Smoking kills more Americans than anything else. While the number of deaths has gone down it is still at the top of the list. That may be why 70% of adult smokers want to quit, and 40% actually try each year. (World Health Organization, 2008)
That is why the Lit2Quit team is working to develop a mobile app to help people quit.
What they are trying to accomplish is the same physical sensations that smoking provides. They are doing that by providing options suited for what you are looking for.
If you are looking to relax then the app provides you with a game that will help you slow down and relax. If you are looking for the rush that smoking sometimes brings it presents you with a game that gets your heart and mind running.
One of the interesting aspects of this app is that it uses your breath as a game mechanic. Through the microphone the app senses your breathing pattern and prompts you to either increase or decrease your breathing rate to achieve the desired feeling.
Research has shown that breath therapy can aid in quitting smoking, so this unique feature may be the difference in this app being successful.
While Lit2Quit is still being developed, another quit smoking app is claiming to already have success with helping people quit smoking.
An app called Nicot is based simply on the idea of crushing cigarettes. In the game the player crushes cigarette butts to advance in the scenario. Compared to grasping virtual balls, participants were 15% more likely to quit smoking when they were encouraged to crush cigarettes in the game.
While the developers also recognize the value of other methods of quitting they are convinced that their app will help.
The ideas behind these apps is incredibly simple, but sometimes it is something extremely simple that makes all the difference in the world.
