This is an open study, with 5 years follow-up, of 502 smokers who received treatment according to their degree of physical nicotine dependence. Those least dependent (BCG) were not given nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), while those with the highest level of dependence (NRTG) used nicotine patches during a 12-week period. A total of 267 subjects completed a 5-year period of followup; 123 were from the BCG and 144 from the NRTG. The abstinence was greater for those who used NRT than for those in the BCG: 29.9% as opposed to 24.4%, for intermittent abstinence (OR 0.93; CI 95 %: 0.53–1.62), and 20.1% as opposed to 15.4% for continual abstinence (OR 1.41; IC 95 %: 0.75–2.66). The 74.4% of subjects who achieved 5 years of abstinence and belonged to the NRTG had correctly completed the pharmacological therapy and 25.6% had not done so. Of those who were not able to achieve nonsmoking status at 5 years, 37.6% had correctly completed the therapy and 62.4% had not done so (p < .05). At the 5-year follow-up 20.1% of subjects who used NRT for 3 months remained abstinent, while only 15.4% of those without patches remained abstinent. Those patients who were more likely to achieve abstinence were those who were older and who were male.