The Vince
Carter Sanctuary has implemented Tobacco Cessation treatment as a part of
standard treatment procedure for drug and alcohol problems. Nicotine, one of
more than 4,000 chemicals found in the smoke from tobacco products such as
cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, is the primary component in tobacco that acts on
the brain, with effects similar to both cocaine and heroin. Smokeless tobacco
products such as snuff, dip and chewing tobacco also contain many toxins as well
as high levels of nicotine. Nicotine is recognized as one of the most
frequently used addictive drugs, and cigarette smoking is the most prevalent
form of nicotine addiction in the United States. Recent research has
shown that continued nicotine use challenges the recovery of alcoholics and
drug dependent clients in the same way that continued use of any addictive drug
does.
Addiction
is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use, even in the face of
negative health consequences, and tobacco use certainly fits the description.
It is well documented that most smokers identify tobacco as harmful and express
a desire to reduce or stop using it, and nearly 35 million of them make a
serious attempt to quit each year. Unfortunately, less than 7 percent of those
who try to quit on their own achieve more than 1 year of abstinence; most
relapse within a few days of attempting to quit.
What people
frequently do not realize is that the cigarette is a very efficient and highly
engineered drug-delivery system. By inhaling, the smoker can get nicotine to
the brain within a few seconds of every puff. (This is comparable to the speed
with which drugs of abuse reach the brain when injected intravenously.) A
typical smoker will take 10 puffs on a cigarette over a period of 5 minutes
that the cigarette is lit. Thus, a person who smokes about 1-1/2 packs (30
cigarettes) daily gets 300 "hits" of nicotine to the brain each day.
These factors contribute considerably to nicotine's highly addictive nature.
We are well
aware that detoxification and abstinence from tobacco presents a challenge
greater than that of any other drug. We hope you may capture some motivation to
meet this challenge in considering the benefits to your health, longevity,
social freedom, modeling the behavior you want your children to learn, and
saving a lot of money. The average
smoker spends between $250. - $300. monthly, or $2500. - $3000. annually on
tobacco products.
To this
end, the Vince Carter Sanctuary offers a tobacco cessation and taper program. We hope you will become motivated to consider
setting a “quit date” while here in treatment.
We will provide you assistance in any way we are able. Please do not
hesitate to ask a staff member for assistance.