Tobacco Cessation Programs and Treatments

Although the dangers of tobacco use are well documented, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 46 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes. Perhaps the most central reason that smoking remains such a common phenomenon is that persons who become daily users are unable to quit easily or for long periods of time. For example, the CDC estimates that although approximately 15 million adult smokers attempt to quit smoking each year, only approximately 5% are abstinent 1 year later. Unless the prevalence of tobacco use is reduced in a meaningful fashion, according to the CDC, 1 out of every 2 smokers in the United States will die prematurely. The purpose of this entry is to overview (1) the nature ...