QUIT SMOKING? QUIT DRINKING? WHY NOT QUIT BOTH? Analysis of perceptions among Belgian Postgraduates in Psychiatry

Introduction: Cooncurrent alcohol and tobacco dependency appears to be a common phenomenon yet medical literature often focuses on only one substance at a time when examining the question of withdrawal and illustrates that the evaluation of tobacco consumption appears to be overlooked in psychiatry. Subject and methods: In this study, we analyse perceptions among first-year postgraduates in Psychiatry, before and after training in Motivational Interviewing,with regard to the idea of suggesting that patients might consider simultaneous dual alcohol-tobacco withdrawal. Results: The trend is to disregard the systematic history of substance consumption and to not recommend concurrent alcohol-tobacco withdrawal. Motivational interview training tends to reverse this trend. Discussion: The lessening of the therapist's feeling of powerlessness in the face of relapse is one of the explanatory factors behind this change of approach. A study design is proposed focusing on the patient's perceptions. Conclusion: Guidelines concerning dual alcohol-tobacco withdrawal programs are to be developed