The Problem and Effectiveness of Abrupt Cessation and Gradual Cessation for Smokers Who Want to Quit

Abstract

Smoking has become one of the critical factors endangering human health. Under increasing personal health threats, many smokers have tried to escape from this habit. For those who want to quit smoking completely, whether adopt abrupt cessation or gradual cessation has been a controversial topic for many years. Abrupt cessation refers to quit smoking abruptly, without any nicotine intaking in the cessation period. Gradual cessation refers to quit smoking gradually, lowering the nicotine intake through the cessation period. So far, in this field, many researchers have stood with the opinion supporting the abrupt cessation, saying that abrupt cessation is effective in reducing smoking behavior and the chance of relapse. This article reviews the existing papers, aiming to evaluate the supporting information on abrupt cessation and gradual cessation, and give out an overview of existing controversy. The result suggests that the effectiveness of abrupt cessation cannot be neglected. However, through the consideration of smokers' preferences, the severity of being addicted, and drug intervention, gradual cessation may play a more critical role.