ABSTRACT
In chapter 2, we reviewed procedures for assessing motivation to quit and for preparing smokers to engage in treatment for smoking cessation. We covered the first three steps of the five A's: Ask about smoking, Advise the smoker to quit, and Assess motivation to quit. Now we will focus on the fourth A: Assist with intervention. Chapter 3 outlines how to design and deliver CBT treatment aimed at helping smokers quit and cope with the difficulties of staying quit over the first few weeks, when abstinence is most difficult. We strongly advocate that all smokers receive treatment involving both counseling and pharmacotherapy, which leads to the highest cessation rates among quitting smokers (Hughes, 1991). Cessation medications are covered in depth in chapter 4. The main focus of this chapter is the counseling component of treatment. Specifically, this chapter opens with effective cognitive-behavioral techniques to incorporate in smoking cessation treatment. These include setting a quit date, offering quit day reminders, helping smokers remove or avoid smoking triggers, specific strategies for coping with urges or withdrawal, and intermediate steps for smokers having a particularly hard time quitting. The chapter ends with basic guidelines for structuring an effective and efficient treatment plan (i.e., amount of contact time, and length and number of sessions).
