Declining Addiction One Step at a Time

A new study carried out at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has found that results from drug and alcohol addiction treatment programmes improve amongst teens when they stop smoking. The findings, which have been published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, are significant because 3 out of 4 people who have a substance-related disorder are smokers.

The lead researcher of the project, Maria E. Pagano, notes: “Our results suggest that quitting smoking is associated with lowered drug and alcohol cravings … However smoking cessation activities are not typically included in drug and alcohol programmes because of worries about overload.” The information gathered indicates the current understanding of substance use prevention and treatment for addiction may, therefore, need reviewing.

Click here to read the full article in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.