BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — Quitting smoking is an idea that many are in favor of, but much like other ideas, it is one that is far easier said than done. Although stopping the use of cigarettes and tobacco can have plenty of health benefits (and at times financial ones as well), the addictive nature of nicotine makes quitting cold turkey rather difficult for many. However, as new research shows, there are many who simply refuse to quit — especially here in North Dakota.

In order to determine which states in the US were the most and least willing to quit smoking, Nicotine pouch sales site Snusboss studied the number of times each state Googled a search term related to the topic (including terms such as ‘how to quit smoking’, ‘chantix’, and ‘varenicline’). The number of these searches was then divided among the population of the state in question.

After these numbers were ranked, it was determined that North Dakotans are some of the Americans who are least interested in kicking the habit, and narrowly placed in the list of the ten states with the lowest number of searches. The same can be said for our southern twin, which also appeared at the bottom of the list in an even lower position.

As opposed to our own low interest in quitting, states in the Northeast appear to have a much higher interest in wanting to kick the habit — with areas like Maine, New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts all ranking highly in regards to search volume per capita.

“Quitting smoking is a challenging but highly beneficial endeavor for an individual’s health,” a representative of Snusboss states in a press release. “Over the years, many Americans have made significant efforts to quit smoking because of several reasons, such as concerns about their health, the excessive cost of cigarettes, and changing societal attitudes towards smoking. “There are several effects of cigarette smoking, such as weakened immune system, vision problems, poor oral hygiene, lung damage, heart disease, fertility problems, and risk of cancers. Several residents opt for smoking alternatives, such as nicotine pouches, which are much less harmful. Cigarette smoke is more harmful than taking a nicotine pouch because cigarette smoke contains burnt tobacco and smoke, which are the leading causes of illnesses connected with the use of nicotine products (cancer, lung diseases, etc.) A recent study found that daily use of the nicotine patch (or a combination of the patch and nicotine gum) resulted in a lower risk of daily smoking for participants. Therefore, NRT products, such as nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, and inhalers, are recommended as they provide a controlled dose of nicotine to help reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings.” 

In order to learn more tips about how to quit the use of tobacco, and to receive coaching, quit plans, and referrals to local resources, visit the North Dakota Quits website, the Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Department or the Center for Disease Control’s webpage on the topic using this link, or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.