smoking is very much a social and shared activity

We have spoken about the effect that peer pressure can have when it comes to quitting smoking and a new study which was spotted in the New England Journal of Medicine confirms how effective a little bit of help from family and friends can be in achieving the goal of giving up the habit completely.

The researchers looked at the smoking patterns and habits of around 12,000 individuals of different ages in the state of Massachusetts in America. They clearly saw that social interaction and networks had a big effect on the ability of the smokers to quit since half of all failed attempts occurred with men and women who lived, socialised or worked with other people who smoked.

The researchers came from the prestigious Harvard Medical School and the University of California based in San Diego and they noted that smoking is very much a social and shared activity and therefore people tended to quit together as well as smoke together.

Ukmedix News has spoken to reformed smokers who say that one of the toughest hurdles they face is going out and socialising with friends who smoke. It is at this stage that they are at their weakest especially after a few drinks. They say that they wish their friends would also quit making it easier on them and beg them to be considerate by not smoking too close to them.

At Ukmedix News we say that you should get “no smoking buddies” who will quit on the same day as you and with whom you can share notes and achieve targets together. People who get a no smoking buddy say that they have a responsibility to their friend to stay off the cigarettes and that they have somebody to talk about the withdrawal symptoms with.