With the season for New Years’ resolutions in full swing, University of Alberta researchers have developed new guidelines that aim to give smokers a better chance of butting out for good.
The researchers collected input from 50 top health and addictions experts from around the world for a new textbook titled, “Disease Interrupted: Tobacco Reduction and Cessation.”
Funded in part by Health Canada, the book is written for health professionals to help smokers quit, and contains Canada’s first clinical guidelines on treating tobacco addiction.
Co-editor and U of A associate professor Charl Els says a major barrier to tobacco addiction treatment is that many health professionals continue to view smoking as a lifestyle choice, and are resistant to treating it as an addiction.
That leaves smokers to quit on their own, with far less success.
“Smoking is a bona fide chronic relapsing disease that responds well to treatment, and we have safe and effective treatment available. There’s no excuse to not treat,” says Els.
“Hopefully this book starts to shift attitudes in the right direction.”
According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use kills 5.4 million people each year. It remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease, and is the only legal consumer product that will kill at least 1 out of 2 of its regular users when used as intended by the manufacturer.
