How Many Quit Attempts Are Needed to Be Successful?
By Tom Horvath, PhD
It is common knowledge that abstaining from a substance that has become problematic is difficult and may require multiple attempts to be successful. But how many attempts does it take to succeed in quitting addiction?
One effort to answer this question, based on the International Quit & Recovery Registry, was recently published. Subjects were 344 individuals who have registered with this registry. The substances studied were pain meds, opioids, stimulants, alcohol, tranquilizers, inhaling, anesthetics, cocaine, cannabis, nicotine, and hallucinogens. They are listed here in the order of most attempts to fewest attempts.
How many quit attempts is complicated not only by the specific substance, but also by the level of substance problems, the number of years using the substance, and the age when substance use began. Not considered in this study are people who did not abstain but were successfully moderating, or people challenged by overeating.
Nevertheless, averaging together the level of substance problems, the number of years using, and the age when substance use began, the number of quit attempts was highest for pain meds, at approximately six attempts, and lowest for hallucinogens, at approximately three attempts. Some substances are harder to quit than others. It appears that whether a substance can cause withdrawal symptoms is one factor that makes quitting harder.
In each category there were individuals who had many more attempts than the average, and the averages increased for groups in which problems were more severe, or the substance problems had lasted longer.
So, take heart! Quitting addiction might be a bigger effort, and take more attempts, than you expected. Nevertheless, quitting is, ultimately, the likely outcome. Recall the 10’s of millions of Americans who have quit smoking.
Like much of life:
- persistence pays off: keep trying
- memory is weak: keep notes about what you learned from each attempt
- keeping your long-term goal in mind is essential but small steps are crucial: identify ways to make progress; focus on them rather than going for complete success immediately
- talking with others is a powerful help (in ways we are still trying to figure out)
- there are many more helpful pointers if you look for them (exercise, medications, mutual help groups, treatment, books to read, etc.)
However long it takes, resolving a substance problem is worth the effort.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871624014509?via%3Dihub
