Enhanced lifestyle satisfaction in severely dependent smokers after quitting successfully using inpatient smoking cessation therapy

Abstract

Background: Smokers in precontemplation stage for cessation, mainly those with high nicotine dependence, fear significant disadvantages after quitting smoking - such as intolerable craving, irritability or increased anxiety. Inpatient smoking cessation provides the chance to experience that this kind of expected distress does not occur; in contrast various benefits particularly with lifestyle satisfaction arise. Methods: This is a descriptive observational study with real world evidence. After inpatient smoking cessation therapy, long term (> 1 year) smoke-free participants are compared to non-responders. For 270 participants (55.6% men), treatment effects such as health complaints, sense of well-being, and changes in sleep patterns were analyzed. Findings: 12 months post-therapy follow up, 42.6% of participants were identified as non-smokers. Non-smokers reported significant changes to their lifestyle satisfaction such a better sense of well-being and sleep habits, increased level of physical activity, and lower drug prescriptions. Discussion: Current smokers who have based on their heavy dependence to nicotine not yet made serious attempts to quit tobacco should be motivated by our encouraging findings in their attempt to quit.