NICOTINE DEPENDENCE TREATMENT DURING INPATIENT TREATMENT FOR OTHER ADDICTIONS - A PROSPECTIVE INTERVENTION TRIAL

This study assessed the effect of treating nicotine dependence in smok ers undergoing inpatient treatment for other addictions. It was a pros pective, nonrandomized, controlled trial with a 1-year outcome. The su bjects were smoking patients (50 controls, 51 in intervention group) i n an inpatient addictions treatment unit in a medical center. The enro llment of subjects was sequential: controls were enrolled first; after a 6 week washout period, intervention subjects were enrolled. Control s received usual care, and the intervention group received nicotine de pendence treatment consisting of a consultation, 10 intervention sessi ons, and a structured relapse prevention program. Smoking cessation ra te end abstinence from alcohol or other drug use were the main outcome measures. The confirmed smoking cessation rate at 1 year was 11.8% in the intervention group and 0.0% in the control group (p = 0.027). Nic otine dependence intervention did not seem to interfere with abstinenc e from alcohol or other drugs (1-year relapse rate was 31.4% in the in tervention group and 34.0% in controls). In this study, nicotine depen dence treatment provided as part of addictive disorders treatment enha nced smoking cessation and did not have a substantial adverse effect o n abstinence from the nonnicotine drug of dependence.