Ask for support with smoking
Plan a supported quit conversation that takes your ADHD and past attempts into account.
Not ratedgeneral health evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Name the smoking moment you'd most want help with.
5 minutes
List your strongest cravings, previous attempts and questions for an adviser.
15 minutes
Find a local stop-smoking service or ask your clinician for a support appointment.
How sure the science is
Not rated, general health evidence
No pooled trials to rate. This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Measured in the general population; we say so because ADHD trials of this do not exist or are too small.
CDC smoking-cessation evidence and guidance with ADHD smoking-risk reviews; no source-specific GRADE rating for this action.
The number, drawn
Why it matters
In the general population, stopping smoking cuts cardiovascular, lung and cancer risks, and CDC reports it can add up to 10 years to life expectancy. ADHD is associated with more smoking and substance-related problems, so support that's easy to reach matters more. Counselling and medication together are effective general quit support, with your own choices made together with a clinician.
How to do it
- Tell a clinician or stop-smoking adviser about your smoking and past quit attempts.
- Say when cravings hit hardest and what made earlier attempts hard.
- Ask which support and treatments suit your health, your medicines and what you prefer.
Ask a clinician or pharmacist to go through treatment options and your medicines with you, including if you are pregnant.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Tell an adviser that remembering a complex plan was difficult during your previous attempt.
- Ask for a clear plan for cravings and a way to get follow-up support.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeCalling a past attempt a failure can put you off getting support. Bring what you learned from it.
- Common mistakeGuessing at a quit-smoking medicine can miss safety issues. Go through the options with a professional.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- B Trials in ADHD with low certainty, or strong general health evidence with a sourced reason it matters more with ADHD.
- The number
- Quitting smoking can add up to 10 years to life expectancy (CDC, 2024)
- Benefit
- 75/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Big commitment
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineBenefits of Quitting SmokingCDC, 2024
- Tier 1 guidelineHow to Quit SmokingCDC, 2024
- Tier 2 studyThe impacts associated with having ADHD: an umbrella reviewFrontiers in Psychiatry, 2024
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.