BACKGROUND: Around one in six of the 16–24-year-olds in Denmark smoke. Although many wish to stop, motivation to do so is lower among young people than other age groups. While Denmark has excellent cessation services, young people mostly try to quit on their own. We wanted to investigate how young people experience smoking and cessation. Why do they not seek counseling? And how do we adapt cessation services to their needs?
METHODS: In December 2022 the partnership Smokefree Future carried out a qualitative study to investigate experiences with smoking cessation and cessation services among young people. 31 participants aged 18-29 were interviewed in four focus groups. All participants had experiences with smoking cessation. Participants had different educational backgrounds and both men and women were represented.
RESULTS: “I just don’t think that I need help. I can handle it on my own.'' -Malthe, 26 years old
The interviews showed that young people generally start smoking in groups but quit on their own. Quitting is perceived as an individual responsibility and something that does not necessitate help.
“I never paid attention to specific dates when I stopped smoking.'' -Johanne, 24 years old
The young people in the study expressed an experimental approach to cessation and decided on quitting from one day to the other. That means that they do not prepare for quitting.
"I’ll still say 'I'm on a break'.” -Anton, 19 years old
The study showed a tendency among young people to avoid committing to the decision of quitting. They prefer viewing cessation as a break from smoking rather than a final decision.
CONCLUSIONS: Counseling efforts targeting young people should:

• Allow for experimenting with cessation by providing help when and where young people are ready to quit
• Frame cessation as breaks rather than quitting forever
• Nuance the image of cessation including relapse