Promote Tobacco Cessation by Providing Quitting Options, Shared Decision-Making, and Peer Support

People who smoke can quit and do quit. Since 2002, there have been more former smokers than current smokers.

Three of five adults who have ever smoked cigarettes have quit.

People are well aware of the consequences of smoking and many of those who do smoke want to quit because of the high risk of serious health problems and smoking-related diseases. However, motivation is not always sufficient.

Treating tobacco and nicotine dependence requires effective and personalized options. In fact, in a study of adults who use tobacco, despite strong motivation to quit, most struggled with dependence, stress, triggers, and lack of readiness, all of which ultimately limited their ability to stay quit. Those in the study said that strategies to reduce stress and triggers would help them prepare to quit. They also emphasized the value for connection during a quit attempt, including support from peers and others who had been through tobacco dependence and cessation.

Other central themes from this study include choice: people struggling with tobacco dependence want to customize their cessation support mechanisms. They also want tobacco dependence to have parity among other substance use disorders and for smoking and tobacco use to be destigmatized. This calls for a need to reframe that tobacco dependence is a chronic health condition, not a behavior.

Our study was conducted for and in partnership with the Vermont Tobacco Control Program. Learn more about the findings and conclusions.