Adding a Choice-Based Program for Tobacco Smoking to an Abstinence-Based Addiction Treatment Program

• Published in: Journal of substance abuse treatment Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 167 - 173
• Main Authors: Bernstein, Stephen M, Stoduto, Gina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.07.1999; Elsevier Science; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Abstinence; abstinence-based; Alcoholism; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; chemical dependency; Choice Behavior; choice-based; Desintoxication. Drug withdrawal; Drug Addiction; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Program Development; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Smoking; Smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - methods; smoking reduction; Substance Abuse; Substance abuse treatment; Substance Abuse Treatment Centers - manpower; Substance Abuse Treatment Centers - organization & administration; Tobacco; Treatment Methods; Treatment Outcomes; Treatment Programs; Treatments; smoking reduction; choice-based; abstinence-based; smoking cessation; chemical dependency; Human; Tobacco; Treatment efficiency; Dependence; Detoxification; Tobacco smoking; Therapeutic schedule
• ISSN: 0740-5472; 1873-6483
• DOI: 10.1016/S0740-5472(98)00071-3

A smoking program that provides awareness education about smoking to all chemical dependency (CD) clients and staff, while allowing treatment for smoking to be optional, was developed at an abstinence-based addiction treatment center. This study measured the effects of introducing this mixed model for treatment of smoking and other substances on clients and staff. Attitude and program utilization data were collected, and CD clients were followed-up. The value of offering a smoking program during CD treatment and of framing it within a choice-based philosophy was strongly endorsed by staff and CD clients. Smoking program CD clients did not report major problems with other clients continuing to smoke. Most (55.6%) of the staff who smoked ( n = 18) entered the smoking program during the first year of implementation; 38.0% of CD clients who smoked ( n = 424) actively joined the smoking program; and of CD clients who chose cessation, 17.5% were abstinent at follow-up.