BURBANK, CA: "There is probably no setting in the U.S. with higher rates of smoking than substance abuse treatment facilities and 12-step meetings, where 80-95% of people smoke." "A significant number of adult substance abusers start smoking while in treatment/recovery." -- From "Addressing Nicotine Dependence in Treatment," a presentation by Bruce Allen Jr., Joan Waddell, and Loretta Worthington (right), addiction treatment professionals specializing in nicotine cessation; at the annual addiction counselor's conference this afternoon in Burbank.I know a hospital complex that takes up an entire city block. Nowhere in this block can you smoke, except on the deck of the addiction treatment program. I have met patients in this program who had never smoked, or who had given up smoking years earlier, and started or restarted smoking during treatment there.
This panel presentation marshaled a number of additional studies to show that alcoholics and addicts who quit smoking maintained their sobriety from alcohol and drugs more successfully than those who did not. There is more material on this topic here and here.
2 comments:
I am glad to see that you took our presentation to heart. I enjoyed speaking with you at the conference, and appreciate all the insight you have on this subject. I do hope that folks decide to post here and discuss their feelings on the subject. It is so disheartening to work with individuals who overcome the most difficult addictions...and who continue to smoke until they die (most often relatively early) from a tobacco-related disease.
I would like to put this out there...if you profess to be in recovery (clean) from drugs and alcohol addiction, and you are still using tobacco, then perhaps you should consider quitting. You are still using a drug, one that changes your moods and affects your emotions. Quitting tobacco use is the single, most important decision you can make for your health and the health of those around you. YOU CAN DO IT! Look at all you have accomplished so far. Do NOT let those who think you are weak tell you otherwise!
Thanks to Martin for the blog!
Loretta
Such are the wonders of addiction. Just substitute one filthy dependency for another.
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