Quitting Smoking
Quitting at any age helps, and the benefits start within days. Most people need a few goes, so a slip is practice, not failure. Support plus medicine gives you the best odds.
Quick answer: The best way to quit smoking is support plus medicine. Varenicline is the most effective single medicine, cytisine works about as well, and combining a nicotine patch with gum or lozenges beats one type alone. Free Quitline coaching (13 7848 in Australia) adds to your chances. Most people need a few goes, so a slip is practice, not failure.
The quit-smoking ladder
More toolkit than ladder: support plus a medicine beats willpower alone, and many people combine steps. Pick a quit date and line up your help first.
- Step 1 · Self-careQuitline and quit appsFree coaching and a quit plan: call 13 7848 (13 QUIT), or use the iCanQuit website or My QuitBuddy app.
- Works
- Phone coaching lifts quit rates by about 25–40%; apps less certain. Best alongside a medicine
- Cost
- Free
- How long
- A few calls over several weeks, with call-backs
- Watch for
- Nothing, except a coach who actually rings you back
Willpower alone is the hardest way to quit. Bring backup.
- Step 2 · PharmacyCombination nicotine replacementA daily patch plus a fast-acting gum, lozenge, spray or inhalator for cravings.
- Works
- Close to doubles your chances of quitting; two types beat one by about 25%
- Cost
- Patches $25 a month on a PBS script ($7.70 concession), or about $40–70 over the counter. Gum or lozenges about $25–50 a pack
- How long
- 8–12 weeks, then taper down
- Watch for
- Skin irritation under the patch, vivid dreams (take it off at night), hiccups or a sore jaw from gum
Underdosing is the classic mistake. Heavy smokers often need more nicotine replacement, not less.
- Step 3 · PharmacyCytisineA plant-based tablet that works like varenicline. Pharmacist-only, for adults 18 to 65.
- Works
- Roughly doubles your chances of quitting; about as well as varenicline in trials
- Cost
- About $85–100 for a 25-day course
- How long
- 25 days, starting 5 days before your quit date
- Watch for
- Nausea, dry mouth, trouble sleeping and odd dreams
Plant-based doesn’t mean side-effect free, but it’s a solid option.
- Step 4 · PrescriptionVareniclineThe most effective single medicine. Eases cravings and makes cigarettes less satisfying.
- Works
- More than doubles your chances of quitting (about 2.3 times) compared with no medicine
- Cost
- $25 per script on the PBS ($7.70 concession)
- How long
- Start 1–2 weeks before your quit date; take for about 12 weeks
- Watch for
- Nausea (take with food and water), vivid dreams, trouble sleeping. Rarely, mood changes
Cigarettes start tasting like disappointment. That’s the point.
- Step 5 · PrescriptionBupropionA tablet that eases withdrawal and cravings. An option if varenicline doesn’t suit.
- Works
- Lifts quit chances by about 60%; about as well as nicotine patches
- Cost
- $25 per script on the PBS ($7.70 concession)
- How long
- Start 1–2 weeks before your quit date; take for 7–9 weeks
- Watch for
- Trouble sleeping, dry mouth. Not if you have seizures or an eating disorder
Not a first pick for most, but a useful spare key.
- Step 6 · PharmacyNicotine vapes, as a quit toolA second-line option if other steps haven’t worked. Pharmacy-only: most adults can buy them after a chat with the pharmacist, but some states (including WA) still need a prescription, and under 18s always do. None are TGA-approved.
- Works
- About 1.6 times the quit rate of nicotine replacement in trials (about 4 more quitters per 100)
- Cost
- Prices vary between pharmacies; usually less than smoking
- How long
- Short term, with a plan to stop vaping too
- Watch for
- Long-term safety unknown. Throat irritation, cough. Avoid illegal vapes with undeclared nicotine and chemicals
A stepping stone, not a new home.
Save your money
Popular, heavily marketed or often asked about, but the evidence is weak or says no.
- HypnotherapyReviews can’t show it beats other quit support, and sessions aren’t cheap. Your subconscious will want a receipt.
- Acupuncture and laser therapyNo consistent evidence they help people stay quit. Lots of needles, not much point.
- ‘Light’ or ‘mild’ cigarettesNo safer: people just inhale harder. Marketing, not medicine.
- Heated tobacco productsStill tobacco, and no good evidence they help you quit. A rebrand, not a ladder rung.
- Just cutting downSmoking fewer gives little health gain unless it leads to stopping, as people tend to smoke each one harder. Use it as a step to a quit date, not a destination.
What you can do
- Set a quit date and stop completely on that day.
- Know your triggers (coffee, alcohol, stress, after meals) and plan a swap for each.
- Cravings pass in a few minutes: delay, drink water, move.
- Withdrawal (irritability, poor sleep, hunger) peaks in the first few days and usually settles within 2 to 4 weeks.
- A pack a day costs over $15,000 a year. Put the savings somewhere you can watch them grow.
See your GP if
- You want a prescription medicine or help choosing one
- You are pregnant, under 18, or have heart or mental health conditions
- You take clozapine, warfarin or insulin, as doses may need changing when you stop smoking
Stop the medicine and see a doctor promptly if you notice major changes in mood or behaviour while taking varenicline, cytisine or bupropion. For thoughts of self-harm, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000.
Support lines
If you or someone else is in danger right now, call your emergency number. To talk to someone, any time:
- Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7, or text 0477 13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467, Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636, 13YARN 13 92 76 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Emergency: 000.
- Young people in Australia: Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (24/7, ages 5 to 25) or headspace (ages 12 to 25).
- New Zealand: call or text 1737. Emergency: 111.
- UK and Ireland: Samaritans 116 123. Emergency: 999 (or 112).
- US and Canada: call or text 988. Emergency: 911.
- Anywhere else: findahelpline.com lists free helplines in more than 100 countries.
Common questions
What is the most effective way to quit smoking?
Support plus medicine gives the best chance. Varenicline is the most effective single medicine, cytisine works about as well, and combination nicotine replacement beats one type alone. Quitline (13 7848) offers free coaching.
How long do nicotine withdrawal symptoms last?
Irritability, poor sleep and hunger peak in the first few days and usually settle within 2 to 4 weeks. Individual cravings pass in a few minutes.
Can vapes help you quit smoking?
Nicotine vapes helped more people quit than nicotine replacement in trials, but long-term safety is unknown and none are TGA-approved. In Australia they are sold only through pharmacies, and some states still need a prescription. Avoid illegal vapes, and plan to stop vaping too.
What is cytisine?
A plant-based tablet that works like varenicline, taken as a 25-day course. It is a pharmacist-only medicine for adults aged 18 to 65.
What happens to your body when you quit smoking?
Within a day, carbon monoxide levels drop and oxygen levels rise. Within weeks to months, breathing and circulation improve. After a year, the extra risk of heart disease is about halved, and after 10 to 15 years lung cancer risk is roughly halved.
Will I gain weight when I quit smoking?
Many people do, about 4 to 5 kg on average in the first year, but the health benefits of quitting far outweigh it. Quit medicines can reduce weight gain early on, and regular activity and planned snacks help.
Is cutting down as good as quitting?
No. Even smoking 1 cigarette a day carries about half the extra heart disease risk of smoking 20 a day. Cutting down can be a step towards quitting, but stopping completely gives the real benefit.
Helpful resources
- Quitline 13 7848Free, confidential phone coaching to build a quit plan and handle cravings. Australia.
- iCanQuitFree online quit plan, tips and community from Cancer Institute NSW. Works for smoking and vaping.
- My QuitBuddy appFree government app for cravings, progress and money saved. Australia.
Evidence and more information
- Healthdirect: Medicines to treat nicotine dependence
- Australian Government: Vaping rules from October 2024
- RACGP: Supporting smoking cessation
- Cochrane: Medicines to help people stop smoking
- Cochrane: Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
- Cochrane: Telephone counselling for smoking cessation
- NIHR: Combination nicotine replacement beats one type
- Cochrane: Antidepressants (bupropion) for smoking cessation
- AFP summary of Cochrane: Varenicline and cytisine
maladywise.com/quit-smoking/