The largest head-to-head comparison of stop smoking methods involved:

• 71,806 smokers in
• 633 stop smoking studies and
• compared 15 different methods
• in order to rank effectiveness
• based on successfully quitting smoking

Results of quit smoking research:

Heart attack survivors had the highest quit rate

Although this category technically came in first, no one would ever choose a heart attack in order to quit smoking. This is clearly not a method to choose, but an area for researchers to study.

Surviving a heart attach can be hugely motivational to make important changes in your life. How many second chances do we get? But it is clearly not a realistic choice to quit smoking.

Hypnosis results came in second place

The combined results of 48 hypnosis studies involving 6,020 smokers came in behind heart attack survivors but ahead of every other method tested.

Therefore hypnosis is the best choice based on this scientific evidence.

Hypnosis techniques studied ranged from simple suggestion to a complex sequence of imagery, relaxation and counseling.

Combined methods came in third

Combination methods included cruises, transcendental meditation, hypnosis, breathing therapy, ecercise, fear films, biofeedback, and peer pressure.

The combination group tested if there was a "more is better" effect. The results show that there is no real benefit to combining multiple methods.

Since some in this category included hypnosis, perhaps the hypnosis results pulled the average up, or perhaps some of the other methods pulled the average down.

Bottom line, combining methods does not improve results above what the best method alone offers.

Lung cancer patients came in fourth

Patients with a lung cancer diagnosis were studied to see if they gave up smoking after the news.

The surprising finding here is that there are more successful methods for quitting smoking than a lung cancer diagnosis.

More information on what works, what doesn't, and why

• 1 Survive Heart Attack
• 2 Hypnosis
• 3 Combination
• 4 Lung Cancer Diagnosis
• 5 Smoke Aversion
• 6 Acupuncture
• 7 Group Withdrawal
• 8 Other Aversion
• 9 5-Day Plans
• 10 Educational
• 11 Doctor Intervention
• 12 Medication
• 13 Nicotine Replacement
• 14 Self-Care
• 15 Doctor Advice
• Study Background

Smoking quit tips has the big picture take away from the research

Our stop smoking program has the scientifically proven best choice to quit smoking

The method of quit smoking study has the study background including:

• Citations and links
• Study authors and methods
• Study's reception in the research community
• Criteria for including the 633 separate studies, and more

Nice reasons to stop smoking has the really good news about quitting smoking

Side effects of quit smoking methods lists the shocking side effects by method, straight from the FDA

Ways to quit smoking has the full list of links to 15 methods

Important patch research explains the Journal of the American Medical Association article that concluded the patch and NRT was "No longer effective"

The IRS and quitting smoking shows that the IRS does not like weak methods like drugs and NRT at all