Alternative Ways to Quit Smoking: Do They Work?

There are  variety of ways to quit smoking besides using  prescription drugs or  nicotine patches.  The question is, which of these ways actually work? 

On this page I'll overview some of the alternative methods people try to quit smoking, including acupuncture, hypnosis or hypnotherapy, and laser therapy.  Of course, you can click any of the links to get more information about a given method to quit smoking.

(Herbal methods and other natural techniques are described in the  Natural Ways to Quit Smoking section.  If you're looking for information about quit smoking programs such as inpatient or outpatient programs, quit smoking classes, or take-home programs, you'll find that on the Quit Smoking Program information pages, which are coming soon.)

A Note About Alternative Ways to Quit Smoking: The Evidence for Effectiveness On this website, I try my best to offer evidence-based advice for effective ways to quit smoking, and I generally focus on the highest quality research studies available.  However, when it comes to research, all therapies or approaches don't get the same treatment.  For instance, drug-related therapies are much more likely to be studied using carefully controlled, double-blinded clinical trials, because the FDA-approval of a drug requires this type of research.  Drug manufacturers, who stand to make money on the drugs, are quite willing and able to fund these high-level (and expensive) studies.  On the one hand, this is not a bad thing - it's important to know that a potentially powerful drug is both relatively safe, and that it is at least a somewhat effective way to quit smoking. On the other hand, most 'alternative' type therapies do NOT have this type of research evidence available, for a couple of reasons: 1) Alternative therapies don't necessarily require FDA-approval, and so are not required to conduct clinical trials; and  2) There is usually not a single company that stands to gain a gazillion dollars from the specific therapy who is willing to foot the bill for the research.  (This is not to say that people don't make money providing alternative therapies, whether they work or not - it's just that generally there is not a single company that has a 'patent' or a monopoly on a particular type of therapy.) In other words, it's important to realize that the evidence can be a bit lopsided: Drug therapies typically have better research to back them up, or they don't make it to market.  That doesn't mean they work better than alternative or natural ways to quit smoking, but it does mean that it is hard to evaluate the different ways to quit smoking with the same yardstick.  Keep that in mind as you read about the alternative therapies below.

 

Hypnosis

One popular way to quit smoking is with hypnosis or hypnotherapy.  Hypnotherapy to quit smoking is supposed to help people quit by either weakening their desire to smoke, strengthening their will to quit, or both.  Since hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness, suggestions offered while a person is in this state may affect parts of the mind that are not normally directly accessible. 

The evidence for the effectiveness of hypnosis as a smoking cessation aid is a bit mixed.  Some studies show a strong effect while others show none at all,  suggesting that the success of this method may be highly dependent on the approach or skill of the practitioner.  Check out the  hypnosis page for more info. 

Acupuncture

Another of the more commonly tried ways to quit smoking is  acupuncture.   Acupuncture and related therapies (laser therapy, acupressure) are intended to reduce withdrawal symptoms to improve your chances of quitting. However, in a recent meta-analysis, most studies showed no effect at all; only one showed a positive effect. This suggests either that acupuncture really is NOT an effective way to quit smoking, or that it is highly dependent upon finding the right acupuncturist. If you already use acupuncture for other things and feel your provider is a good one, it may be worth considering. Otherwise this may not be a good option.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is basically just a variation on acupuncture, and unfortunately simply doesn't have any evidence of effectiveness as a way to quit smoking.  (In fact, one consumer group is actually suing one of the laser companies for consumer fraud in association with selling laser therapy services to quit smoking.) 

The premise behind  laser therapy as a way to quit smoking is that laser energy rather than needles can be used to stimulate points on the body to release energy..  The technology is FDA-approved for pain relief, and has some evidence of effectiveness for that.  It hasn't been studied extensively for smoking cessation, but since it is supposed to work via the same principles as acupuncture, which appears to NOT be effective for quitting smoking, it is pretty clear that laser therapy is not going to be the 'magic bullet' we've been waiting for. 

My Recommendations

Unfortunately, there is not strong evidence that hypnosis, acupuncture, and related therapies work well for quitting smoking.  However, if you're bound-and-determined to try one, I'd recommend hypnosis over acupuncture, because the evidence is a little stronger.  If you're simply interested in a natural, no-drug method of quitting, you may also want to read about herbal therapies and nicotine fading, which are described on the  Natural Methods pages. 

Regardless of whether you choose acupuncture, hypnosis, or another method, I'd also recommend that you find a good quality behavioral program or plan designed to help eliminate the psychological dependence on smoking.  A good behavioral program is the foundation of a successful quit attempt.

Can Quit Smoking Hypnotherapy Help You Quit?

Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness that is not very well-understood, and quit smoking hypnotherapy seems to be even more mysterious.  Therapists who use hypnotherapy to help people quit smoking believe that hypnosis allows them to access a level of consciousness that is not normally available, and that is much more flexible and amenable to change.  However, there is a very broad range of responsiveness to hypnosis from one person to the next:  some people are very 'hypnotizable' while others cannot be brought 'under' at all. 

Effectiveness

When it comes to the effectiveness of quit smoking hypnotherapy, the research is all over the board:  Meta-analyses which combine high-quality studies report no overall effect for quit smoking hypnotherapy, but also report significant 'heterogeneity' in the included studies.  [See A Note About Meta-Analysis below for more details.]  In other words, when they combine the outcomes of all of the studies, there is no evidence that hypnotherapy to quit smoking is effective at all.  However, several individual studies show a strong effect, while others show no effect whatsoever.

Abbot NC, Stead LF, White AR, Barnes J. Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 1998, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD001008

So, is quit smoking hypnotherapy effective, or not?  Unfortunately, the available research doesn't offer a clear answer.  See below...  

A Note About Meta-Analysis If you've ever done research on anything at all, you already know that you often find conflicting information.  It doesn't matter if you're reading reviews on Amazon to see whether people like a particular brand of HDTV, or examining the scientific evidence to find out whether a smoking cessation technique is effective.  One person or study will say 'yes,' another will say 'no.'  If you're smart, you look at all the information, filter out the bits that may not be very reliable, and then try to make sense of the rest.  This is essentially what meta-analysis does: It is a research technique that is designed to examine only the highest quality studies about a particular topic, combine the findings in a way that makes sense, and draw a conclusion on the basis of the best evidence available.  Meta-analysis is a very strong research tool for getting at the truth when the topic of the research is well-defined and has consistent effects.  For instance, meta-analytic conclusions about drug therapies and medical procedures are very reliable. However, using meta-analysis to explore and combine research findings on techniques that are more highly variable and/or not particularly well-defined can oftentimes lead to a 'non'-conclusion.  In other words, a meta-analysis may fail to find an effect even if some versions of the technique or therapy are effective, because the act of combining non-similar studies muddles the overall outcome. Meta-Analysis and Quit Smoking Hypnotherapy Meta-analysis of hypnosis techniques to quit smoking show no evidence of effectiveness overall.  But because hypnotherapy techniques can be very different, and different practitioners are likely to have different levels of skill, it is difficult to conclude that quit smoking hypnotherapy never works for anyone.  In fact, some individual studies show a good effect for quit smoking hypnotherapy. The most likely conclusion is that some hypnotherapy practitioners and/or approaches are better than others for smoking cessation.  Unfortunately, there is very little research comparing specific hypnosis techniques to help quit smoking, so there is no clear way to choose between a method that may be relatively effective and one that is likely to be a dismal failure.  Ultimately, any method that does not show a strong meta-analytic finding of effectiveness is going to be a bit of a crap-shoot: either the method is truly not very effective, or it is highly dependent on getting lucky and finding the right practitioner.  In either case, unless you have some strong reason to use that method, I recommend going for an approach with better evidence supporting it.

Mechanism of Action

The idea behind hypnosis for smoking cessation is that it is a way to access a part of the brain that is not usually available, and that this part of the brain or mind plays a special role in the desire to smoke.  Quit smoking hypnotherapy is intended to both weaken the desire to smoke, while also increasing the desire to quit, all in the subconscious part of the mind. 

Pros and Cons

What are the pros and cons of using quit smoking hypnotherapy?

 Pros

• There are typically no side effects of hypnotherapy.

• Hypnotherapy to quit smoking can easily be combined with other components of a quit smoking plan, including a behavioral plan, nicotine replacement therapies like the patch or gum, and/or prescription quit smoking medication.

Cons

• The big 'con' about choosing hypnotherapy as a quit smoking technique is the fact that there is no clear evidence for its effectiveness overall.  You might get lucky and find a practitioner or a course of recorded hypnotherapy sessions that is effective, but there is very little reliable scientific information to guide you in your choice. 

My Recommendations

Right now, it's hard to recommend quit smoking hypnotherapy as a primary quit smoking strategy, because the evidence for its effectiveness is all over the board:  Some studies show a good effect, many show no effect at all.  That probably means that whether or not hypnosis will help at all in your attempt to quit smoking depends entirely on which hypnotherapy practitioner or approach you select, with no clear evidence to help you make a good choice.  Unless you have inside information that a particular hypnotherapist or recorded program has a successful track record, I'd steer clear, or at the very least include hypnotherapy only as a supplemental part of a more comprehensive approach that includes a good behavioral program.

In the future I plan to do more research to identify some specific hypnotherapy approaches, and/or hypnotherapy cassettes or CDs that are likely to be beneficial, so keep an eye out here for future recommendations.

Should You Try to Quit Smoking with Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique that is traditionally used to treat pain and disease.  Some practitioners also try to help people quit smoking with acupuncture. 

Acupuncture treatment involves using needles to stimulate specific places in the body, which is supposed to release blocked energy to correct energy 'imbalances' which are said to cause disease or pain.  The primary way that acupuncture is supposed to help people quit smoking is  by reducing withdrawal symptoms, thereby making it easier to quit successfully.

Effectiveness

While there is some evidence that acupuncture can be effective for certain types of pain relief ― perhaps including withdrawal symptoms ― there is no good evidence that it is effective improving your chances of quitting smoking successfully.  A meta-analysis looking at the evidence from 24 scientifically sound studies comparing acupuncture to a control group (that is, a group that got what they thought was acupuncture) showed that people didn't quit smoking with acupuncture any more successfully than people who got 'sham' acupuncture.  Only one study in the entire group showed a positive effect. 

This is pretty strong evidence that acupuncture does not increase your chance of quitting successfully. 

Citation:  White AR, Rampes H, Campbell JL. Acupuncture and related interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD000009.

A Note About Meta-Analysis If you've ever done research on anything at all, you already know that you often find conflicting information.  It doesn't matter if you're reading reviews on Amazon to see whether people like a particular model of HDTV, or examining the scientific evidence to find out whether a smoking cessation technique is effective.  One person or study will say 'yes,' another will say 'no.'  If you're smart, you look at all the information, filter out the bits that may not be very reliable, and then try to make sense of the rest.  This is essentially what meta-analysis does: It is a research technique that is designed to examine only the highest quality studies about a particular topic, combine the findings in a way that makes sense, and draw a conclusion on the basis of the best evidence available.  Meta-analysis is a very strong research tool for getting at the truth when the topic of the research is well-defined and has consistent effects.  For instance, meta-analytic conclusions about drug therapies and medical procedures are very reliable. However, using meta-analysis to explore and combine research findings on techniques that are more highly variable and/or not particularly well-defined can oftentimes lead to a 'non'-conclusion.  In other words, a meta-analysis may fail to find an effect even if some versions of the technique or therapy are effective, because the act of combining non-similar studies muddles the overall outcome. Meta-Analysis and Acupuncture Meta-analysis of acupuncture to quit smoking show no evidence of effectiveness overall.  However, there was one study of the 24 that showed a significant positive effect.  What does this mean? It could mean that the specific practitioner/technique was effective, whereas all the others were not.  Or it could simply be due to chance.  (The more studies done, the greater the odds of results that are actually due to random variation.) However, even if the one successful study was a result of finding a good practitioner, the fact that only one out of the 24 studies showed any effectiveness of acupuncture for smoking cessation is a sign that finding a good practitioner is likely to be difficult.    Ultimately, any method that does not show a strong meta-analytic finding of effectiveness is going to be a bit of a crap-shoot: either the method is truly not very effective, or it is highly dependent on getting lucky and finding the right practitioner.  In either case, unless you have some strong reason to use that method, I recommend going for an approach with better evidence supporting it.

 

Mechanism of Action

Acupuncture was used in Honk Kong years ago to help people quit smoking opium, and seemed to help with the pain and withdrawal symptoms associated with that.  In that usage, acupuncture DID help people quit smoking opium.  Based on that, it was believed that it might also help people quit smoking cigarettes.  For the past 30 years or so, practitioners in the US have tried to help people quit smoking with acupuncture. 

Unfortunately, although its possible that acupuncture may help reduce withdrawal symptoms, it is clear that overall, it doesn't actually improve your chances of successfully quitting. 

Side Effects

The good news is, if you decide to try acupuncture anyway, there don't appear to be any serious side effects.  (Be sure that you go to a professional practitioner who follows common sense hygienic practices, of course, because use of dirty needles can cause serious infections such as hepatitis C.)  Other possible side effects are both minor and very rare, such as light bruising or bleeding from the needles.

Pros and Cons

What are the pros and cons of using acupuncture to help quit smoking? 

 Pros

• The only real 'pro' I can think of here is that it's not likely to do any harm (except to your pocket book), and it might help alleviate some of your withdrawal symptoms.

Cons

• The giant "con" associated with trying to quit smoking with acupuncture is that there is pretty clear evidence that it is not effective for this use. 

My Recommendations

There simply isn't good evidence that acupuncture is an effective way to quit smoking, so I recommend sticking with other techniques that have better evidence behind them.  That said, if you're dead set on trying to quit smoking with acupuncture, I'd recommend looking for a acupuncturist that has a number of patients who attest to their success with that specific practitioner.  And I'd also recommend combining it with other techniques such as a good behavioral strategy for eliminating the psychological dependence on smoking, too. 

It is very clear that although acupuncture can be effective for some things, it is not a particularly good bet for quitting smoking..  If it happens to help reduce withdrawal symptoms within the context of an overall plan for quitting, maybe it will be worth the money. 

Should You Try Laser Treatment to Quit Smoking?

The idea behind laser treatment to quit smoking is basically the same as acupuncture, but instead of using needles, it uses lasers to accomplish the same goal.  The purpose of both acupuncture and laser treatment is to stimulate specific places in the body to to correct energy 'imbalances' which are said to cause disease or pain.  (Some laser treatment practitioners refer specifically to the release of endorphins.)  Like acupuncture, the primary way that laser treatment is supposed to help people quit smoking is  by reducing withdrawal symptoms, thereby making it easier to quit successfully.

You'll find that laser treatment folks tend to talk in more 'scientific' terms, mentioning endorphins, etc., while many acupuncturists will use more traditional language, describing 'energy imbalances,' but make no mistake, the underlying mechanism is the same for laser treatment and accupuncture. 

Effectiveness

Unfortunately, there is truly no evidence that laser treatment to quit smoking has any real effect.  There are very few clinical trials conducted using laser therapy to quit smoking, and the few that have been done show no effect. 

In fact, last year a consumer watchdog group accused several companies of fraud and petitioned the FDA to stop them from promoting laser therapy to quit smoking.  The FDA has not approved lasers to be marketed for smoking cessation, because there is no evidence that they are effective. 

Quit Smoking Laser vs. Acupuncture

The primary difference between the laser and acupuncture is the method of stimulation.  Acupuncture uses thin needles which are inserted under the skin and sometimes twisted slightly.  The laser uses a "cold" laser beam to target the same energy points on the body.  Most people who receive acupuncture report that the insertion of the needles is not especially painful, so the experience of the two types of treatment are quit similar.

In terms of effectiveness, neither 'real' acupuncture nor laser acupuncture have been shown to be effective at helping people to quit smoking.  Both, however, have evidence of effectiveness at relieving minor pain, so their claims to help alleviate nicotine withdrawal symptoms may be accurate (although there is no direct evidence of this from clinical trials).

Pros and Cons

What are the pros and cons of laser treatment to quit smoking?

 Pros

• It may help alleviate minor symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, such as headaches. 

• At this point there don't appear to be any negative effects of laser therapy, except to your pocketbook...

Cons

• Like several of the smoking cessation techniques or products available, the giant "con" associated with laser therapy to quit smoking is that there is no evidence that it works.

• It's also relatively expensive, ranging up to $350 for treatment.

My Recommendations

Clearly, I can't recommend laser therapy as an effective treatment to quit smoking.  My recommendation is to put your time, money, and energy into a comprehensive program that includes products and techniques with evidence that they work:  a good behavioral program to deal with the psychological dependence, possibly combined with one of the two FDA-approved prescription drugs, NRT, an herbal formulation, and/or a structured nicotine fading technique to help eliminate the nicotine addiction and alleviate withdrawal symptoms.