Women more likely to leave substance abuse treatment center after new tobacco-free policy

Women more likely to leave substance abuse treatment center after new tobacco-free policy

When a new tobacco-free policy was instituted at an Ohio women's substance abuse treatment center, both smokers and non-smokers were more likely to leave treatment early in the first few months after the policy change, a new study found.

The results don't mean treatment centers shouldn't try smoking bans, according to the researchers, but they do highlight the challenges involved with implementing a new policy that goes against years of conventional thinking.

Researchers found that the number of patients who completed a program at the women's treatment center decreased 28 percentage points - from 70 to 42 percent - following the center's implementation of a tobacco-free policy.

"Following the implementation of the new policy, clients were significantly less likely to complete treatment than they were prior to the adoption of tobacco-free policies," said Thomas Gregoire, co-author of the study and associate professor of social work at Ohio State University.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110507/Women-more-likely-to-leave-substance-abuse-treatment-center-after-new-tobacco-free-policy.aspx

granted she was a kid, like a teen, but.... i think the kids lived there, like a group home. and the adult parent type person was saying how terrible it was the kid was smoking. so the kid goes into her history of doing drugs and alcohol and finally got off of them but this was the only thing she still struggled at. personally, i think if someone has problems with substance abuse, instead of having to deal with that and nicotene withdrawl, they should focus on the drugs and save the smoking issue for later.

I want bans on all places where people like me can come into contact with it.

But for crying in a bucket! People who are battling issues like these have enough problems!

One. Thing. At. A. Time!

The problem I see, and it is health issue, is smoker and non-smoker together in these treatement facilities. Seems like if we had the number of treatment centers that are really needed, it would not be a problem to separate them into smoker and non-smoker.

Nobody should be exposed to another health risk while trying to get over one.

Smoking is a serious and persistent addiction .... treat it as such.

But people have a right to feel physically safe in treatment and as employees in a workplace. Passive smoke kills. The non-smokers and the employees at the facilities have a right to be protected against the health impacts of second (and third) hand smoke.

I don't see anything that provides any suggestion of an explanation why NON-smokers would be more likely to leave.

Once they can explain WHY that happens, I think we can say more about what it means.