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Distress tolerance and early smoking lapse
Richard A Brown1, C W Lejuez, Christopher W Kahler
1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Butler Hospital/Brown Medical School, 345 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI 02906, USA. Richard_Brown@Brown.edu
Clinical Psychology Review
|July 19, 2005
Summary
Most smokers who try to quit relapse within days. Distress tolerance, not withdrawal severity, is key to preventing early smoking lapse and relapse. A new treatment is proposed.
Area of Science:
- Addiction research
- Behavioral psychology
- Nicotine dependence
Background:
- High rates of early lapse among smokers attempting cessation.
- Existing relapse models inadequately address early lapse.
- Inconsistent findings on nicotine withdrawal severity and cessation outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of distress tolerance in early smoking lapse.
- Examine the relationship between negative affect, distress intolerance, and relapse.
- Propose a novel behavioral intervention for early lapsers.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and theoretical analysis.
- Focus on psychological responses to nicotine withdrawal discomfort.
- Conceptualization of distress tolerance as a critical factor.
Main Results:
- Inability to tolerate nicotine withdrawal distress is a primary driver of early lapse.
- Negative affect associated with withdrawal significantly impacts cessation success.
- Distress tolerance offers a more predictive model than withdrawal severity.
Conclusions:
- Distress tolerance is a crucial target for smoking cessation interventions.
- A specialized behavioral distress tolerance treatment for early lapsers is warranted.
- Understanding and enhancing coping mechanisms for withdrawal is essential for sustained abstinence.