Cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for smoking alcoholics in outpatients

• Main Authors: Flávia Melo Campos Leite Guimarães, Antonio Egidio Nardi, Adriana Cardoso, Alexandre Martins Valença, Eduardo Guedes da Conceição, Anna Lucia Spear King
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mavera, Edições Científicas e Técnicas Ltda
• Series: Medical Express
• Subjects: addiction; comorbidity; anxiety; withdrawal
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2358-04292014000600336&lng=en&tlng=en

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a therapy based on cognitive and behavioral techniques: cognitive psychological education, cognitive restructuring, interoceptive exposure, breathing exercises and relaxation, all aiming at behavioral changes. The objective of the study was to determine the effectiveness of a specific model of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for alcoholic outpatients in the treatment of smoking. METHOD: Sessions were carried out in two stages: (1) a “stop smoking” stage lasting four weeks, with 3 sessions/ week; (2) a maintenance stage beginning with 2 weeks of a single weekly session, followed by monthly sessions until the end of the one-year treatment. RESULTS: Forty patients participated in this study, 22 men and 18 women. After a year of treatment, 24 patients had stopped smoking, whereas 16 relapsed during the course of the year; two abandoned treatment. Women showed better results: 77.8% stopped smoking by the end of the treatment, but only 45.4% of the men reached this goal. CONCLUSION: Patients under treatment for alcoholism submitted to the tobacco treatment program; a majority of them achieved the treatment goal. A growing population of alcoholics and smokers are looking for treatment; this points to the need for a follow-up treatment program for smoking in an Alcoholism Treatment Unit. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy proved to be effective in the treatment of tobacco dependency mainly in women.