Lou Portero

Urban Health Today

<div class="flex-1 flex flex-col gap-3 px-4 max-w-3xl mx-auto w-full pt-1">
<div data-test-render-count="1">
<div class="group relative -tracking-[0.015em] pb-3" data-is-streaming="false">
<div class="font-claude-message relative leading-[1.65rem] [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-0.5 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-border-400 [&amp;_.ignore-pre-bg&gt;div]:bg-transparent [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8">
<div class="grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0">
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">A large clinical trial examining smoking cessation strategies for people with substance use disorders found that e-cigarettes and combination nicotine replacement therapy produced similar quit rates when combined with behavioral counseling.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The pragmatic randomized controlled trial recruited 363 participants from five smoke-free inpatient alcohol and drug withdrawal services across Australia. Participants were heavy smokers motivated to quit who received either a 12-week supply of e-cigarettes or combination nicotine replacement therapy along with telephone counseling support after discharge.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">At nine months of follow-up, 11% of participants in the e-cigarette group achieved seven months of continuous smoking abstinence compared to 10% in the nicotine replacement therapy group. This difference was not statistically significant, with researchers concluding there was little evidence of any treatment effect between the two approaches.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The study population had characteristics that typically make smoking cessation challenging. Most participants had mental health conditions alongside their substance use disorders, with 85% receiving government benefits as their primary income. Alcohol was the predominant substance of concern for 78% of participants, and baseline smoking averaged 20 cigarettes daily.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">Despite the lack of difference between treatments, both groups showed promising results compared to typical outcomes for this population. The 10% sustained quit rate represents a substantial improvement over the near-universal return to smoking typically seen within 24 hours of discharge from smoke-free facilities.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">Secondary outcomes supported the primary findings, with similar rates of 30-day abstinence, cigarette reduction, and withdrawal symptoms between groups. Safety profiles were comparable, with 15 serious adverse events in the e-cigarette group and 13 in the nicotine replacement group, none deemed treatment-related.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The researchers noted that providing any evidence-based smoking cessation support to people leaving substance use treatment facilities represents an important opportunity. The study suggests that offering free nicotine therapies combined with quitline counseling could significantly reduce smoking rates in this high-risk population.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">These findings indicate that both e-cigarettes and combination nicotine replacement therapy are viable options for supporting smoking cessation in people with substance use disorders when combined with behavioral support.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="absolute bottom-0 right-2 pointer-events-none">
<div class="rounded-lg transition min-w-max pointer-events-auto translate-x-2 translate-y-full pt-2"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="ml-1 mt-0.5 flex items-center transition-transform duration-300 ease-out">
<div class="text-text-400 pt-5 flex-1 text-right text-[0.65rem] leading-[0.85rem] tracking-tighter sm:text-[0.75rem]"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-hidden="true"></div>
</div>
<div class="sticky bottom-0 mx-auto w-full pt-6 z-[5]"></div>
<div class="post-references"><h3>References</h3><div data-test-render-count="1">
<div>
<div class="group relative -tracking-[0.015em] pb-3" data-is-streaming="false">
<div class="font-claude-message relative leading-[1.65rem] [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-0.5 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-border-400 [&amp;_.ignore-pre-bg&gt;div]:bg-transparent [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8">
<div>
<div class="grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0">
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Reference:</strong> Bonevski B, Rich J, Lubman DI, et al. Nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation following discharge from smoke-free inpatient alcohol and other drug withdrawal services: a pragmatic two-arm, single-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Public Health. 2025;10(7):e463-e476.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="ml-1 mt-0.5 flex items-center transition-transform duration-300 ease-out">
<div class="text-text-400 pt-5 flex-1 text-right text-[0.65rem] leading-[0.85rem] tracking-tighter sm:text-[0.75rem]">https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00101-X/fulltext</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="flex-1 flex flex-col gap-3 px-4 max-w-3xl mx-auto w-full pt-1">
<div data-test-render-count="1">
<div class="group relative -tracking-[0.015em] pb-3" data-is-streaming="false">
<div class="font-claude-message relative leading-[1.65rem] [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-0.5 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-border-400 [&amp;_.ignore-pre-bg&gt;div]:bg-transparent [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8">
<div class="grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0">
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">A large clinical trial examining smoking cessation strategies for people with substance use disorders found that e-cigarettes and combination nicotine replacement therapy produced similar quit rates when combined with behavioral counseling.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The pragmatic randomized controlled trial recruited 363 participants from five smoke-free inpatient alcohol and drug withdrawal services across Australia. Participants were heavy smokers motivated to quit who received either a 12-week supply of e-cigarettes or combination nicotine replacement therapy along with telephone counseling support after discharge.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">At nine months of follow-up, 11% of participants in the e-cigarette group achieved seven months of continuous smoking abstinence compared to 10% in the nicotine replacement therapy group. This difference was not statistically significant, with researchers concluding there was little evidence of any treatment effect between the two approaches.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The study population had characteristics that typically make smoking cessation challenging. Most participants had mental health conditions alongside their substance use disorders, with 85% receiving government benefits as their primary income. Alcohol was the predominant substance of concern for 78% of participants, and baseline smoking averaged 20 cigarettes daily.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">Despite the lack of difference between treatments, both groups showed promising results compared to typical outcomes for this population. The 10% sustained quit rate represents a substantial improvement over the near-universal return to smoking typically seen within 24 hours of discharge from smoke-free facilities.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">Secondary outcomes supported the primary findings, with similar rates of 30-day abstinence, cigarette reduction, and withdrawal symptoms between groups. Safety profiles were comparable, with 15 serious adverse events in the e-cigarette group and 13 in the nicotine replacement group, none deemed treatment-related.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">The researchers noted that providing any evidence-based smoking cessation support to people leaving substance use treatment facilities represents an important opportunity. The study suggests that offering free nicotine therapies combined with quitline counseling could significantly reduce smoking rates in this high-risk population.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">These findings indicate that both e-cigarettes and combination nicotine replacement therapy are viable options for supporting smoking cessation in people with substance use disorders when combined with behavioral support.</p>
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words">
</p></div>
</div>
<div class="absolute bottom-0 right-2 pointer-events-none">
<div class="rounded-lg transition min-w-max pointer-events-auto translate-x-2 translate-y-full pt-2"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="ml-1 mt-0.5 flex items-center transition-transform duration-300 ease-out">
<div class="text-text-400 pt-5 flex-1 text-right text-[0.65rem] leading-[0.85rem] tracking-tighter sm:text-[0.75rem]"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-hidden="true"></div>
</div><div class="sticky bottom-0 mx-auto w-full pt-6 z-[5]"></div><div class="post-references"><h3>References</h3><div data-test-render-count="1">
<div>
<div class="group relative -tracking-[0.015em] pb-3" data-is-streaming="false">
<div class="font-claude-message relative leading-[1.65rem] [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-0.5 [&amp;_pre&gt;div]:border-border-400 [&amp;_.ignore-pre-bg&gt;div]:bg-transparent [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&amp;&gt;div&gt;div&gt;:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8">
<div>
<div class="grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0">
<p class="whitespace-normal break-words"><strong>Reference:</strong> Bonevski B, Rich J, Lubman DI, et al. Nicotine e-cigarettes for smoking cessation following discharge from smoke-free inpatient alcohol and other drug withdrawal services: a pragmatic two-arm, single-blinded, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Public Health. 2025;10(7):e463-e476.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="ml-1 mt-0.5 flex items-center transition-transform duration-300 ease-out">
<div class="text-text-400 pt-5 flex-1 text-right text-[0.65rem] leading-[0.85rem] tracking-tighter sm:text-[0.75rem]">https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00101-X/fulltext</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Crystal M. Glover, PhD

Dr. Crystal M. Glover on Key Protective Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's & Dementia

E-cigarettes Show No Advantage Over Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smoking Cessation

Public Health

Understanding Hair Loss During Menopause: New Research Reveals Key Connections

Menopause

Latest News

The 10% sustained quit rate represents a substantial improvement over the near-universal return to smoking typically seen within 24 hours of discharge from smoke-free facilities.