It is estimated that around 75% of clients at residential rehab programs for drug and alcohol addiction are smokers. While it is a fact that nicotine is an addictive substance and clients in rehab for addiction should endeavor to be abstinent from all addictive substances, this can present problems that make enforcing a smoking ban outweigh the advantages of such restrictions. Someone who is addicted to a substance as life threatening as drugs and alcohol might not go to treatment if they must quit smoking cigarettes, so many rehab centers in Ithaca allow smoking with certain restrictions, limitations and in designated areas of their facility.
Some programs allow clients to smoke anywhere, provides it is outside for instance. Some rehab centers have a designated smoking area, which is the only area that clients can smoke. Because nicotine is an addictive substance, even treatment facilities that have a designated area and allow smoking commonly provide alternatives to smoking if the client would like to consider this as an option, such as nicotine replacement gum, patches and prescriptions. There are also programs that allow smoking in designated areas, but provide education on the health risks associated with smoking by integrating this into their program either by way of direct one on one counseling or by offering educational literature for clients to consider. In programs which permit smoking in designated areas this is sometimes only allowed for clients, and staff are sometimes banned from smoking at the center or are encouraged to not smoke in front of clients.
Publicly funded substance abuse treatment centers are obligated by the rules and restrictions in regards to smoking that are enforced by state and federal agencies which oversee and administer these programs. Private treatment centers have a little more leeway and don't have as many restrictions imposed on them, so may be more likely to offer designated areas for smoking.
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