Information embargoed until midnight on Sunday 25 June 2006
GIVING NICOTINE TO SMOKERS WHILST
STILL SMOKING CAN HELP THEM QUIT
Today (26th June 2006) at the UK National Smoking Cessation Conference, experts are suggesting that one of the best ways to help the 12.5 million UK smokers to quit, is to offer them nicotine in the form of nicotine replacement products, whilst they are still smoking.
Speaking at the conference, Professor John Hughes, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont, USA, says his latest research(1) shows that cutting down the number of cigarettes smoked, with the help of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), can lead to an increase in the number of quit attempts made and in the chances of those quit attempts being successful. This strategy could be useful for smokers who feel they are not quite ready to stop smoking and for those who have tried and failed to stop smoking previously.
Dr Ann McNeill, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London stresses that nicotine replacement therapy products are a less harmful form of nicotine delivery than cigarettes. Dr McNeill says, “Most smokers smoke for the nicotine and if we can find a way of offering smokers nicotine without the lethal chemical compounds in the smoke, we could prevent many of the 100,000 deaths each year that smoking causes.”
However, despite the recent changes to the regulation of NRT products they are still more tightly regulated than cigarettes and much less accessible. Dr McNeill is calling for easier access to NRT products and for example, would like to see them sold alongside cigarettes in corner shops and even pubs.
Jennifer Percival, Royal College of Nursing Tobacco Policy Advisor says, “Nurses need to be aware that the licensing on NRT products has been changed. There is no evidence that nicotine causes cancer. NRT can now be used to help a smoker reduce the amount they smoke before their planned quit date. The new ‘cut down’ option is for those smokers who wish eventually to stop but are not ready to do so abruptly.”
Whilst some argue that offering nicotine is simply perpetuating an addiction and total abstinence would be better, for many smokers this is not an option. This is particularly true in deprived and disadvantaged groups and amongst those with mental health issues, where up to 70% of the population smoke and have greater dependence on nicotine.
The debate remains as to whether NRT products are purely nicotine maintenance or whether they will help people stop smoking. Current evidence is showing that giving nicotine does help quit rates and possible reasons include gradual reduction rather than sudden abstinence, boosted self-esteem and confidence in a product rather than relying on self-motivation alone.
Any nurses unable to attend the conference will be able to find summaries of all the presentations on the UKNSCC website from mid July. Visit www.uknscc.org
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Additional information:
Delegates at the Conference will be the first to see the new 'Manual of Smoking Cessation' hot off the presses. Compiled by Andy McEwen, Peter Hajek, Hayden McRobbie and Robert West - key figures in the field of smoking cessation - the manual provides crucial knowledge for anyone involved in helping smokers to stop. The manual offers facts, figures, suggested interventions and practical advice, as well as sources for further information.
Delegates will be able to buy the manual for £16.00, a 20% reduction on the cover price. Available from book shops, the paperback is published by Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 1405133376.
To view contents and find out more visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/1405133376.
Editors notes:
- The UK National Smoking Cessation Conference (UKNSCC) is the world’s largest annual gathering of smoking cessation practitioners. Held at the Sage Gateshead conference centre, this year, it runs over two days – Monday 26 June and Tuesday 27 June. Every year the conference attracts speakers from Europe, the US and New Zealand.
For more information visit www.uknscc.org
- (1) Carpenter M, Hughes J, Solomon L, Callas P, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2004 Vol 72. No.3. 371-381
- Speakers are available for interviews and filming.
Press Enquiries:
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Mobile 07919 194217. Victoria@vlush.free-online.co.uk
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