available cessation research and issued recommendations saying that antismoking medication should be a standard part of cessation treatment because it increases the chance of success. The panel said counseling should also be part of cessation treatment.
Studies show the more counseling, the better.
Formal stop-smoking programs such as those offered by hospitals or nonprofit organizations boast that 20 percent to 40 percent of clients succeed in quitting. But studies also show that even brief counseling helps. Pick a quit date. Cut down beforehand. Enlist family and friends for support.