How Many Attempts to Quit Smoking Does It Really Take?
By Michael Whelehan | Certified Master Hypnotherapist and Master NLP Practitioner | Breathe Hypnotherapy Melbourne | Updated April 2026
How many attempts to quit smoking does it take before someone finally succeeds? If you have tried and failed more than once, you have probably asked yourself some version of this question, and it has probably come loaded with shame or frustration.
The research has a very clear answer. And it is one that reframes every previous attempt you have ever made.
Research published in PMC found that the estimated average number of quit attempts before successfully quitting smoking ranged from around 6 on the low end to 30 or more under the most methodologically rigorous approaches, with previous estimates likely underestimating the true number because they excluded smokers who have greater difficulty quitting.
Thirty or more attempts. That is not a number that reflects weakness or a lack of motivation. That is a number that reflects how genuinely difficult this habit is to break without the right approach, and understanding it changes the entire conversation about what your previous attempts mean and what your next one should look like.
Why How Many Attempts to Quit Smoking Matters More Than You Think
The reason this number is important is not to discourage people. It is to remove the false belief that a failed quit attempt means something about the person rather than the method.
According to the CDC, approximately 67.7% of adult smokers want to quit, around 53.3% try to quit each year, but fewer than 9% successfully quit in any given year. That gap between wanting to quit and succeeding is not a motivation gap. It is a method gap.
The Truth Initiative notes that for many smokers it may take 30 or more quit attempts before successfully quitting, and that chances of success actually increase with each quit attempt. Each attempt is not a failure. It is data. It tells you something about which triggers fired, which situations were hardest, and where the approach ran out of runway.
The problem is that most people interpret a relapse as evidence that they cannot quit, rather than evidence that they used a method that could not reach the part of the brain where the habit operates. These are very different conclusions and they lead to very different next steps.
What Each Failed Quit Attempt Is Actually Telling You
There is a meaningful pattern in how quit attempts tend to fail that most people never examine because the shame of relapsing makes reflection difficult.
Most relapses happen in a specific situation: a stressful event, a social setting, a particular time of day that has always been associated with smoking. The relapse rarely happens out of nowhere. It happens when a specific trigger fires and the method being used has no answer for it.
Research from the International Tobacco Control Survey found that around 40% of smokers report quit attempts in any given year, averaging around 2.1 attempts per year, with most lasting less than a month before relapse.
That pattern, short attempts ending in a trigger-driven relapse, tells you something specific. The method addressed either nothing or only the physical nicotine component. The psychological habit, the subconscious associations between specific situations and the need for a cigarette, remained completely intact and active. The moment the right trigger fired in the right circumstances, the subconscious pattern overrode the conscious intention.
This is not a character flaw. It is a predictable outcome of a method that cannot reach where the habit actually lives.
Why the Number of Attempts Drops When the Method Changes
Here is the most important piece of research in this area for anyone who has made multiple quit attempts using the same types of methods.
A 2016 study in PMC found that the probability of successful quitting increases with each quit attempt, but that this improvement is gradual and many smokers will need a significant number of attempts before achieving long-term abstinence using conventional methods.
The word “conventional” is doing significant work in that finding. The improvement in success rates with each attempt using conventional methods (willpower, NRT, cutting down) is real but slow. The reason is that conventional methods address the surface of the habit without changing the underlying subconscious pattern that drives it.
When the method changes to something that works at the level where the habit actually operates, the number of attempts required changes dramatically. This is the core argument for approaches like hypnotherapy in the quit smoking conversation: not that it is a magic solution, but that it addresses the 80% psychological component of the habit that conventional methods leave entirely intact.
Many of the 2,700+ Melbourne locals who have quit through Breathe Hypnotherapy Melbourne came in having already made multiple attempts. Some had tried five times. Some had tried twenty. The number of previous attempts is not a predictor of whether the hypnotherapy approach will work. It is simply information about which methods did not reach the right level.
The Shame Problem: Why Most Smokers Stop Trying After Relapsing
One of the most damaging consequences of framing relapse as personal failure is that it causes people to stop trying.
If you believe that relapsing means you lack willpower or you are not strong enough to quit, then another attempt feels futile. Why would you try again if the problem is you rather than the method? This is one of the most significant barriers to cessation in public health, and it is built entirely on a misunderstanding of what relapse actually means.
The CDC notes that quitting smoking is a marathon, not a sprint, and that most adults who smoke want to quit but succeed at a rate of less than 10% per year using standard approaches. That is not a population of weak-willed people. That is a population using methods that have a structural limitation: they cannot reach the subconscious habit pattern that drives the automatic response in triggering situations.
Understanding this reframes the entire history of your quit attempts. Every time you tried and did not succeed long-term, you were not failing. You were using a method with a ceiling, and eventually you hit the ceiling. That is not the same as you being someone who cannot quit.
What Makes the Difference Between Attempt 6 and Attempt 7
The research is consistent that something changes between a failed attempt and a successful one, and it is rarely willpower or motivation. Former smokers report trying to quit an average of six times before succeeding, and for many it took considerably more, with each attempt building knowledge about triggers and cravings that ultimately contributed to the successful quit.
What changes in the successful attempt is usually one or more of the following:
The person chooses a method that addresses both the physical and psychological components of the habit rather than just managing nicotine supply. They approach the attempt with a specific plan for high-trigger situations rather than relying on general willpower. They have addressed the identity component, moving toward genuinely seeing themselves as a non-smoker rather than a smoker who is currently not smoking. And they have, in many cases, accessed support that works at the subconscious level where the pattern actually lives.
The Breathe Hypnotherapy Quit Technique is specifically designed to address all of these elements in a single personalised session. The session identifies the individual’s specific trigger landscape, works at the subconscious level to dissolve the automatic associations, and reframes the identity around smoking. For many clients, this represents the first quit attempt that has worked at the right level. Individual results vary and success depends on genuine readiness and commitment to change.
You can read 170+ verified five-star reviews from Melbourne locals and learn about the Breathe money-back guarantee before your free strategy call.
If You Have Already Tried Multiple Times: What to Do Differently
If you are reading this having already made several quit attempts, the most useful question is not “how many times have I failed?” It is “what did each attempt tell me about where the method ran out?”
Was it always a specific trigger situation? A particular time of day? A stress event? A social setting? The answer tells you where the previous methods had no answer, and it tells you where the next method needs to work.
For most people who have made multiple attempts using willpower or NRT, the pattern points to the same thing: the psychological habit remained active in triggering contexts and eventually overrode the conscious intention. The next attempt needs to address that layer directly.
According to Quit.org.au, understanding your personal triggers and having a specific plan for each of them is one of the most consistently supported factors in successful cessation. That planning is most effective when it works at the subconscious level, not just the conscious one.
A free strategy call with Breathe Hypnotherapy Melbourne is the right starting point to understand whether the BQT approach addresses what your previous attempts could not reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many attempts does it take to quit smoking? Research suggests the average smoker makes multiple attempts before quitting successfully, with rigorous studies finding the number may be 30 or more for many people. The number varies significantly depending on the methods used. Approaches that address both the physical and psychological components of the habit tend to produce successful outcomes in fewer attempts.
Does each failed quit attempt make it harder to quit? No. Research consistently shows that the probability of successful quitting increases with each attempt, not decreases. Each attempt builds knowledge about personal triggers and high-risk situations that can inform the next approach. The key is using that information to change the method rather than repeating the same approach expecting a different result.
Why do most quit attempts fail within the first month? Most early relapses happen when a specific trigger fires and the method being used has no answer for it. Willpower and nicotine replacement therapy manage either conscious intention or physical nicotine supply, but leave the subconscious psychological habit pattern fully active in triggering situations. When a high-trigger moment occurs, the pattern overrides the conscious intention.
Is hypnotherapy more effective than other methods for how many attempts to quit smoking it takes? Hypnotherapy aims to address the subconscious psychological pattern that drives the habit, rather than just managing the physical component. Many clients who come to Breathe Hypnotherapy Melbourne having made multiple previous attempts report that the session works at a different level than anything they have tried before. Individual results vary and success depends on genuine readiness and commitment to change.
What should I do differently on my next quit attempt? Examine where your previous attempts ran out. If they consistently failed in specific trigger situations, that tells you the method left the psychological habit intact. The next attempt should address the subconscious associations driving those trigger responses, not just manage the physical cravings. A free strategy call with Breathe Hypnotherapy Melbourne is a no-obligation starting point to explore whether that approach may suit you.
Important Note
Individual results may vary. Hypnotherapy may be most effective when you are genuinely ready to quit smoking. Success depends on your mindset, readiness, and commitment to change. Hypnotherapy is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for diagnosis, treatment, or support for any medical or psychological conditions. The 95% success rate cited on this website is based on Breathe Hypnotherapy’s documented client outcomes.
About the Author: Michael Whelehan is the founder of Breathe Hypnotherapy Melbourne and creator of the Breathe Quit Technique (BQT). He has helped more than 2,700 Melbourne locals quit smoking and vaping, and has trained 73+ practitioners worldwide in his methodology.
