Why People Smoke: An Innovative Approach to Treating Tobacco Dependence

Description

People have been using tobacco in a variety of forms for centuries. Remarkably, it was originally seen as something that could promote vigor and health. Of course, now we all know that tobacco use causes death and disability in epidemic proportions. If smoking is so bad for us, why in heaven’s name would anyone still smoke? Quite a bit has changed since tobacco first made the transition to a widely available agricultural product. Unfortunately, the general clinical approach to addressing this problem has failed to keep pace with tobacco technology and its addictive properties. People around the world who have fallen prey to the subtleties of nicotine addiction, or who care for those who have, would benefit from a deeper understanding of the ways in which nicotine can affect the brain’s function and change behaviors over a lifetime. Why People Smoke breaks down the science of tobacco dependence and presents it in a way that is both easily understandable and clinically useful for anyone interested in helping people break free of nicotine’s influence. Why People Smoke is a first-of-its-kind clinical guide to treating tobacco dependence. The book helps readers make meaningful connections between tobacco’s effects at the cellular level, the predictable behavioral manifestations of the disorder, and the social science and systems requirements required to make a fundamental impact on this disorder. Unlike previous publications like self-help books, step-by-step curricula, or clinical guidelines, Why People Smoke puts practical clinical insights―gained from twenty-five years of practice―into perspective, helping the reader understand how “brain change” translates into “mind change” and the persistent compulsion to smoke . . . despite a person’s desperate desire to stop. Reading Why People Smoke will change the way you see smoking forever. Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Introduction. Thinking About Tobacco Treatment: Where are we going? And how did we get here? Part I. Knowing “What” Chapter 1. Ambivalence: Exploring the patient’s experience of ambivalence and understanding what it means to be of two minds. Chapter 2. Structure: Reviewing the parts of the brain involved in nicotine dependence and how exposure to nicotine can change their relationships. Chapter 3. Function: Operationalizing the molecular basis of a lifelong wiring problem. Chapter 4. Compulsion: Reframing tobacco use as the behavioral manifestations of a compulsive disorder. Chapter 5. Patterns: Understanding why the conscious brain can’t be more effective at creating change. Chapter 6. Device: Categorizing the ways in which the delivery device impacts the patient’s life. Part II. Knowing “How” Chapter 7. Approach: Differentiating clinical approaches for creating behavioral change. Chapter 8. Escape: Recognizing the manifestations of ambivalence that require clinical management. Chapter 9. Medication: Reviewing the role of pharmacologic management as an important foundation for allowing the patient’s brain to “un-learn” smoking. Chapter 10. Management: Understanding important mediators and moderators of pharmacologic effect. Chapter 11. Routines: Dissecting the comfort of predictability and finding a path to behavior change. Chapter 12. Influence: Thinking about the hidden patterns and assumptions that influence decision-making. Part III. Knowing “Who” Chapter 13. Organization: Embracing a broader vision for the way all of the pieces can work together. Chapter 14. Twenty Questions: Articulating answers to common questions related to tobacco dependence. Chapter 15. Lessons Learned: Integrating what you learned while reading this book. Part IV. Knowing “More” Bibliography. Additional Reading and Useful References: Fun stuff to read. A selection of scientific studies, integrated reviews, and fascinating books that went into writing this book—and a way to expand on this foundation. Index Acknowledgments