Behavioral Treatment of Cigarette Smoking

Biobehavioral Model of Smoking

The most prevalent smoking cessation programs have employed behavioral principles in concert with other strategies. “Typical” behavioral treatment programs focus on antecedents and consequences of smoking and include cognitive techniques that promote coping during and after treatment. The behavioral perspective is that smoking is a learned behavior, originally initiated by psychosocial variables (e.g., adult modeling, curiosity, peer pressure, availability, rebelliousness) and maintained by physiological dependence on nicotine in combination with conditioned environmental stimuli that elicit the urge to smoke once the behavior has been firmly established. In this sense, smoking is a highly overlearned behavior. An average pack-a-day smoker puffs an estimated 160 times each day, providing ample opportunity for internal cues (e.g., anxiety, hunger) and environmental cues (e.g., ...