Treatment of tobacco dependence

110 000 to 140 000 people die in Germany each year of tobacco-related diseases. Thus, measures should be taken to lower the number of persons who start smoking, encourage smokers to stop, and keep those who have stopped from starting again, in order to achieve a sustained benefit in public health.

We present recommendations for the diagnostic evaluation, counseling, psychotherapy, and pharmacotherapy of smokers, derived from the findings of current Cochrane meta-analyses and from the pertinent German-language and American guidelines.

Motivational interviewing by a physician, including a recommendation to stop smoking and counseling on how to do this, can reinforce a smoker's motivation to quit. Behavioral therapeutic approaches support changes in behavior, while medical aids such as nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, and varenicline help former smokers overcome the initial withdrawal symptoms. Low-threshold measures such as self-help books, telephone counseling, and Internet-based cessation programs complement the evidence-based treatments. With a combination of medications and psychotherapeutic support, abstinence rates of up to approximately 40% can be achieved at the end of one year.

Smokers who decide to quit can benefit from their doctors' support. Physicians should be taught about tobacco dependency and how to treat it as part of their undergraduate medical education, residency training, and continuing medical education.