Hennepin Healthcare investigators study game to help people quit smoking:
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute is testing an innovative way to help people quit smoking – by letting them bet on themselves and win real money. It's part of a new game called QuitBet and it's being funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant administered by researchers at Hennepin Healthcare.
Players commit to quit smoking over four weeks and bet $30 on themselves, which goes into the pot. Players then receive a free breath testing device to track their progress every day. At the end, all the players who have managed to quit win back their bet plus a profit as they split the pot with the other winners. Winners typically double their money while quitting smoking.
Developed by digital-health company WayBetter, QuitBet is an example of the "serious games" movement where games are employed to improve health. [...]
"Quitting smoking is hard, but who said it also has to be solitary and frustrating?" said Rosen. "Why not mix in some fun, friendly competition and the thrill of winning money? It's a powerful new way to think about the problem. We're finding that it really helps people get through those tough first few weeks."
The game lasts four weeks. Is that long enough to be off nicotine to prevent relapses and considered yourself to have quit? I've seen late night TV commercials for weight loss that sounds like works on this model. Do you think this could be widely effective, or is the fact that there is a weight loss company presumably making money on people who lose their bets evidence that the approach doesn't work for most?
If you want to join the study, visit https://Quit.bet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 05 2022, @04:54PM (3 children)
Anything that gamifies anything works on them.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday June 05 2022, @08:28PM (2 children)
Maybe. On the other hand, some of us older people have never quit smoking. This might work for some of us. Reading the rules page, it seems that they fully expect some people to succeed, while other people fail. I'm kinda kicking the idea around, in a not-real-serious fashion.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by optotronic on Monday June 06 2022, @01:59AM
Go for it! If you quit smoking, you win money and your health. If you lose, you've still incentivized others to quit.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday June 06 2022, @03:09PM
Smoking is directly linked with a shorter life span and poor health. You may be able to reduce the bad side effects and help increase your overall health by quitting. It's definitely worth a shot.
Also, one of the things that may be overlooked is the cost. Cigarettes are expensive nowadays and they're just getting more expensive. Being able to smell and taste better are definitely nice things as well!
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17488-smoking [clevelandclinic.org]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Sunday June 05 2022, @06:02PM (2 children)
As in, I'm not a smoker (anymore), I smoke a cigarette or two to dupe the device, then don't smoke for a month and "win".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 05 2022, @06:18PM (1 child)
They could select participants who have already been actively seeking smoking cessation treatment.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Sunday June 05 2022, @09:22PM
Depending on the cost of those treatments, you could still come out ahead.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 05 2022, @06:35PM
But then I became addicted to gambling!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Snotnose on Sunday June 05 2022, @08:18PM (1 child)
I'm a fan of cranking up the taxes, and using DNA analysis on found butts to engender huge fines to assholes who throw their butts on the ground.
Did I mention, everyone who buys a pack of cancer sticks gives a DNA sample or proof they've already done so.
I was one of those "no smoking in my car nor apartment" in the 70s. I formed that attitude when I lost 4-5 8 track tapes I haden't even taken out of their plastic wrap because a "friend" of mine was smoking in the back seat and didn't roll up his window.
I just passed a drug test. My dealer has some explaining to do.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by krishnoid on Sunday June 05 2022, @08:24PM
Hell with that, put them on cleanup duty for a minimum of three months, maybe just weekends. Then do DNA analysis on the collected butts, give the best butt-grabber a reprieve, and replace them with one of the new offenders.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 05 2022, @08:52PM
I prefer the Watermelon, but my friend loves the Orange.
Talking about the delicious flavor of our latest cigarette choices.
With cigarettes becoming basically delicious candy...just wait to see how many teens or even preteens need to be weaned off this new class of addiction sure to line the pockets of many a company and government tax coffers.
Again, we are trying to fix the wrong problem where companies can offload the responsibility to the drug user.
Classic greed and deception right there.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 05 2022, @10:24PM (1 child)
As children, we used to play pranks with smokers by placing small explosives in cigarettes. But my favorite was the use of powdered ammonium nitrate fertilizer pellets, powdered sulphur, and a vacuum cleaner.
The trick was to powder both the fertilizer and sulphur separately, then mix them, then hold a bundle of cigarettes in the suck hose of the vacuum cleaner to suck the powdered dust into the cigarette bundle.
Then put them back in the pack.
Best done before a poker game.
They just sputtered, burned fast, and smelled like fireworks, but didn't go boom. But they usually carried on like they thought it would go boom.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 06 2022, @08:49PM
I remember those little slivers you'd get at the local joke shop (remember those?). You'd push them into cigarettes and they'd blow up leaving the cigarette all curled back like in the cartoons. We used to do that as well as kids. It was easy because it seemed like EVERY adult smoked, so there was no problems getting your hands on someone's pack of cigarettes. Problem was you could only really have someone's cigar or cigarette blow up once because then they'd be careful after that to inspect them before lighting them.