Among the methods being used to assist smokers to quit are mobile apps and traditional Chinese medicine. (Photo: GT/Li Hao)
A study carried out by researchers from the University of Auckland's School of Population Health in 2005 found that the use of mobile text-messaging apps to help smokers quit to be somewhat effective.
The study randomly divided 1,705 smokers in New Zealand who wanted to quit into two groups. One group received regular, personalized text messages of encouragement, advice or distraction, and the other did not. After six weeks, 28 percent of the first group had quit smoking, compared to 13 percent from the second group.
New technologies
While the said apps rely on self-monitoring and honesty, Yuan Fang, a 27-year-old housewife in Beijing who has caught her husband secretly smoking on numerous occasions after pledging to quit, said she wished there was a device that would set off an alarm every time the user tried to smoke again, like the one in the film My Fair Gentlemen (2009).
"[The main character in the film] is forced to quit smoking and has to wear a smoking alarm on his wrist," said Yuan. "Whenever he secretly smokes, the alarm is triggered. I wish there was something like this for my husband!"
While such a contraption does not exist, Chrono Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company based in the US, is developing a wearable electronic device called SmartStop that takes the burden of quitting smoking off the smoker.
According to the company's official website, the device, a strap that can be worn on the wrist, torso or arm, automatically dispenses nicotine through the user's skin to reduce the craving for a cigarette. It can be programmed to deliver nicotine at periods of peak craving throughout the day, such as in the morning when the user wakes up and after mealtimes.
Users can also link the device to their smartphones, where an app designed by the company provides "digital coaching" and "real-time guidance" to help the user quit.
Unorthodox solutions
An Junming, a doctor at the Xi'an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, said that acupuncture and moxibustion can also be used to help smokers kick the habit. "It can reduce people's craving for cigarettes, thus freeing them from their addiction to nicotine."
An said acupuncture and moxibustion also help reduce the effect of withdrawal symptoms, such as fidgetiness and headaches. Besides acupuncture and moxibustion, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions could also be used to help quit smoking. He advised smokers to go to a qualified practitioner of TCM for a consultation.
Shi Jie, a Beijing-based nutritionist, suggested that eating particular foods could also help diminish the craving for cigarettes. "When you have a craving, you can try eating sliced white radish that has been soaked in white sugar. It is a healthy and natural smoking deterrent."
In Song's opinion, the most essential ingredient to successfully quitting smoking is perseverance. He said he had not smoked for eight days, and that the most difficult period was behind him.
"People say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and I think this also applies with quitting smoking, so I am going to hold out," said Song. "The apps and other smoking deterrents are useful, but the most effective technique is simply one's will power and determination."
