Every quit counts

Smoking remains one of the most important avoidable health risks worldwide. In Austria, about one in every five adults smokes on a daily basis, with particular frequency between 30 and 44 years of age. Despite shrinking tobacco consumption, the use of new nicotine-containing products is increasing.^1,2

Many smokers want to quit: Around one third of daily smokers make a quit attempt every year but do not abstain long term. The reason for this is not lack of willpower but often rather the strong dependency on nicotine. Nicotine reaches the brain within a few seconds and has a high potential for dependency due to its rapid flooding effect.^{2, 3}

The health consequences of smoking are considerable. Smokers lose about ten years of life on average, and tobacco consumption is the most important avoidable risk factor for numerous cancers as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.^{4, 5} Especially high are the smoking rates of people with psychiatric disorders, for whom quitting smoking represents an important component of medical care.⁶

The good news: Every quit attempt pays off at every age. Even shortly after quitting, the health risks begin to decline. That makes smoking cessation the most effective strategy for reducing the risk of diseases caused by tobacco smoke, where cessation prior to the age of 40 has the most significant effect, and can extend life expectancy up to 10 years.⁷

The sooner quitting is successful, the more life expectancy and quality of life can be regained. Modern support and evidence-based drug therapies may significantly improve the chances of a successful quit attempt.^{8, 9} Non-pharmacological treatments (such as behavioural counselling, digital interventions) and pharmacological treatments (nicotine replacement therapy as well as smoking cessation with nicotine receptor agonists, for example) in combination can increase the rate of success.¹⁰

Sources
¹ Austria statistics. European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) Austria. Smoking. 2025. (https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/gesundheit/gesundheitsverhalten/rauchen, last retrieved on 13.08.2026)
² Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. Key figures and Trends for Austria. Scientific report “Tabak- und Nikotinkonsum – Zahlen und Fakten [Tobacco and Nicotine Consumption – Facts and Figures]”. 2026. (https://www.sozialministerium.gv.at/Themen/Gesundheit/Drogen-und-Sucht/Tabakerzeugnisse-und-verwandte-Erzeugnisse/Kennzahlen-und-Trends-f%C3%BCr-%C3%96sterreich-.html, last retrieved on 13.08.2026)
³ Benowitz NL. Nicotine addiction. N Engl J Med. 2010;362:2295-2303.
⁴ Jha P, et al. 21st-Century Hazards of Smoking and Benefits of Cessation. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:341-350.
⁵ World Health Organization. Tobacco Fact Sheet. Updated version.
⁶ NICE guideline NG209. Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence. 2021, updated.
⁷ Nancy A. Rigotti u. a., „Treatment of Tobacco Smoking: A Review“, JAMA 327, Nr. 6 (2022): 566–77, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.0395.
⁸ U.S. Surgeon General. Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General. 2020.
⁹ Livingstone-Banks J, et al. Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;CD006103.
¹⁰ S3 Guideline “Rauchen und Tabakabhängigkeit: Screening, Diagnostik und Behandlung [Smoking and tobacco dependence: Screening, diagnosis, and treatment].” (long version). Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) Registry No. 076-006