Reduction In Nicotine Craving Predicts Ability To Quit Smoking

From Science Daily

The stronger the reduction in nicotine craving after smoking the first cigarette in the morning, the more difficult it will be to quit smoking, according to a Yale School of Medicine study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

In a study of 207 smokers, the researchers found significant reductions in craving, withdrawal and mood after smoking the first cigarette of the day. The greater the craving reduction, the more likely the smoker would relapse, said Benjamin Toll, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and lead author of the study.

“This preliminary study provides evidence that there are significant changes in craving, withdrawal, and affect related to smoking the first cigarette of the day, with the largest of these changes observed for craving,” Toll said. “Moreover, changes in tobacco craving in response to the first cigarette of the day may be a novel predictor of smoking relapse that should be tested in future studies.”

Toll said it is known that smokers who light up immediately after waking are more dependent on nicotine and may have more trouble quitting smoking than those who do not. Existing evidence also suggests that individuals who experience less light-headedness in response to the initial cigarette of the morning are generally heavier smokers with a longer smoking history.

What has not been studied extensively, he said, and what was examined in this study are changes in craving and mood in response to the first cigarette of the day and examining the relationship of these changes to treatment outcome.

The standard measures of dependence include the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, which asks smokers how soon after they wake up do they smoke; do they find it difficult to refrain from smoking in places where it is forbidden; which cigarette do they most hate to give up; how many cigarettes do they smoke daily; is smoking more frequent earlier in the day after waking; and do they smoke when bedridden with an illness. Other measures include time to first cigarette, carbon monoxide in exhaled air, level of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in the blood, daily cigarette consumption, and number of years smoking.

Co-authors include Ty Schepis, Stephanie O’Malley, Sherry McKee, and Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin of Yale. Published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence: (May 2007). The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Yale University.

Help And Resources For Arizona Smokers Looking To Quit As Smoking Ban Takes Effect

From www.medicalnewstoday.com

There are close to one million adult smokers in the state of Arizona. On May 1st, they will have an added incentive to quit as Arizona implements a statewide smoking ban that prohibits indoor smoking in public places and will require a 20-foot smoke free zone around entrances to businesses. Policy changes like the new smoking ban, and the recent 80-cent tax increase, will encourage many to initiate a quit attempt. Many smokers can use these changes to their environment as the motivation they need to try to quit. To give them a better chance of succeeding than going "cold turkey," GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare recommends that they have access to counseling, behavioral support programs, and FDA-approved safe and effective stop-smoking products.

Nearly 70 percent of smokers nationwide want to quit; however, many people wrongly believe they can simply put down their cigarettes and walk away forever. But while "cold turkey" is the most common method people try, it is also the least successful. In fact, 97 percent of all cold turkey quit attempts fail.

"Quitting smoking can be one of the most difficult and most important steps a smoker can take to improve his or her overall health," said Dr. Keith Kaback, Chairman of the Board of the Tucson region American Lung Association, emergency physician at Tucson Medical Center and GSK Consumer Healthcare spokesperson. "With tobacco use being the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., it's important to provide smokers who are interested in quitting with tools and resources to help them quit for good."

Quitters can double their chances of success by using therapeutic nicotine products to help reduce craving and nicotine withdrawal symptoms. GSK Consumer Healthcare's therapeutic nicotine products, Nicorette(R) gum, NicoDerm(R) CQ(R) patch, and Commit(R) lozenge are designed to provide a temporary alternative source of nicotine, without exposing the quitter to the more than 4,000 chemicals and at least 69 known or suspected carcinogens in tobacco smoke. People interested in quitting smoking are encouraged to visit http://www.Way2Quit.com to create a customized smoking cessation plan based upon their habits, behaviors, and motivations for smoking and quitting.

More colleges adopt smoking bans for dorms

News from pennlive.com

Snuffing smoking is becoming a college trend.

Eight Pennsylvania colleges, including Franklin & Marshall College, the University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, have banned smoking in residential housing, according to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. More than 40 colleges nationally have banned smoking on their campuses.

Mary Dubroff, a spokeswoman at F&M, said that the campus discourages smoking and teaches wellness. Tall, black cigarette receptacles sit near many campus buildings to capture the smoke, rather than letting it disperse, Dubroff said.

But some students, such as F&M sophomore Shabab Manzoor, are against the ban.

"The policy is really frigid," Manzoor said. "At the end of the day, it's my choice to smoke or not."

Penn State York senior George Kapterian, a nonsmoker, said he's for the smoking ban at colleges because "it's better for everyone." But he said that he can see both sides of the issue.

"I don't believe students should suffer because of the smokers. But it's not fair to tell smokers what to do and what not to do, either," he said.

Penn State York has designated smoking areas near a few buildings, but there is no smoking in front of any of the building entrances, said Bill Vangreen, director of safety and security. Vangreen said he supports smoking bans to help decrease secondhand smoke.

Kutztown University spokesman Philip Breeze said that a ban would "avoid having one person's habit affect someone else's health." Smoking is prohibited in Kutztown's buildings, but students are allowed to smoke around campus.

Dinesh Asnani, a Penn State Harrisburg senior and nonsmoker, said it's a good idea to have designated smoking areas on campus because that can force smokers to try to quit.

"Smoking is an expensive and unhealthy habit," he said. "If we make it an inconvenience for them, maybe they'll think more about where and when to smoke so they can realize that it's not a good habit."

Penn State Harrisburg prohibits smoking in its buildings, at building entrances and in university vehicles, but designated smoking areas are being considered, said Donald Holtzman, senior director of student life and enrollment services.

"Counseling services for students or faculty who want to quit the habit are also offered," Hevner said. "We all know the dangers of smoking, so limiting it is a good idea."

At Lebanon Valley College, smokers have to be at least 20 feet from campus buildings to puff away, spokeswoman Lauren Cusick said.

"Not smoking tends to make everyone a little healthier and happier," said Elwood Brandt, an LVC resident assistant and junior. A ban "motivates smokers to quit, and I wouldn't mind if it happened here, too," he said.

Marin Bendoritis, a Penn State Harrisburg freshman in the public policy program, believes that a smoking ban on campus would be unfair but supports the idea of designated smoking areas. She considers herself to be a social smoker.

"I would definitely disobey a complete smoking ban policy and try to fight it because then we have nowhere to go for a few quick puffs between classes," she said.

Like Bendoritis, freshman Joseph McAndrew, studying advertising and public relations at Penn State Harrisburg, said he wouldn't obey a smoking ban because it violates his freedom of choice.

At Elizabethtown College, there are no designated smoking areas or restrictions to smoking outdoors, spokeswoman Mary Dolheimer said. But "smokers usually are courteous enough to nonsmokers" when they smoke, she said.

Not many students complain openly about smokers, college officials said.

"Students only complain when smokers stand right in front of building entrances, but even then they are considerate enough to move out of the way," said Roger Serr, acting vice president for student affairs at Shippensburg University.

Harrisburg Area Community College's building and grounds committee is considering the issue of smoking on campus, said Patrick Early, executive director of public relations.

"Many times, students don't put out their cigarettes, and the materials stay on the ground for a very long time, so it becomes a littering issue," Early said.