08-14-2007, 12:24 PM
A 43-year-old man comes to your office for a periodic health maintenance examination. He is a
manager at a local pet store and considers his life high stress. He has no current medical issues and
takes only a multivitamin daily. He smokes one pack of cigarettes per day for the previous 21 years,
drinking social ethanol, but denies any illicit substance abuse. His last fasting cholesterol level is 219
mg/dL. The patient admits to having attempted to quit smoking in the past and is frustrated at his
failure. However, he does not want to talk about “all those risks” associated with smoking
right now. The most accurate statement concerning his likely success at quitting is:
A. After 6 months of abstinence, relapse rates increase dramatically
B. He is likely to gain minimal weight if successful
C. He is likely to gain 25-30 pounds if successful
D. He is likely to quit after 5 or 6 attempts
E. He is likely to quit after the second attempt
manager at a local pet store and considers his life high stress. He has no current medical issues and
takes only a multivitamin daily. He smokes one pack of cigarettes per day for the previous 21 years,
drinking social ethanol, but denies any illicit substance abuse. His last fasting cholesterol level is 219
mg/dL. The patient admits to having attempted to quit smoking in the past and is frustrated at his
failure. However, he does not want to talk about “all those risks” associated with smoking
right now. The most accurate statement concerning his likely success at quitting is:
A. After 6 months of abstinence, relapse rates increase dramatically
B. He is likely to gain minimal weight if successful
C. He is likely to gain 25-30 pounds if successful
D. He is likely to quit after 5 or 6 attempts
E. He is likely to quit after the second attempt