THE EFFECT OF CHEWING GUM ON TOBACCO WITHDRAWAL

When smokers are in situations where smoking is prohibited, chewing gu m is believed to reduce cravings to smoke. However, there is little sc ientific evidence to support this widely held assumption. The present study assessed craving for a cigarette and nicotine withdrawal in 20 d ependent cigarette smokers under one of two conditions. All subjects s moked an initial cigarette upon arrival to the experimental session an d were informed that they would not be allowed to smoke for the remain der of the session. The session consisted of each subject watching a m ovie, then waiting an additional 30 minutes. Half of the subjects were assigned to a Gum Condition where they were given free access to chew ing gum throughout the experimental session; half were assigned to a N o-Gum Control. Nicotine withdrawal was assessed immediately following the movie (Time 1) and again 30 minutes later (Time 2). Results from t his study indicate that chewing gum reduces craving and helps with wit hdrawal when a nicotine-dependent person cannot smoke. (C) 1997 Elsevi er Science Ltd.