Amaç: Bu çalışmada bir sigara bırakma programının tanıtımı, sonuçlarının incelenmesi ve elde edilen deneyimlerin paylaşılması amaçlanmıştır.
Yöntem: Bakırköy Ruh Sağlığı ve Sinir Hastalıkları Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi AMATEM'de uygulanan ve 4 eğitim seansından oluşan bir Sigara Bırakma Programı'na başvuran 13'ü kadın 17'si erkek toplam 30 hastanın tedavi programının 5 ayı tamamlandıktan sonra yüz yüze görüşme ile veya telefonla sigara içme davranışları öğrenilmiştir.
Bulgular ve tartışma: Hastaların ortalama yaşı 43, sigara kullanım süresi 23 yıl, günlük sigara kullanım miktarı 26, katıldıkları seans sayısı 2'dir. Hastaların % 20'sinin sigarayı bıraktığı, % 36,7'sinin azalttığı, % 43.3'ünün ise sigaraya aynı miktarlarda devam ettiği saptanmıştır. "Sigarayı azaltma ve bırakma oranlan" birlikte ele alındığında ise bu oran 1 seans katılanlar için % 50, 2 seans katılanlar için % 57.1, 3 seans katılanlar için % 60, 4 seans katılanlar için % 66.7'dir. Bu program kolay uygulanan ve yararlı bir programdır. Eğitim seanslarına devam edildiğinde sigara içme davranışında değişme olmaktadır.

Object: Various programs have been designed and different methods have been used to keep smokers free from tobacco. A smoking cessation study was undertaken in Istanbul, Turkey at Bakirkoy Hospital for Mental Disorders for a period of five [month]s, from April 2, 2002 until September 2, 2002. This article aims to evaluate the outcome of the experiment, introduce some basic findings about the program, and share the experience.
Method: Patients accepted in the program are required to attend a total of four education sessions, one each week. The first session is an educational one which provides useful information on such topics as causes of smoking, its harmful effects, and motivation enhancement strategies. It also sets up a definite date for participants to stop smoking. The second session is more practical, it prepares the patients for the process of quitting by tackling difficult issues such as things to do on the first day of quitting, what happens after quitting, signs of nicotine deficiency, how to avoid putting on weight, and how to be self-sufficient. During the third meeting participants in the program are taught how to deal with conditions that bear a high risk of relapse, what skills to acquire to overcome situations like these, and how to prevent self-deception. The fourth session trains patients to evaluate themselves, to measure their improvement, to cope with withdrawal with determination and strong will, advises them what to do in case of slips or lapses, and encourages them to find new hobbies and engage in activities which would create diversions from smoking. We were able to reach 30 of them by phone or face to face to acquire information on the pattern of their smoking behavior. Those who quit smoking, those who cut back, and those who did not change their smoking habits were put into three different groups. Afterwards these three groups were compared and contrasted by looking at statistical differences in sex, age, length of smoking addiction, number of cigarettes consumed daily, existence of prior attempts to quit, accumulated experience, maximum length of smoke-free periods, and fluctuation in anxiety and depression levels.
Results: From those 30 participants, 13 are male, 17 female, their average age is 43, the median period of smoking is 23 [year]s, average daily cigarette consumption is 26 and the mean number of attended sessions is 2. 20 % of the patients (n=6) was stopped smoking, 36.7 % (n=11) was cut back, and 43.3% (n=13) was continued to smoke daily the same number of cigarettes as they did prior to the study. Changes in smoking behavior patterns, if cutting back and quitting categories are evaluated together, indicate that the ratio of success is 50% for those who attended only 1 session, 57 % for those who attended 2 sessions, 60 % for those who attended 3 sessions, and 66.7% for those who attended all of the 4 meetings. It becomes evident that, the more sessions patients attend the less they smoke.
Conclusion: The data we have obtained demonstrates clearly that a smoking cessation program, which provides education, can yield practical results and can be successfully applied to keep smokers free from tobacco.