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Utah to ban smoking for drug rehab patients

By Staff Writer

Drug rehab programs can be beneficial for addicts who are looking to turn their lives around. However, indulging in legal substances, such as cigarettes, can hinder the recovery process. In an effort to make treatment more successful, Utah health officials are asking experts to prevent patients from smoking during the recovery process.

A new program is being established in an attempt to make health department campuses across the state smoke-free, according to the Associated Press. Noreen Heid, who is the manager of the program, told the news source that drug rehab centers give individuals the perfect opportunity to kick their addiction to nicotine. Because most of the patients are admitted to confront their substance dependency, there is a window open to address smoking.

Experts say that nicotine addiction may be responsible for relapses as well. Individuals who are suffering from a mental illness alongside their drug dependency may rely on cigarettes as a way to self-medicate and ease anxiety. Patients with mental health problems are at least three times more likely to smoke than the national average.

More than 20 percent of adults in the U.S. were regular smokers in 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug rehab centers can help individuals detoxify over time.