Smoking Cessation programs

Smoking Cessation

• Smoking is the major causal agent in the development of COPD, as well as a contributing cause to many other diseases.
• Smoking cessation is the most important management for improving the outcomes of patients with COPD.
• The additive property of smoking and withdrawal symptoms of smoking cessation makes it difficult for smokers to quit.
• 94% of individuals are not successful on their first attempt, there require 6 to 9 attempts at smoking cessation.

Types of smoking cessation program:

There are two types of smoking cessation program:

1. Behavioral therapy

• Behavioral therapy includes education on the benefits of being a non-smoker, counseling.
• Acupuncture and hypnosis are the part of behavioral therapy approach because the purpose is to change smoking behavior.

2. Pharmacological therapy

• Pharmacological therapy includes the use of :
• Nicotine replacement therapy and 
• Non-nicotine replacement medications.

Nicotine replacement therapy

1. Uses of nicotine gum, lozenges, patches,sparays, or inhalers.
2. This product decreases the withdrawal symptom linked to nicotine such as; 

• craving for tobacco products 
• anger 
• irritability 
• anxiety
• depression and 
• concentration problems.

Non-nicotine replacement medications

1. Medications are bupropion and varenicline.
2. These drugs counter the withdrawal symptoms of smoking cessation and increase the likelihood of quitting without the use of systemic nicotine.

Smoking cessation without any support has a success rate of approximately 6%.

Aur 2008 meta-analysis regarding smoking cessation found that the use of behavioral therapy had a 14.6% success rate, pharmacological therapy alone had a 21.7% success rate, and a combination of both behavioral and pharmacological therapy had a 27.6% success rate.