Reflections on the ex-smoker: some findings on successful quitters

Abstract

Following the lead of Schachter [(1982). Am. Psychol. 37: 436-444] a questionnaire was developed to assess the process of self-cure among former cigarette smokers and then administered to 63 ex-smokers who had quit on their own. Separate samples of "helped" quitters and current smokers who had tried to quit but failed were also interviewed. Ex-smokers scored higher on Rosenbaum's [(1980). Behav. Ther. 11: 109-121] Self-Control Schedule, which suggests that they may have succeeded because they had better self-control skills initially. Other results underscored the role of peer pressure and curiosity as major reasons for becoming a smoker, of withdrawal symptoms and loss of pleasure as major obstacles to quitting, and of self-confidence and perceived health benefits as factors that were most important in successful quitting. The difficulty associated with quitting was associated with cognitive factors such as beliefs about the addictive properties of nicotine and self-confidence ratings, as well as with a supportive social network and the amount smoked previously.