Response prevention in the treatment of cigarette smoking.

The present study developed and tested a response prevention treatment for cigarette smoking. Response prevention is based on the conditioning theory of addictions. Thirty-nine smokers were divided into two groups, one receiving response prevention and the other a rapid smoking comparison treatment. No significant differences were found between the two treatments in terms of their effectiveness in achieving abstinence or smoking reduction. The abstinence rate at the 6-month follow-up for response prevention was 7% and for rapid smoking was 23%.