Smoking as been and remains to be the number one preventable health risk to Americans. Smoking rates dropped around 20 percentage points between 1960 and 1980, but since have leveled off.  This begs the question; do all the tools we have to combat the problem not work? The apparent answer is they must not.  This, however, is not true.  The tools we have to use today work very well, they are just used or applied incorrectly.  Too much emphasis is put on the addiction to nicotine and not enough is put on the behavioral or psychological aspect of the addiction.  All smokers are looking for the "magic pill" to get them to quit.  A quick fix would be great, but we know deep inside there is no such treatment.

Very successful nicotine cessation therapies not only include medication to help decrease the physical withdrawal symptoms from nicotine, but also a counseling component to help alleviate the psychological withdrawal symptoms from quitting tobacco.

The Olson Center offers a unique smoking/tobacco cessation program.  Our specialist, Dr. Tom Klingemann, provides one-on-one counseling sessions.  The physical addiction is studied in depth, but then the focus changes to the psychological addiction and behavioral modification techniques to overcome the psychological withdrawal symptoms.  Patient’s triggers are identified and used to help formulate a plan that will make their quit-attempt much easier than they would have imagined.  These counseling techniques open the eyes of the person making the attempt to a whole new way of thinking about quitting.