ABSTRACT
Assessment of the smoker begins with a detailed smoking history, which includes: the number of years he has been smoking, the circumstances under which smoking commenced, a history of changes in smoking habits, and previous attempts to quit. Assessment of current smoking behavior includes the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the situations in which smoking is most likely to occur, the psychological uses of the cigarette, the extent to which the smoke is inhaled, and the brand of cigarettes smoked. Knowing the brand enables the clinician to ascertain whether the intake of nicotine and tar is relatively low or high so he can estimate how problematic nicotine withdrawal is likely to be.
