Tobacco Cessation and Addiction Recovery

“Tobacco Cessation and Addiction Recovery” will be presented on Tuesday June 21, 2016, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm; by Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC; Program Coordinator, Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center; and Aaron Suganuma, LLMSW. Despite downward trends in the prevalence of tobacco use in the general population, tobacco use remains a significant problem among people with alcohol/other drug addiction. The conventional wisdom that tobacco use should not be addressed during treatment or in early recovery has been shown to be fallacious. Studies have demonstrated that tobacco cessation has positive effects on recovery and relapse rates, and a smoke-free policy does not adversely affect treatment retention. This program will describe the prevalence of tobacco addiction among people with alcohol and other drug addictions, the relationship between tobacco use and recovery, information on tobacco cessation techniques targeted to people with alcohol/other drug addiction, and suggestions for implementation of tobacco cessation support by addiction treatment programs/professionals. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues; and to dispel the myths, misinformation, secrecy, shame and stigma that prevent chemically dependent individuals and their families from getting help and getting well. The Education Series is designed to help people with alcoholism or other drug addictions to achieve, maintain and strengthen their recovery; assist family members and friends to understand and support recovery in people they care about as well as maintain their own health and well-being; aid professionals and students in various disciplines to work effectively with people with addictions and their families and support their recovery process; and contribute to a community culture supportive of recovery. All programs are free and open to anyone interested. Registration is not required. 1.5 hours of free C.E. approved by NAADAC (National Association for Addiction Professionals) and MCBAP (Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals) is offered for each program. A certificate to document attendance is provided on request. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services.