The „Rauchfrei App“ – a Support for Smoking Cessation on the Smart Phone

Abstract

Without professional help only every 10th smoker, who wants to stop smoking, reaches long term – sucession in beeing smoke free. Beside therapeutical treatement programms, variuos self help materials and SMS support services, applications for smart phones are a new and promising way to offer support in stop smoking. Especially target groups, who do not want to attend face to face programms might be adressed by cost free applications. The „Rauchfrei App“, 2014 developed by psychologists of the „Rauchfrei Telefon“ and „Co;des“ offers well grounded support to get smoke free. The programm is developed on evidence based therapy programs. Experiences and evaluations of existing applications for tobacco cessations were taken into consideration. The application emphasises the preparation, the implementation and the maintenance of tobacco abstinence as well as the relapse prevention. It considers the personal motivation to stop smoking as well as high risk situations and offers personalised tipps and messages in the process of changing the smoking behaviour into the non smoking behaviour. The „Rauchfrei App“ works in close cooperation with the „Rauchfrei Telefon“ and the homepage www.rauchfrei.at, but can be used independently from the phone counselling.