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New terminology for the treatment of tobacco dependence: a proposal for debate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2013

Fred Wolff*
Affiliation:
Tobacco Treatment Specialist, MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence Portland, Maine, USA
John R. Hughes
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Family Practice, University of Vermont, USA
Susan S. Woods
Affiliation:
Portland Veterans Administration Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Fred Wolff, MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence, 110 Free Street, Portland, Me. 04101 207-662-7134 E-mail: wolfff@mainehealth.org

Extract

Tobacco dependence is characterised as a chronic, relapsing disorder that typically requires multiple quit attempts before successful, long-term abstinence is achieved (Steinberg, Foulds, Richardson, Burke, & Shah, 2006). Best practice, evidence-based treatment includes multiple-session counselling and pharmacotherapy, or the combination of both (Fiore et al., 2008). The field has moved past the notion that tobacco dependence is simply a bad habit, a vice, or a moral deficiency that can be overcome by willpower or education alone (Mars & Ling, 2008). However, the language used in discussing treatment has not always been consistent with this evidence. Some words and phrases used lend themselves to varied meanings, and could lead to significant misunderstanding not only among professionals in the field, but also among the general public (O'Brien, 2010; Davis, 1992; Perkins, 1999; Hughes, 2013). In this paper, we discuss some commonly used, problematic terminology, and suggest more appropriate terms (Table 1).

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

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