Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Should Stop Smoking be an Inpatient Program like for Alcohol?

There are a couple of inpatient programs in the United States. The Mayo Clinic has a inpatient program that is a combination of medications, cognitive-behavior therapy and relapse prevention. Many people successfully quit in this environment. Yet the people that come to my workshops that have been through other inpatient programs, tell me that it is easier to quit in a protected environment because you are away from your normal triggers but once back in your "real" life, every smoker still has the small issues to deal with and it is easy to relapse. Like I have said before--every method will work for some, no method will work for everyone.
I am often told by smokers in my workshops that I am their "last resort" that they have tried everything else and nothing has worked for them. I think that individuals that may benefit the most from an inpatient program are ones that are highly addictive, have other substance abuse problems or a mental illness and need a physician to monitor their medications. Often individuals such as these will need a combination mediation therapy that lasts at least 6 months to a year while they are dealing with the other aspects of quitting such as habits, stress, and social situations.
So if you have the money to spend on an inpatient program that might be the way to go but only if you are serious about working on the other issues to prevent relapse.

0 comments: