Abitudine al fumo di tabacco e adesione a stereotipi anticessazione

Introduction. Tabacco addiction is defined by the DSM IV as a pathological dependency. Tobacco use causes 5.000.000 deaths yearly, 80-90,000 in Italy. Frequently, smokers underestimate the harm caused by smoke and resort to the use of stereotypes in order to to justify, to themselves and to others, their behaviour. Methods. During the period between October 2005 and March 2006, a form containing 22 stereotypes was distributed to 140 subjects: 70 from the Respiratory Physiopathology Service of our hospital, considered as the ÒsickÓ subjects (group A) and 70 subjects who had contacted the anti-smoking therapeutic program of the same hospital. Results. The subjects who voluntarily went into a smoking-cessation program had a more objective view of the tobacco problem than those subjects who had not matured a choice to stop smoking, even though they were afflicted by smoke related pathologies (group A). In fact, from a qualitative point of view, the subjects of group A tended to use almost all the proposed stereotypes more frequently, even if the quantitative difference in the answers was not significant. Conclusions. This research confirms that the smoker is often ÒforcedÓ not to the face reality, in order to take refuge in a state of incomplete awareness, in order to continue to satisfy his dependence, trying to minimize his discomforts and sense of guilt.