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A 55-year-old woman presents for follow-up of hypertension. She has been smoking 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day since her late teens and reports that she is now ready to stop smoking. She realizes that smoking is bad for her health and does not like how smoking causes more wrinkles on her face (Figure 248-1). She has tried unsuccessfully to stop smoking on multiple occasions. Her efforts have included stopping "cold turkey"; using nicotine replacement therapy (patches and gum); 12 weeks of bupropion; and most recently, trying electronic cigarettes (though this was not recommended by her physician). She has no history of psychiatric disorders and does not have unstable cardiovascular disease. She would like to try stopping smoking with varenicline and is interested in setting a quit date. She is also willing to return for 4 follow-up sessions at weekly intervals. She agrees to call a stop smoking telephone helpline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) for counseling help. The patient tolerates the varenicline well and is able to stop successfully without any adverse effects. Two years after treatment she continues to be abstinent and very glad of this outcome. The clinician used elements of the "5 A's" model for treating tobacco use and dependence to successfully help this patient quit smoking (Table 248-1).
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Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death across the world.1 In the United States, cigarette smoking ...