+Numbers | January 23, 2012

14%

Percent of lung cancer patients who continued to smoke cigarettes five months after diagnosis, according to a study in Cancer. The same was true of 9% of colorectal cancer patients. Most people who can’t quit are hard-core, high-volume smokers. They struggle to kick the habit, but often face barriers like depression and social stigma. “There [...]

+Photos Tobacco | January 3, 2011

5 Tips for Kicking Bad Habits

By Maia Szalavitz
Peter Dazeley / Getty Images

So you’ve made the decision to quit. Congratulations! Now you’ll need a few tried-and-true ways to change your bad habit — whether it’s problem drinking, eating or smoking — and stick with it.

+Photos Addiction | January 3, 2011

Bonus: 4 Tips for Staying on the Wagon

By Maia Szalavitz
Getty Images

Quitting isn’t easy, but buck up: staying on the wagon gets a lot more manageable over time. Here are some proven pieces of advice to help you stay the course.

+Tobacco | October 26, 2010

Anxiety Keeps Some Smokers from Quitting

By Jeffrey Kluger
83820145

Breaking news! Nervous people smoke more than other people. More breaking news: they also find it harder to quit. Those may not be the kinds of insights that get the attention of the Nobel committee, but a new study in the journal Addiction shows how even so straightforward an idea may yield lifesaving benefits.

+Tobacco | November 3, 2009

Lozenge/Patch Combo Best for Kicking Butts

By Maia Szalavitz

Smokers are more than twice as likely to quit if they use the nicotine patch along with nicotine lozenges—compared to lozenges or patches alone, buproprion (Xyban), buproprion plus the lozenges or placebo.  The trial was the largest study ever to compare these approaches head to head, and included 1,504 smokers. All of the treatment groups [...]