Smoke free in 30 days: the painless, permanent way to quit

  • D. Seidman
UK: Souvenir Press price £10.00; pp 214 ISBN 9780285638853 | ISBN: 978-0-2856-3885-3

As dentists we can offer help and advice to any patient who wishes to give up smoking, but we should ask ourselves, how often do we offer reasoned advice? And how much do we know about the personal process of cessation?

This book outlines in four sections the process a patient will go through while giving up, providing the reader with a better understanding of the road blocks and pitfalls which await.

Section 1 is 'Understanding nicotine addiction'. Physical addiction to nicotine is, in Dr Seidman's estimation, the lesser of the two hurdles that face ex-smokers during recovery. He feels that the psychological side of nicotine addiction, or the habits and associations people build up around smoking over time, is the number one challenge to healing from the addiction. This section also includes a breakdown of the six most common types of smokers: the social smoker, the scared-to-quit smoker, the emotion-triggered smoker, the worried-about-weight smoker, the alcoholic smoker, and the situational smoker. It is useful to look through these categories in an effort to understand the attributes of your patients and provide advice, which may be bespoke, supporting them to begin their journey.

Section 2, 'Preparing to quit' is excellent. This session explains how to broach smoking cessation methods with the patient, whether it is NRT or group therapy. Cessation methods all rely on strong willpower and a determination to quit, with support from people who care. The section allows us to better understand the vast array of support an individual must have in place to provide them with the best chance to quit.

In section 3, 'Becoming smoke-free', Dr Seidman deals with the 'Bermuda Triangle of relapse', used to describe the three risks he feels can threaten an ex-smoker's resolve to remain smoke-free: alcohol, negativity and other smokers. He shares insights into how a smoker can plan ahead to avoid falling into a mindset that leaves them ripe for relapse.

Most items covered in this book are excellently laid out for the person who wants to quit smoking. It covers the basics on how to prepare for a successful quit programme, helping readers understand how people can become addicted to nicotine and why it is hard to stop smoking.

The book offers detailed advice on cessation aids and what we should do to prepare to quit, both physically and mentally. It also describes the vital role support must play in allowing a smoker to quite. Although this book is written for the smoker it allows health care professionals a great deal of insight, hopefully allowing us to provide in some small way more support to our patients who wish to quit.