Tobacco cessation for individuals in alcohol or substance abuse treatment or recovery

There has been increasing attention to the problem of tobacco addiction in individuals in substance abuse treatment and recovery, as these individuals experience smoking rates much higher than the general population, and as a consequence suffer dramatically more associated tobacco-related disease. We update and expand on a meta-analysis completed in 2004 that assessed the effectiveness of tobacco cessation treatment for individuals in alcohol and substance abuse treatment and recovery. Despite increasing demand for tobacco cessation treatment in substance abuse treatment, reflecting the high rates of smoking and tobacco-related disease in this population, there has been limited systematic assessment of the effectiveness of such treatment or efforts to target trials to under-researched populations. The findings of this review will inform the design of future studies of tobacco cessation treatment as well as provide an assessment of whether the provision of tobacco cessation treatment in these populations should be the standard of care.