Odyssey House Goes Tobacco-Free

In an effort to enhance the health and wellness of our residents and staff, all Odyssey House programs will become smoke-free as of July 24, 2008. Residents, as well as staff members who wish to quit, will receive education and support on tobacco independence, including nicotine replacement therapy, at little to no cost.

The policy is in concert with a new guideline from the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) requiring all substance abuse prevention and treatment programs that are funded or certified by OASAS to become tobacco-free starting this summer.

Odyssey House is an enthusiastic supporter of the policy, which is part of the organization's integrated wellness initiative. "This regulation fits into our culture of promoting health and well-being," said Dr. Frank Dominelli, director of health care and admissions.

Steps to stopping smoking

Odyssey House has taken several steps to prepare for the shift in regulatory policy and its clinical implications. All staff members attended an informational seminar led by Dr. Steven Kipnis, medical director of OASAS, entitled "Tobacco Myths and Myth-Understandings," and an internal consumer advisory council has been working on integrating the policy into existing services, in preparation for the July kick off.

Milton Slaughter, an admissions supervisor, is spearheading efforts to educate his colleagues on the new policy and garner their support. He is responsible for providing posters, pamphlets, DVDs and other materials about tobacco independence to staff and residents. A lifelong smoker, he became involved in the tobacco-free initiative through the encouragement of Dr. Dominelli, who saw it as an opportunity to help Mr. Slaughter quit smoking.

"It's a strategy that seems to be working," says Mr. Slaughter. "I smoked a pack-and-a-half every day for more than 30 years. I made up my mind to stop when I got involved in this initiative and haven't had a cigarette since."

Smoking and substance abuse

The new regulation from OASAS makes New York the first state to require all substance abuse prevention and treatment programs to be tobacco-free. "This is a very bold initiative that is really changing the face of drug treatment in New York," said Dr. Kipnis.

Smoking is a particular problem for those with substance abuse problems. Studies have shown that as many as 92 percent of those struggling with chemical or alcohol addiction also smoke, compared with 19 percent of the general population in New York state.

"For years in the treatment of addiction it was thought that treating tobacco dependence would put unfair pressure on the patient working toward recovery," said OASAS Commissioner Karen Carpenter-Palumbo. "We now know that's not true. Including tobacco dependence while treating other addictions actually leads to higher recovery success rates. We need to focus on the overall wellness of our patients and not ignore this deadly addiction."

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