Tobacco Cessation and Recovery
Improving the Overall Health of Individuals in the Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Treatment Systems
Research shows that more than 75 percent of people diagnosed with severe mental illness or substance use disorder consume tobacco products. Traditional approaches to tobacco cessation have not been effective with this population. Yet, two-thirds of these tobacco users say they would accept help with quitting if that help were made available and was designed to meet their needs.
Since 2005, Ohio's Departments of Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services have worked together to tailor tobacco dependence treatment services to the needs of individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders. A two-year pilot study was conducted to explore the feasibility of implementing tobacco dependence treatment within Ohio’s treatment systems.
During 2007, these state agencies partnered with the Center for Evidence Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University (SAMI CCOE) to promote tobacco cessation treatment in community behavioral health service settings across Ohio. This initiative is called TRAC (Tobacco: Recovery Across the Continuum). To learn more, read the TRAC overview.