E D I T O R ' S Q U E S T I O N

Evidence says the best way to stop smoking is to take nicotine to manage cravings and use behavioural support to change habits . Vapes are the best nicotine delivery system yet invented because they also replicate much else of what is satisfying about smoking : the hit and the ‘ smoke ’ that ’ s exhaled . This makes it easier to resist the lure of a cigarette and buys time for new habits to form .

The behavioural support needed to help millions of people change their habits will have to come in large part from apps .

In-person support is expensive to provide and difficult to access , fewer than 2 % of quitters use it . App support is instantly accessible at any time from almost anywhere . Use can take place anonymously and without fear of negative judgement , support can be delivered in a structured programme or taken at an individual pace , and a wide range of tools can be offered to suit different needs .

Apps also deliver support in ways not possible before at scale , be that a daily stop-smoking programme , 24 / 7 peer support , instant tips for dealing with cravings , a personalised AI chatbot or up-to-the-second feedback on progress .

Seeing increases in their time smoke-free , money saved or health improvements can be all the motivation someone needs to stay strong for a few minutes until a craving subsides .

The ability of apps to iterate is possibly the most important benefit of all because most stop-smoking attempts ( and most diets , exercise regimes and other behaviour change attempts ) still do not last long-term .

We need to learn more about what techniques work for which people at what time . And we do that by combining the scientific method with constant iteration , something that ’ s really only possible with apps .

What ’ s more , a relatively unheralded Government decision to commission apps on a pay-on-results basis could greatly accelerate our understanding .

Rewarding apps for becoming more effective will mean effort and resources become orientated around that goal .

The learning that results could lead to a quantum leap forward in our ability to help people stop smoking , lose weight , exercise more , drink less or be more successful at other things they want to do but struggle with . �

FOUNDER OF THE SMOKE FREE APP

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