Motivational and Behavioral Factors Predicting Success in Cigarette Smoking-Cessation Treatment Combining Group Therapy With Bupropion

ABSTRACT

We report a smoking-cessation treatment program combining bupropion and a short five session cognitive-behavior group therapy in smokers over 2 months. After 8 weeks of treatment, four participants have managed to stop smoking completely. The factors predicting success in treatment in the short term were: (1) high motivation to quit smoking and readiness to change; (2) a supervised gradual increase in medication from one to two tablets a day according to patients' response to medication; (3) a short phase of “harm-reduction” is an important and acceptable phase toward complete cessation of smoking; and (4) assessment and group work on smoking behavior, craving, and high-risk situations.

KEYWORDS:

• Group therapy
• addiction
• recovery
• bupropion
• smoking cessation
• harm reduction

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank the Chief Scientist Ministry of Health in Israel for supporting part of the research and the smokers who participated in this smoking cessation treatment. This study was not funded by a drug company. We would like to thank Dr. Nanette Freedman from Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem for her useful comments on the manuscript.