Smoking Withdrawal Programme

Data have been collected on 256 men and 187 women attending a smoking withdrawal programme. Personality was assessed by the Cattell questionnaire. Initial fitness was associated with a high Q2 score in the men (reserved personality) and low I and O scores in the women (tough-minded, lacking apprehensiveness). Initial resistance to smoking and success of the smoking withdrawal programme were related in the men to a critical and independent mind (high Q1 and E scores) with absence of tension (low Q4); in the women, success was related to lack of tension and apprehension (low Q4 and low O score). The immediate effects of abstinence from cigarettes included a dramatic reduction in the blood carfeoxyhemoglobin level. A smoking withdrawal clinic should adopt a total approach to health with emphasis on the immediate benefits of abstinence.