Tobacco-Free Recovery: Vital for Behavioral Health
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It may come as a surprise to some that the major threat to the health of clients with behavioral health issues is not the underlying mental health condition or the use of substances such as alcohol, cocaine, or heroin. As serious as those problems are, they are not the chief killer of persons with behavioral health issues. Rather, the adverse health consequences of tobacco use are the main culprits. Currently we are in the midst of a culture change, as behavioral health treatment evolves from a situation where cigarette smoking was either tolerated as the lesser of evils or even encouraged as a way to reward “good behavior,” to one in which smoking cessation is viewed as a major treatment goal. This article will review why that is so and what behavioral health treatment providers can do to help preserve the health of their clients.
About Me
Brian Clark is the senior data and project analyst at the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center. He manages and oversees coordination of SCLC’s various projects while providing analysis of campaign metrics.
Catherine Saucedo is the deputy director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center. She provides oversight and executive level management for the Center.
Christine Cheng is the partner relations director at the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center. She is responsible for the provision of outreach to accomplish SCLC’s objectives across its local, state, and national network of partners.
Steven Schroeder, MD, is the director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, which began in 2003. He founded the SCLC after serving as president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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