Almost a third of the population. In France, more than three out of 10 people between the ages of 18 and 75 say they smoke, according to data published this Wednesday by Public Health France (SPF). After a “decline in smoking on an unprecedented scale in France between 2016 and 2019”, the number of smokers remains stagnant in 2022, according to SPF. This public establishment under the Ministry of Health explains it by the “impact of the health, social and economic crisis” linked to Covid-19.
But smoking is still just as dangerous: SPF recalls on its site that one in three cancers is related to smoking, and that “smoking is one of the main risk factors for myocardial infarction.”
Quitting smoking is therefore more than recommended, but nicotine addiction can complicate this process. Some methods to quit smoking have been shown to be effective. BFMTV.com takes stock of what works and what doesn’t work for quitting smoking.
• Nicotine substitutes
The High Authority for Health (HAS), an independent public authority, recommends “first line” nicotine substitutes for dependent people. They come in the form of patches, sprays, pills…
“What works is that you don’t lack nicotine,” general practitioner and addictologist Marion Adler explained to BFMTV on Wednesday.
These substitutes “increase your chances of quitting for at least 6 months by 50 to 60%,” says the tobacco information services site. They are reimbursed at 65% by the National Health Insurance and can be prescribed by many health professionals, including doctors, midwives and dentists.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapies
Among the methods that have proven effective, the HAS also cites self-help tools, such as applications that allow you to see the duration of unemployment and the money saved, or the motivational interview led by a health professional that “intends to create and then sustain the motivation for change.
The HAS also mentions cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). The TCC “does not look for the origin of the problems but aims to treat the visible manifestations”, defines the Health Insurance on its site. It is a “brief therapy that aims to replace negative ideas and inappropriate behaviors with thoughts and reactions consistent with reality”, according to the practical guide of a system of access to psychological care of events of May 2021.
“The objective is to help the person to acquire a better adaptation in daily life and quickly make their symptoms disappear,” the document adds.
• Electronic cigarette
What about the electronic cigarette, often presented as a way to quit smoking? The Haute Autorité de Santé judges that “at present, it is not possible to recommend electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation due to the lack of data on their long-term efficacy and safety.”
For tobacco specialist Marion Adler, vaping can help: remember that “in tobacco, the smoke is toxic and the nicotine is addictive.” The electronic cigarette can therefore be “a way of taking nicotine differently”
“The vapoteuse must be used to stop smoking completely. There may be a stage, which is that you are a vape smoker, but you should not hesitate to take nicotine substitutes if you continue to smoke,” said at-.
“It is better to take the vaporizer than the cigarette,” he added, while specifying that he advise getting rid of this object “at some point.”
• Alternative medicine
Some alternative medicine practitioners claim its effectiveness for smoking cessation. The HAS notes that “the benefit of physical activity, acupuncture or hypnotherapy has not been demonstrated” for this purpose, but adds that “these approaches do not present any risk and are not contraindicated.”
The use of lasers to quit smoking is developing, for example, in France. It is based on reflexology, an approach according to which the stimulation of the so-called reflex zones, here the ear, allows general relaxation. However, Caen University Hospital tobacco specialist Marie van der Schueren cautions against laser centers presenting her procedure as a guarantee to quit smoking.
“If there was a method that worked 100%, we would know from the scientific literature,” he told BFMTV. He invites you to use the methods “validated by the High Health Authority” mentioned above.
Therefore, there are many methods to quit smoking, with proven effectiveness for some. To choose, Marion Adler believes that “the best method is the one that will allow you not to suffer when you quit smoking.”
Source: BFM TV
