Smoke-free Europe in the year 2000: nongovernmental action (smoking cessation treatment).

Tobacco control has to be performed by following a comprehensive approach. This approach means a variety of strategies including health education and public information, smoking cessation, legislation, price policy, and taxation. It is the responsibility of the health care system to provide treatment for those who are nicotine addicted. There is now sufficient scientific background for cessation to be implemented much more than before. Cessation means offering a wide variety of techniques and methods for different target groups, and providing different organizational structures with different levels of assistance for the smoker. A diversified system of techniques to help the smoker to stop includes the following. Methods to help the already highly motivated, low-dependent smoker (mass media-assisted techniques, simple brochures, self-help techniques) Methods to help motivated, rather highly dependent smokers (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy) Basic for all the other intervention techniques are methods to create and maintain motivation (health education, public information, public education).