British smokers are trying persistently, but still too stressed to quit
Smokers in Britain are attempting to kick the habit more regularly than any other Europeans but plenty blame the stresses of modern life for miscarrying, a survey of 27 countries showed.
More than half of British smokers tried to quit in the past year, it is much higher than the EU average. But while Italians scolded their friends for their fail to give up and Austrians said that they could not manage nicotine itches, the British chiefly pointed stress as the reason why they failed.
Antismoking groups informed that the British would benefit from counselling to discover alternatives to cigarettes when they sensed under pressure. They also said that cravings generally continue only some minutes and could often be surmounted by something as plain as going for a short walk.
A total of 50 per cent of British smokers tried and did not manage to give up in 2006, according to the Eurobarometer survey published by the European Commission. This was higher than in France (31 per cent), Germany (27 per cent) and Italy (22 per cent).
A “stressful life” was presented as a chief reason for failure by almost half of those who tried in Britain, in comparison with a European average of 33 per cent and only 15 per cent of Italians, who chiefly (40 per cent) accused friends and colleagues for not providing them enough support.
The highest position of smoking in Europe was in Greece, and the lowest one is in Sweden. Britain occupies eighth position in the table.
