Nicotine replacement therapy versus gradual smoking withdrawal in smoking cessation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The aim was to study the effectiveness of the gradual nicotine withdrawal without nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a method of smoking cessation during a three years follow-up period in the cognitive-behavioural context in the clinical work of the Clinic Hospital Unit. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Two groups of patients with similar sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and the same degree of nicotine dependence according to the Fagestrom test were compared. We included 111 patients treated for smoking cessation in the Unit Hospital: 84 patients, under the cognitive-behavioural model, were treated with NRT and 27 patients, under the same model, were treated only with gradual nicotine withdrawal without NRT. RESULTS: There was not a significant difference between the effectiveness of the NRT (65.3%) and that of the gradual nicotine withdrawal without the NRT (51.8%) on smoking cessation (chi(2) = 1.612; p = 0.204) at the first year or during a 3 years follow-up period (NRT: 41% and gradual nicotine withdrawal: 36%; chi(2): 0.124; p = 0.725). CONCLUSIONS: The gradual nicotine withdrawal without NRT scheme shows the same degree of effectiveness at the first year and during a three years follow-up period as that of the nicotine replacement therapy scheme on smoking cessation.