(Image source: LA Times) 

BY: LEXA DECKERT

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Could a simple text message help stop addiction?
British researchers think so according to a release in The Lancet...

“We assessed the effect of an automated smoking cessation programme delivered via mobile phone text messaging on continuous abstinence... [it] significantly improved smoking cessation rates at 6 months and should be considered for inclusion in smoking cessation services.”

What these researchers -- found was that people who received motivational texts were twice as likely to quit smoking. News Insurances reports details uncovered by The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine...


“British doctors recruited 5,800 smokers and randomly assigned them either to a group that received specially-tailored SMSes or to a control group. The first group received five messages a day for the first five weeks and  then three per week for the next six months. The messages — developed with the help of smokers themselves — gave advice for keeping weight off while quitting and encouraged participants to  persevere.” (News Insurance)


Because fighting cigarette addiction is difficult, the researchers didn’t stop there -- the LA Times reports what participants did when they started to feel the itch...


“Quitters could also text ‘crave’ to the service and receive response texts... such as: ‘Cravings last less than 5 minutes on average. To help distract yourself, try sipping a drink slowly until the craving is over.’ Or, if they gave in and smoked... ‘Don't feel bad or guilty if you've slipped. You've achieved a lot by stopping for a while. Slip-ups can be a normal part of the quitting process. Keep going, you can do it!’”

To keep the experiment accurate there were tests to make sure participants were honest about their progress -- the Guardian reports how this was achieved...

“Saliva tests for a tobacco break-down chemical called cotinine were used to verify that smokers really had quit. They confirmed how many had managed to stop smoking for six months. The results... showed a 10.7% success rate for those receiving the motivational texts compared with 4.9% for members of the control group.”


One professor involved says that it’s a less stressful way to quit smoking...

“Text messages are a very convenient way for smokers to receive support to quit... People described txt2stop as being like having a 'friend' encouraging them or an 'angel on their shoulder.” (CBS News)


And while this may still seem like an unusual idea to some, Mobiledia reveals plans are already in action...


“Mobile health company Voxiva is also planning to offer its own smoking cessation program based on text messages called Text2Quit... available soon through health plans, employment insurance and public health departments. Municipal programs are also taking advantage of phones to reach out to smokers. The Rhode Island Department of Health has started its own mobile media campaign... [it] includes special ads that link to smoking cessation programs, as well as a cell phone ringtone of a hardcore smoker's cough.”


Using a mobile device is looked at favorably because most people will already have the hardware and it is very cost-effective.

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Transcript by Newsy.