Quit Smoking with Online Support

Quitting smoking is more than overcoming a physical addiction—it's a psychological addiction and stopping smoking is a profound lifestyle change as well.

Have you tried quitting smoking without telling anyone? You quietly stop, but when a stressful situation or cravings overwhelm you, you're back smoking again. That's okay. No one knows you tried to quit and failed. While stopping without support works for a lucky few, most of us could benefit from the support of the dozens of online resources available to smoking cessation.^1-3

Getting support

How about trying a different way to quit, this time using the internet to support your goal, and garnering the support of family, friends and even people you don't know? You could announce your resolve on Facebook and join a support group through it. You can join an online smoking cessation support group like the American Lung Association's "Quit Now; Freedom from Smoking Group (https://www.inspire.com/groups/freedom-from-smoking/) or becomeanex (https://www.becomeanex.org/) through the Truth Initiative and Mayo Clinic. If you tweet, consider Tweet2Quit (https://tweet2quit.merage.uci.edu/) through the University of California Irvine, or use the Center for Disease Prevention and Control platform, @CDCTobaccoFree. Social media announcements could help you be more accountable and encourage others, too.

Research shows receiving support from social networks is more effective than using traditional quit-smoking methods alone. Smokers who were trying to kick the habit were more than twice as likely (32%) to successfully quit when using an app or online tool compared to those who used a hotline service (14%).^1,2 A quick internet search will give you plenty of ways to find social support, including apps, text messaging support, blogs and websites, to help you start, one step at a time. Hearing about others' experiences can help you feel that you are not alone.

Coaches are here for you, too. Walgreens Pharmacy Chat and the quit line at Smokefree.gov can offer support. These services can answer questions or provide counseling to help you accomplish your tobacco-free goal. Remember, you are not alone. Together, with a strong social network, you can be smoke-free.

If you or someone you care about wants to quit smoking, health care providers at the In-Store Clinics and MDLive are on hand to support you in your plans to be tobacco-free from cigarettes or other forms of tobacco. There are additional educational materials available in the Walgreens Answer Centers on walgreens.com to support you as well.

Updated on August 12, 2019

Sources:

1. Naslund, J. A., Kim, S. J., Aschbrenner, K. A., McCulloch, L. J., Brunette, M. F., Dallery, J., ... Marsch, L. A. (2017). Systematic review of social media interventions for smoking cessation. Addictive behaviors, 73, 81–93. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.05.002

2. Baskerville NB, Azagba S, Norman C, et al. Effect of a Digital Social Media Campaign on Young Adult Smoking Cessation. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. Published online June 4 2015. https://www.icanquit.com.au/reasons-to-quit/smoking-and-your-family/to-tell-or-not-to-tell Retrieved 7/16/2019.

3. Cancer Institute NSW. Reasons to tell. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/index.htm?s_cid=osh-stu-home-spotlight-001

University of California, Irvine, The Paul Merage School of Business. "Study finds cessation program delivered on Twitter to be twice as effective as other methods for helping smokers quit." ScienceDaily, 29 March 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160329113432.htm>

Krittanawong, C., & Wang, Z. (2017). Mining twitter to understand the smoking cessation barriers. World journal of cardiology, 9(10), 794-795. doi:10.4330/wjc.v9.i10.794