Volunteers who used this approach were 25% more likely to remain abstinent half a year from the date that they give up than smokers who tried to gradually wean themselves off instead.

Make a promise, set a date and stick to it, it advises.And sticking to the "not a drag" rule can really help too.  The NHS says that picking a convenient date to quit is important.

"Whenever you find yourself in difficulty say to yourself, 'I will not have even a single drag' and stick with this until the cravings pass," the service says.

After six months, 15.5% of the participants in the gradual-cessation group were abstinent compared with 22% in the abrupt-cessation group.

Lead researcher Dr Nicola Lindson-Hawley, from Oxford University, said: "The difference in quit attempts seemed to arise because people struggled to cut down."

Even though more people in the study said they preferred the idea of quitting gradually than abruptly, individuals were still more likely to stop for good in the abrupt group.

Dr Lindson-Hawley said that it was still better to cut down on cigarettes than do nothing at all.

All of the people in her study were also offered advice and support and access to nicotine patches and replacement therapy, These services are available for free on the NHS.

Original News Link : http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35803521