Resource Center: tobacco

This document explains the science behind drug abuse and addiction and provides information on effective approaches to treatment and recovery.

A collection of articles on nicotine addiction, provided by NIDA.

The Center for Social Gerontology has created a smoking cessation brochure which targets older adults in an effort to encourage smoking cessation among the elderly. (From their website)

The National Center for Tobacco-Free Older Persons (NCTFOP), created by and an integral part of The Center for Social Gerontology (TCSG), is dedicated to redressing and mitigating the physical and emotional harm to older persons caused by the actions of the tobacco industry. The NCTFOP will serve as a national advocate for and source of information on tobacco and older persons issues, as well as a center for conducting research, education and training to increase public awareness of the effects of tobacco on older persons and to reduce smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke by older persons. (From their website)

Healthy Lifestyles and Tobacco: A Healthy Old Age Equals No Smoking article

Patient Example of the Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire for Adolescents

This physician handout will help practitioners choose ways to detect nicotine dependence in their patients.

This brochure (en Español) gives smokers and other tobacco users reasons for quitting tobacco. It also describes ways to quit tobacco, such as a combination of setting a quit date, getting support, and taking medication.

This article is an intervention review. It reviews behavioral and pharmacological interventions for helping users quit smokeless tobacco.

NRT aims to reduce withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping smoking by replacing the nicotine from cigarettes. NRT is available as skin patches that deliver nicotine slowly, and chewing gum, nasal spray, inhalers, and lozenges/tablets, all of which deliver nicotine to the brain more quickly than from skin patches, but less rapidly than from smoking cigarettes. This review includes 132 trials of NRT, with over 40,000 people in the main analysis. It found evidence that all forms of NRT made it more likely that a person's attempt to quit smoking would succeed. The chances of stopping smoking were increased by 50 to 70%. Most of the studies were performed in people smoking more than 15 cigarettes a day. What limited evidence there is suggests no overall difference in effectiveness of different forms of NRT nor a benefit for using patches beyond 8 weeks. NRT works with or without additional counselling, and does not need to be prescribed by a doctor. Heavier smokers may need higher doses of NRT. People who use NRT during a quit attempt are likely to further increase their chance of success by using a combination of the nicotine patch and a faster acting form. Preliminary data suggests that starting to use NRT shortly before the planned quit date may increase the chance of success. Adverse effects from using NRT are related to the type of product, and include skin irritation from patches and irritation to the inside of the mouth from gum and tablets. There is no evidence that NRT increases the risk of heart attacks. (From their website)