The research identified two new successful counseling techniques besides traditional addiction treatment programs. One enlists the help of family members, co-workers and others who have stopped smoking because research shows such social support will improve the likelihood that a person will quit. Another technique included in the new recommendations involves telephone-based counseling. Several places, including the California Tobacco Control Program and the Mayo Clinic, have such a service. Under these plans, patients can call a counselor 24 hours a day, says Kottke.
Counselors also call people trying to quit to monitor their progress.
The new guidelines add three medications to aid quitters. The 1996 guidelines included the nicotine patch and nicotine gum. Zyban is often used in conjunction with one or more nicotine products. The guidelines open up the possibility that insurance companies will augment their reimbursement for tobacco dependence treatment. Susan Pisano, spokeswoman for the American Association of Healthcare Plans, a Washington-based trade organization that represents the managed care insurers, says the guidelines should increase coverage because they represent a consensus about which methods work.