Smoking cessation efforts among substance abusing adolescents

Abstract

Available research demonstrates that substance abusing youth are heavy cigarette smokers for whom the behavior persists into adulthood. As such this population represents an important target for intervention. In order to inform treatment design, the present paper described cessation efforts, including motives and methods for quitting, in a sample of cigarette smoking adolescents who received inpatient or outpatient treatment for substance abuse. The 183 participants were on average 16.2 years old, 45% were females, and 72% were white. Consistent with studies of community and high risk youth samples, the majority of participants had previously attempted cessation, yet reported little success in maintaining abstinence. Health emerged as a frequently endorsed motive for cessation and stopping abruptly (cold turkey) was the most commonly reported strategy for quitting.