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Half of smokers fail to quit habit alone, poll finds
Updated: 2010-06-01 13:10
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About half of smokers said they have tried kicking the habit once without help from professional treatments but failed, an online survey showed.
The survey, jointly conducted by the media center of the Ministry of Health and the Life Times newspaper ahead of World No Tobacco Day, which fell on Monday, polled 15,559 Internet users in the country.
One-fifth of those polled said taking medication was necessary to help quit smoking, but only 5 percent of them used such drugs. Forty-nine percent tried unsuccessfully to quit smoking on their own, the survey showed.
"I'm trying to quit smoking for the second time," said 43-year-old Sun Jianjun, who had just been prescribed with three months' worth of pills used to treat nicotine addicts.
"The last time I tried, I had headaches every day after lunch and I managed to live without cigarettes for only 40 days," Sun said.
"Then I lit a cigarette. The first puff made my whole body tingle and I smoked more."
On Sunday, Sun went to the hospital because his sore throat was worsening. He wanted to quit smoking completely, so he turned to medication and doctors.
Zuo Fang, a doctor at a tobacco cessation clinic, said that the correct way of giving up smoking should include psychological counseling, medication and a change in behavior.
Those used to smoking after dinner can take a walk outdoors and avoid thinking about lighting up.
"Without combining the three aspects, the success rate is only 2 to 3 percent. But scientific methods can increase the rate up 30 to 40 percent, " Zuo said.
In the survey, 34.5 percent of those polled cited the "pain" as a major reason they could not give up smoking. Forty-one percent said the social environment hindered their efforts to quit smoking.
He Yao, director of the Institute of Geriatrics of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, said nearly 67 percent of Chinese men smoke and 70 percent of these do not want to stop the habit.
In the survey, 60 percent of the respondents said quitting smoking is a responsible move for both themselves and others. Ten percent of those polled said it is becoming fashionable to give up cigarettes.
Still, the high cost of drugs that help smokers give up their habit could be another barrier to anti-smoking efforts.
A three-month dosage of the most expensive medication for treating nicotine addiction costs 2,000 yuan ($294), He said.
Questions:
1. What is the correct way to quit smoking?
2. What is the success rate?
3. How much do tobacco cessation drugs cost?
Answers:
1. The correct way of giving up smoking should include psychological counseling, medication and a change in behavior.
2. Without combining the three aspects, the success rate is only 2 to 3 percent. But scientific methods can increase the rate up 30 to 40 percent.
3. A three-month dosage of the most expensive medication for treating nicotine addiction costs 2,000 yuan ($294).
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.