title: Maintenance of smoking cessation.
abstract: Relapse is a frequently encountered problem in smoking cessation. With a cognitive-behavioral model of the relapse process, we can describe high-risk situations where smoking first recurs, the process by which people end up in these situations, and typical responses to violations of abstinence. The model posits that individuals are actively coping with situation-specific urges to smoke that result from prior conditioning. Individuals' beliefs in their ability to cope with urges are critical. Clinical strategies based on the model include assessment of risk profiles, understanding and anticipating high-risk situations, debriefing and reinterpreting lapses in abstinence, and limiting risk through lifestyle changes. These strategies can be incorporated into brief medical office visits. Recommended procedures include systematic but brief assessment, encouragement, goal setting, planning for risk, reinterpreting lapses, recommendations for lifestyle changes, and follow-up appointments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Baer
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Marlatt
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention