Triple your chances of successfully stopping smoking

March 19, 2016

How to Stop Smoking

The GoSmokeFree smoking cessation service is aimed at smokers who really want to give up and are looking for the best way to quit smoking. The GoSmokeFree stop smoking programme uses a proven formula of motivational interviewing, behavioural change techniques, stop smoking products and one-on-one support with a trained healthcare professional.

Effects of Smoking

With seven million smokers in South Africa and over a billion worldwide, tobacco use has become one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Documented smoking facts show that tobacco use kills half of its regular users. At the first Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control held in Geneva in 2006, it was stated that tobacco is the only consumer product that kills when used exactly as intended by its manufacturer.

Quitting Smoking

The good news is that over 70% of smokers would like to give up smoking and the health benefits of quitting smoking are almost immediate.

One premature death would have been avoided with every two smokers that stop smoking. The challenge is that there is no easy way to stop smoking and most smokers who attempt to quit smoking will fail (only 2-3% of quit attempts are successful each year). Smoking is a complex combination of behaviours driven by social and psychological factors as well as a drug addiction. Nicotine is the dependence-forming drug in tobacco and is well known to be one of the most challenging addictions to overcome. All of these factors mean that most smokers who wish to stop smoking will require some form of intervention in order to successfully quit.

The Cochrane Review

Smokers need help but what is the best way to stop smoking?
Evidence from a Cochrane Review shows that stop smoking programmes, such as GoSmokeFree, can more than triple the quit attempt success rate when compared to trying to quit smoking “cold turkey”.

What is a Cochrane Review?

Cochrane Reviews are systematic reviews of primary research in human health care and health policy, and are internationally recognised as the highest standard in evidence-based health care. They investigate the effects of interventions for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

The Cochrane Review on the effectiveness of smoking cessation medicines and support options on quit smoking rates found that the most effective stop smoking intervention includes behavioural support and pharmacotherapy. This combination increases an individual’s chances of a successful stop smoking attempt by 70 to 100% compared to their chance if they just received brief advice or support.

Four week quit rates sourced from the Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

4-week quit rates with:	No medication	Mono NRT	Combination NRT	Bupropion	Varenicline
No support	16%	25%	36%	28%	37%
Individual behavioural support	22%	37%	50%	39%	52%
Group behavioural support	32%	50%	71%	55%	74%

(NRT = Nicotine Replacement Therapy)

GoSmokeFree: the proven way to Stop Smoking

GoSmokeFree, the HealthCraft stop smoking programme, uses a combination of behavioural change support and pharmacotherapy (stop smoking products).

Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do for your health. Maximise your chance of successfully stopping smoking – contact us on to find out how to stop smoking.