ABSTRACT
Tens of millions of Americans are smokers who want to quit but are in need of assistance to be successful. To provide effective counseling for smoking cessation, practitioners must have a solid understanding of the health consequences of smoking and the nature of tobacco dependence. Knowledge of the serious health consequences of smoking is important so that practitioners can present information that will help enhance their patients’ motivation to quit. Similarly, an understanding of tobacco dependence will help practitioners recognize the intractability of dependence and realize the persistence required of them to help smokers quit permanently. The underpinnings of dependence also provide a rationale for the various components of effective treatments, which address both the pharmacological (nicotine) and nonpharmacological (psychological) factors that promote smoking.
