U can quit 2day! Study shows text messages help smokers quit
(CBS) Can text messages help smokers quit?
The British researchers behind the aptly named "txt2stop" study think so. They believe their motivational texting program could benefit the two out of three smokers who say they want to quit.
"This research has shown that texting could be a powerful tool to help people to walk away from cigarettes for good." Professor Max Parmer, director of the Medical Research Council said in a written statement.
For the study - published in the June 29 issue of The Lancet - researchers split 5,800 British smokers into groups. One group received motivational text messages, the other generic texts.
People in the txt2stop group received five text messages a day for five weeks, then cut down to three messages a week for the remainder of the 26-week study. They were also allowed to send texts to receive a motivational message like "Cravings last less than 5 minutes on average. To help distract yourself, try sipping a drink slowly until the craving is over."
What happened? At the end of the experiment, 10.7 percent of the people who got motivational messages quit smoking - doubling the percentage of quitters in the other group.
"Text messages are a very convenient way for smokers to receive support to quit," Dr. Caroline Free, professor of TK at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in the statement. "People described txt2stop as being like having a 'friend' encouraging them or an 'angel on their shoulder.'"
Nicotine dependence is the most common form of chemical addiction in the U.S. Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and weight gain. But those who quit lower their risk for cancer and heart disease within one to two years of stopping smoking.