In 1964 a link between smoking and respiratory disease in men was discovered, and as additional research was conducted the link was also found in females. Over the years more research was discovered that the negative health factors related to smoking were more in-depth and much riskier than was originally believed. Some of the better-known diseases that smoking can cause include cancer in the mouth and lungs as well as peptic ulcers, coronary heart disease, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (Colditz, 2000). Even though all of this research has been collected smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease in America. It results in 430,700 deaths each year (Colditz, 2000). Research has also shown that individuals who have stopped smoking experience better health over the rest of their lives resulting in a better quality of life. While smoking cessation programs have been created over the years, additional research has shown that smokers have the best chance of quitting when they have a support network. When a patient is admitted to the hospital, the nursing staff has the best opportunity to assist them in quitting in part because of the inability to smoke in the hospital combined with the educational opportunities available at the hospital. While there are many programs available to individuals who wish to quit research has shown that the method with the highest success rate combines several methods into one. The combination of health care provider support, nicotine replacement therapies, and increased training in coping mechanisms results in a success rate as high as 58% (Health, 2000). The physical and psychological effects of nicotine must be addressed when designing a treatment program so that the individual needs of the smoker can be met (Health, 2000). Many studies have shown that a period of hospitalization can have a positive effect on decreasing smoking if the hospital takes advantage of it with a proper smoking cessation program. When a patient is hospitalized because of a cardiac event it has the possibility of increasing the smoker’s motivation and readiness in accepting smoking cessation advice. The patient’s long-term abstinence from smoking is related to their belief that cigarettes contributed to their cardiac problems. The cessation advice given should reinforce the connection between cigarettes and the cardiac problem (Health, 2000). Many patients are forced to stop smoking while in the hospital but are unable to continue abstaining from cigarettes after they had been discharged. Many studies have shown that programs that were developed specifically for use of patients in the hospital combining smoking-cessation and relapse-prevention programs have a better chance of success than smoking-cessation programs alone (Stevens, V.J., Russell E. Glasgow, R.E., 1993). In surveys conducted with smokers, the reason voiced most often as being the catalyst to stop smoking was a concern about their health (Stevens, V.J., Russell E. Glasgow, R.E., 1993). While the patients are in the hospital the perfect opportunity is created to promote a smoking cessation program. Their presence in the hospital brings about the realization that their health problems are a result of their lifestyle and can pr