Tobacco.org

Relapse prevention interventions for smoking cessation 

Some people start smoking again shortly after quitting and are said to have 'relapsed'. Interventions used to help people avoid relapse usually focus on teaching the skills to cope with temptations to smoke. This approach and others have not been shown to be helpful, either for people who quit on their own, or with the help of a cessation treatment, or who quit because they were pregnant or in hospital. Many trials conducted so far have not been of a strong enough design to detect possible small effects. Among drug treatments, extended use of varenicline may help some smokers. Studies of extended use of nicotine replacement treatment are urgently needed. . . .

Authors' conclusions

At the moment there is insufficient evidence to support the use of any specific behavioural intervention for helping smokers who have successfully quit for a short time to avoid relapse. The verdict is strongest for interventions focusing on identifying and resolving tempting situations, as most studies were concerned with these. There is little research available regarding other behavioural approaches. Extended treatment with varenicline may prevent relapse. Extended treatment with bupropion is unlikely to have a clinically important effect. Studies of extended treatment with nicotine replacement are needed.

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