There is no "right way," nor are there any hard and fast rules for quitting. However you decide to quit is up to you. You have plenty of options: quit "cold turkey," chew nicotine gum, use the patch, get medication or get counseling.

An estimated 70 percent of smokers want to quit, but only 1.2 million per year succeed in quitting smoking for good, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research has shown, though, that using some form of nicotine replacement or participating in formal smoking cessation counseling can improve your chances of quitting and avoiding relapse.

"In general, you can double your chance of success with nicotine replacement therapy and roughly the same is true for behavioral treatment," says Saul Shiffman, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the Smoking Research Group at the University of Pittsburgh.

"Cold turkey" versus "taper and fade"

Nevertheless, choosing a quitting method still boils down to "smoker preference," Shiffman says. The more comfortable you are with the method you pick, the better the chances you will stick with it.

Most smokers try to quit by going "cold turkey", traditionally defined as quitting abruptly, versus the gradual "taper and fade" system, which some smokers choose so they can ease themselves into quitting.

"The very prospect of giving up cigarettes all at once is so daunting. Some people need to take one step at a time," Shiffman says.

The danger of gradual reduction methods, Shiffman says, is that you need a time frame to quit - a quit date. "If you give yourself an infinite amount of time, then it will take that long," he says. "If people can set some goals, they can do it at their own pace. For some people that may be a week, two weeks, four weeks, eight weeks."

Cold turkey also has come to mean quitting on your own, without help, according to Shiffman, who says he avoids the term because of its ambiguity.

"Most people quit on their own without assistance," he says. That is, they do it without the help of any pharmacologic treatment, such as nicotine gum or formal smoking cessation program.

Quitting cold turkey, in the sense of toughing it out alone, has a higher failure rate than other methods.

Nicotine patch versus nicotine-free pill

Shiffman says there are now more pharmacologic options that ever before - the nicotine patch, gum, inhaler and nasal spray; and non-nicotine treatment (bupropion)- to help people quit.

The medications are meant for abrupt quitting, Shiffman says, although that doesn't preclude smokers from using them while gradually quitting.

What works best again leads back to smoker preference. However, the CDC found that 48 percent of smokers preferred the nicotine patch; 28 percent used nicotine gum, 21 percent used the non-nicotine treatment buproprion, which is actually an antidepressant marketed for smoking cessation as Zyban®. Less than three percent used a nicotine inhaler or spray.

Each of the nicotine substitutes treat the difficult withdrawal symptoms and cravings that 70 percent to 90 percent of smokers say is their only reason for not giving up cigarettes, according to the American Cancer Society.

Varenicline (Chantix®), recently approved by the FDA, reduces the severity of nicotine cravings and the intensity of withdrawal symptoms. Varenicline is normally taken for 12 weeks. Patients who quit during that time can continue therapy for an additional 12 weeks to increase their chances of remaining tobacco-free.

Nicotine replacement therapy is recommended in the U.S. Agency on Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) smoking cessation guidelines for all smokers, except pregnant women and people with heart or circulatory diseases.

Would a smoking cessation program help?

Stop smoking programs are designed to help smokers cope with problems that arise during quitting and to provide support and encouragement to prevent relapse. According to the AHCPR, counseling programs should consist of four or more sessions, 20 to 30 minutes in length, delivered over at least two weeks but preferably for eight weeks.

Generally, "the longer the treatment plan, the better the chances of success," Shiffman says.

Shiffman says some smokers find combining nicotine replacement therapy and counseling is helpful.

Again, he adds the caveat that much depends on a smoker's preference and the nature of the person's addictive habit. There are a number of variables that may affect the success of your attempt to quit smoking, Shiffman notes. "What are your chances to begin with? How hooked are you? How hard are you trying to quit? Does your spouse smoke? Do you drink? Are you depressed?" These can all be factors.

Whatever method you choose, here are some tips from the American Cancer Society to help you prepare for your Quit Date:

• Pick the date and mark it on your calendar.

• Tell friends and family of your quit day.

• Stock up on sugarless gum, cinnamon sticks, carrot sticks and hard candy.

• Decide on a plan. Will you use nicotine replacement therapy? Will you attend a smoking cessation class? If so, sign up now.

• Practice saying, "No thank you, I don't smoke."

• Set up a support system. This could be a group class, Nicotine Anonymous or a friend who has successfully quit and is willing to help you.

Related Articles What's in Your Cigarette? How Women Can Stop Smoking The Dangers of Secondhand Smoking

External Sources American Cancer Society The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.