Scientists have figured out the best way to stop smoking.

Action against smoking in Warsaw, Poland / ITAR-TASS / EPA / JAKUB KAMINSKI

Researchers from the University of Oxford , according to the results of their experiment with smokers who are trying to quit a bad habit, have established: those who quit smoking sharply and immediately achieve the best results, rather than stretching the process, trying to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked.

The experiment involved 697 people. To combat smoking, they could use psychological counseling, medications, nicotine replacement therapy (patches, chewing gum, etc.). Half of the subjects quit smoking sharply, the second tried to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day. To test the results, in addition to the interviews, scientists measured the level of CO in the air exhaled by smokers.

After four weeks, half of those who abruptly quit smoking showed positive results. Only 39% of gradual throwers succeeded. As a result, it turned out that the probability of successfully quitting smoking increases by 25% in case of an abrupt quit.
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According to the study's lead, Nicola Lindson-Howley, gradually quitting people is hampered by the fact that they have to take care of counting the number of cigarettes, which adds trouble to the process of getting rid of a bad habit.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annually, 480,000 people die from smoking in the United States, accounting for almost 20% of all deaths. At the same time, almost 17% of the adult population of the country smokes. In Russia, this figure is much higher, and is approaching 34%. At the same time, every fifth smoker smokes at least packs a day. However, according to the Ministry of Health , after the adoption of the anti-tobacco law, the number of Russian smokers decreased by 17%.