Collegiate Times

?When I did quit, I was so used to having one while driving in my car that when I got into my car I would drive with my hand in the formation of having a cigarette in it,? said Katie Facada, a recent marketing major alum at Virginia Tech. That was in high school. Now just graduated college, Facada is still smoking, even though she knows the possible long-term effects and damage.

But as studies have proven, not lighting up can be hard to do. Not only is this due to the addicting substance of nicotine that is found in cigarettes, but also the psychological dependency that comes with smoking, according to Jon Fritsch, a health counselor of Schiffert Health Center.

?To go from having 20 cigarettes a day to none at all is a huge lifestyle change,? Fritsch said. ?Even if it was another behavior that did not have the addicting component of nicotine, if an act is repeated 20 times a day, it would seem strange if a person suddenly stopped doing that behavior one day.?

John Shelton, a physician at the Schiffert Health Center agreed with Fritsch by making a clear distinction between the physical and psychological dependency of cigarettes. While the physical addiction implies that withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, nausea, and headaches may occur; the psychological dependency is much more related to the behavior and the mind, Shelton said.

For some wanting to quit the habit, it is much easier because of this distinction. While psychologically the person may want the cigarette, it is not physically needed. This was the case for Zack Shepard, a senior engineer major who quit slowly by cutting down his cigarette intake.

?I phased it out because I no longer had a desire for it,? said Shepard. ?I don?t think I was ever really addicted to it. It was something I did because it felt good. Now I don?t care for it like I did. When I?m not drinking, I don?t really like being around it at all.?

For those who can?t kick the habit quite so easily, there is still hope for successful quitting. Nicotine Replacement Therapy offers one method, but another method for those in it for the long haul is the new prescription drug, Zyban.

Unlike with nicotine patches or nicotine gum, Zyban contains no nicotine at all. Instead of satisfying the craving for nicotine by using other forms of it, Zyban stops the need for the craving in the brain by blocking certain receptor sites that are screaming for the nicotine.

?Tobacco is extremely addictive because it satisfies certain receptors in the brain,? Shelton said. Most of these receptors, according to Shelton, live in the same area of the brain as receptors for other drugs, including native endorphins and encephala. When a smoker lights up, the nicotine attaches to these receptors and acts similarly endorphins. Once the nicotine slackens, the need for another cigarette (and its nicotine) sets in if physically dependent. Zyban helps prevent this by sitting on some of these same receptors, blocking them and thus breaks the cycle of needing.

Originally prescribed to patients as a mild anti-depressant to help anxiety disorders, doctors noticed the beneficial side effect it had of stopping cravings as well, said Jon Shelton, a physician at Schiffert Health Center.

Although very effective, the prescription drug doesn?t come without a warning label. Fritsch warns that the person must have a plan to stop smoking, and be properly motivated.

?Zyban does not mean success,? said Fritsch. ?The worst thing is to give Zyban to someone who is fiddling around. The person has to ask his or herself, ?Can I conceptualize myself as a non-smoker in 10 years?? Sometimes smokers are dabbling in quitting, which is not a bad thing. They are learning more about their addiction, and discovering things to do to stop. But the Zyban isn?t going to make them quit. It will relieve many nicotine cravings, but a smoker has to do much more than simply take Zyban if they are going to become a lifetime non-smoker.?

If behavioral changes can be made, then Zyban eases the transitioning stage when the brain wants the nicotine the most. Fritsch also suggests seeing a health counselor beforehand since ?many believe that they will quit smoking because given Zyban. Too many people think of it as a magic bullet.?

Andrew Friel, a winter graduate in management at Virginia Tech, can attest to Fritcsh?s statement, as he is one of those patients. Prescribed Zyban, Friel stopped the dosage six weeks early because he thought he had it beat. After a week, he felt as though he?d never smoked in his life. He had no cravings, even when surrounded by a group of smokers.

After five months of not taking the medication, Friel began smoking again. If it were not for the expense of the medication (without insurance, a 30 day supply can cost up to $182), Friel said he would ?definitely use it again. It worked a lot better than the patch.?

Attempting to quit over two dozen times, Friel also admits that his motivation to stay a non-smoker is not high. ?I can't really remember how I started taking Zyban, but I'm sure my mom had something to do with it. I don't usually go to such efforts to quit.?

For those who have tried to quit in the past and used other methods, but failed, Fritsch believes Zyban can make a huge impact in the beginning stages of quitting, if the patient is serious.

?Zyban will eliminate most cravings for nicotine,? Fritsch said, ?which helps the person make the behavioral changes necessary, but Zyban is only a small part of the quitting process.?

Along with taking the medication, Fritsch said a person must have a plan, be motivated. It is also suggested by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion not to quit during very stressful time periods in one?s life and to adapt new behaviors to replace the behavior of smoking.

Shelton agreed that while Zyban was not the only way to quit, for smokers that wanted to stop for life, it helped drastically reduce the withdrawal symptoms. ?People seem to be happy with it (Zyban),? said Shelton. ?There really is no substitute in the end. With Nicotine Replacement Therapy, a person can be chewing Nicorette gum, and a year later still chewing the gum to get that nicotine kick.?

Breaking the addictive cycle, according to Shelton, is the only way to really kill the nicotine habit, which Zyban can help accomplish, but as Fritsch emphasizes is only a piece of the puzzle. The rest is up to the smoker to solve.