Why CGE Has Been Smoke-Free — and Why the Research Is Confirming It Was the Right Move
At The Center for Great Expectations (CGE), we have maintained a smoke-free campus for years. For us, it’s more than a policy, it’s a deeply held belief: Recovery is most effective when barriers to health are removed while meeting people where they are. This means addressing tobacco use, one of the most overlooked and most harmful addictions.
Recent research is now affirming what we’ve long believed: smoke-free treatment environments don’t just support wellness, they can significantly improve recovery outcomes.
Cutting Through the Paradox: Why Smoking Matters in Addiction Recovery
Historically, many addiction treatment programs have allowed smoking, often out of concern that addressing nicotine might overwhelm people already working to stabilize their lives. But emerging science is challenging that assumption.
A recent study highlighted by WRD News found that treatment centers that adopt tobacco-free protocols experience 25% higher recovery rates compared to conventional models. This is a powerful finding, and an important one.
Why? Because tobacco is not a harmless coping tool. It is often a hidden but lethal addiction. Research shows that more than half of individuals who complete traditional substance use treatment eventually die from tobacco-related illnesses.
This isa heartbreaking reality: people may recover from one substance, only to lose their lives because nicotine dependence was never addressed.
Harm Reduction and Smoke-Free Care: Not Opposites, Partners
At CGE, being smoke-free does not mean being rigid, punitive, or abstinence-only. In fact, our approach is rooted in harm reduction therapy, a research-supported framework that recognizes healing happens in stages.
Harm reduction acknowledges that:
- Recovery is not linear
- People heal at different paces
- Reducing harm is meaningful progress — even when full abstinence isn’t immediate
Within this framework, addressing tobacco use makes sense. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, and eliminating it reduces harm immediately, without requiring someone to be “perfect” or completely substance-free to begin healing.
Being smoke-free doesn’t mean lacking compassion. It means offering support, including education, counseling, and nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), while creating an environment that protects health and reinforces long-term wellbeing.
What Science Is Showing: When Tobacco Cessation and Recovery Go Together
Quitting smoking predicts stronger recovery from other addictions.
A large NIH/NIDA analysis found that individuals who quit smoking had 42% greater odds of sustained remission from non-tobacco substances.
Smoking cessation interventions improve long-term recovery outcomes.
Meta-analyses show that offering tobacco cessation during addiction treatment is associated with a 25% increase in abstinence from alcohol and other substances over 6–12 months.
Tobacco-free policies work in real-world programs.
In California’s Tobacco Free for Recovery initiative, residential programs implemented smoke-free grounds while expanding access to NRT. Smoking prevalence among clients dropped from approximately 54% to 26%.
Long-term studies show better outcomes for people who quit smoking.
A four-year longitudinal study (PATH Study) found that individuals who transitioned from current to former smokers had significantly better substance-use outcomes overall.
Importantly, these improvements occurred without harming recovery and often while supporting broader healing goals.
At CGE, Smoke-Free Isn’t Just a Rule — It’s Part of Healing
Our smoke-free environment is one piece of a larger, trauma-informed, harm-reduction-aligned approach to care.
Physical health matters.
Residents are rebuilding their lives, bodies, minds, and relationships. Reducing tobacco exposure protects long-term health and lowers preventable disease risk.
Supportive, not punitive.
Smoke-free living at CGE is about support, not shame. We emphasize education, coping skills, and therapeutic alternatives, not punishment.
Integrated care.
When nicotine dependence isn’t ignored or minimized, we treat the whole person. This aligns with both harm reduction principles and the latest research.
Sustainable recovery.
Removing tobacco reduces a major long-term health risk and helps residents build healthier routines that last beyond treatment.
Final Thought
At CGE, we believe in recovery with dignity, flexibility, and care. Our smoke-free campus isn’t about control, it’s about giving people the strongest possible foundation for healing. Harm reduction teaches us that progress matters, health matters, and every step toward wellness counts.
Now, the research is catching up: by refusing to accept tobacco as “just another habit,” and by supporting clients with compassion and evidence-based care, we are helping build healthier, longer, and more hopeful futures.
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