| Disease |
SMOKING |
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| Quotation |
“It is more profitable for your congressman to support the tobacco industry than your life” |
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|
| Prognosis |
From 50-8-% of smokers are addicted to nicotine. Stopping this addiction is extremely difficult, with long term abstinence rates for smokers receiving treatment for addiction, being the poorest of any drug abuse. |
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| General Measures |
Constant encouragement. Providing educational materials. |
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| Advice to Patient |
Gently pass on information given under “Diagnostic criteria’, on the various risks. Patient should decide on his own reason for quitting. Help the patient identify the “trigger factor” for smoking (like after food, drinking alcohol or coffee or tea, using the telephone, using the toilet, driving a car, serious conversation etc) and awareness of the trigger lessens its impact. Advise to avoid trigger as far as possible. Persuade to define a ‘Quit date’ (Usually less than a month). Not during times of stress or social pressure. In the weeks before quit-date: Try to smoke fewere cigarettes and smoke the ‘lightest cigarette’ availableEnlist support of a family and friends and request for tolerance of moodiness, irritability. In the event of a setback, try to avoid complete relapse to old levels. Keep seeing the doctor at intervals. Expect some weight gain form 5-20 pounds. The dangers of weight gain are much less than those with continued smoking. |
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| Follow Up |
1-2 weeks after the Quit date. Again after 1 month. |
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| Inadequate Response |
If ordinary measures fail, to try Nicotine gum or patch. |
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| Prevention |
Through Public health and school programs to prevent children form starting to smoke |
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| Reference From |
Website: www.nida.nih.gov/infofax/tobacco.html |
