NICOTINE FADING AND SELF‐MONITORING FOR CIGARETTE ABSTINENCE OR CONTROLLED SMOKING

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Abstract
Treatment approaches (4) to cigarette smoking were compared: a nicotine fading procedure in which human subjects changed their cigarette brands each wk to ones containing progressively less nicotine and tar, a self-monitoring procedure in which subjects plotted their daily intake of nicotine and tar, a combined nicotine fading/self-monitoring procedure, and a slightly modified American Cancer Society Stop Smoking Program. Habitual smokers (38) were assigned to one of the treatment groups. The study had 2 goals: to achieve a clinically significant percentage of abstinence and to reduce the nonabstainers'' smoking to a safer level by having them smoke low tar and nicotine cigarettes. The 18 mo. follow-up results showed that the nicotine fading/self-monitoring group was the most successful: 40% were abstinent and all who had not quit were smoking cigarettes lower in tar and nicotine than their baseline brands. Half the nonabstainers had decreased their smoking rate relative to baseline while the other half had increased. The fading/self-monitoring group achieved the largest reductions from baseline in daily nicotine and tar intake (61% and 70%, respectively). The study''s goals were achieved. The nonaversive combined procedure could be used to treat habitual smokers and also smokers with severe cardiovascular and respiratory problems, because it does not have some of the inherent limitations of the successful aversive smoking cessation procedures.

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