If you’ve ever chastised a friend for their gnarly smoking habit, you know that scolding does absolutely nothing. Making people feel bad about smoking just makes them want to smoke in secret. Well, here’s an idea: What if it was your lighter making you feel bad about smoking. You can’t run away from your lighter right?
There’s a new Kickstarter for a snazzy “smart” lighter called the Quitbit. Like the fitness tracking gadgets whose name it apes — no lawsuits yet! — the Quitbit would supposedly help you monitor your quitting with information broadcast on a built-in display, keeping track of how much you smoke, how long it’s been since your last one, etc. In theory, this information might move you along the path to quitting by helping you “understand” your smoking. Or it might just add a statistics buzz to the nicotine buzz you’ve already got going.
It’s possible this is just a fancy way to lie to yourself about quitting. When and if the gadget gets funded and actually produced, its creators hope to sell the Quitbit for $US150. That’s pricey for something with no demonstrated success rate. Then again, it might work. For people who are desperate to quit smoking — and I’ve been there — any little bit that helps could be a good thing. [Kickstarter — Thanks Steven!]
Contact Quitline Australia for more information on how to get help quitting cigarettes.