Don’t plan it, just quit smoking

If you really want to give up smoking, then do it.

Research by British scientists shows that smokers who decide to quit immediately, without making plans about how or when, are more likely to succeed.

“Contrary to what experts had previously believed, the idea that you have to plan your quit attempts ahead of time isn’t necessarily true,” said Robert West, a professor of psychology at University College London.

West and his colleague Taj Sohal questioned 1,900 current and ex-smokers in England about their efforts to kick the habit. They discovered that nearly half of all attempts to quit were spontaneous.

Smokers who decided and stopped immediately were also 50% to 60% more likely to succeed.

West, who reported the research in the Jan. 27 issue of the British Medical Journal, said the findings do not imply that planned attempts are counterproductive. But the results suggest the state of mind and motivation of the smoker are important.