Smoking can greatly increase the risk of a return to the use of drugs and alcohol .
There is a growing body of evidence from research studies show that smokers have a significantly higher rate of relapse to drugs and alcohol than non- smokers . This is not surprising when one looks at the use of nicotine as a drug .
Nicotine is a drug, it is the altered state of mind, very addictive , and a poison.
In the treatment of drug and alcohol use, the concept of complete abstinence from all psychoactive substances is almost universally accepted. Why has traditionally excluded from nicotine ? Not sure , most likely due to historical social acceptance of smoking. Tolerating the use of nicotine for an alcoholic or a drug addict , it's almost like telling an alcoholic to stop the rum, whiskey and beer ... but the tequila is fine.
There is a popular myth that try to stop using nicotine products as drugs and alcohol out is very difficult to control. New evidence shows the opposite is true , people who try to quit smoking for drug treatment and alcohol have a higher success rate. Arguably , for a smoker , a key element in terms of relapse prevention of drugs and alcohol is left .
This higher sense if you look at some of the key elements of how to quit smoking and their availability during drug treatment and alcohol success rate.
A . Get the support and implementation of a date. In therapy, support, encouragement and peers is readily available.
Two . The acquisition of alternative coping skills . An important element to stop smoking is to make specific changes to address situations where smoking has occurred. For example , boredom or stress management .
Three . Preparation of a plan for relapse prevention. A plan prepared to handle difficult situations is like an insurance policy , you may never need , but it is good to have in place.
These are important elements in any type of plan to prevent relapse. There are lots of additional information on relapse prevention and quitting.
