Table 1 Gold Standard Programme for smoking and alcohol cessation intervention

Patient education programme

First meeting (before admission)

 ◦ Level of motivation, ambivalence, pros and cons

Second meeting (after 1 week)

 ◦ Dependence, withdrawal symptoms (experience and expectations)

Third meeting (after 2 weeks)

 ◦ Relapse (description and management)

Fourth meeting (after 3 weeks)

 ◦ Benefits of short and long term smoking and/or alcohol abstinence

Fifth meeting (after 5 weeks)

 ◦ Continued smoking abstinence and/or reduced alcohol intake following intervention

At each meeting

Smokers: Personalized Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in accordance with patient preferences and nicotine dependency

Risky drinkers: Thiamine and B-vitamins (300 mg × 7 weekly)

Alcohol withdrawal prophylaxis and treatment (chlordiazepoxide 10 mg as required)

Disulfiram (200 mg × 2 weekly) supervised at weekly meetings (not administrated if patients test positive on breath test)

All: Hemoglobin, liver enzymes and alcohol biomarkers (blood, urine), CO and alcohol breath test, lung function test

The study medication is provided for free and transportation for the weekly meetings will be reimbursed. Patients have telephone access to the research nurse