New Research in Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine addiction is like any addiction - difficult to treat without the right tools or resources. Often times, people who use nicotine have tried to quit numerous times. For some, it is easy. But for others, overcoming their nicotine is difficult.

At the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction (CIRNA), faculty conducts numerous studies to understand the nature of nicotine addiction and identify effective methods to treat nicotine dependence.

Robert Schnoll, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania who is working to understand nicotine addiction, and new ways to treat it.

"We have completed many studies of different treatments for smoking and continue to conduct studies in this area," says Dr. Schnoll. "Some of our work focuses on identifying methods for improving how smokers respond to existing FDA-approved medications, such as potentially tailoring the selection of treatments to individual smokers based on genetic characteristics or evaluating how longer-term treatment improves outcomes."

Overall, smokers interested in quitting are more likely to be successful if they utilize FDA-approved medications and professional behavioral counseling.

Dr. Schnoll adds: "We encourage smokers interested in quitting to contact our program (1-877-513-QUIT) or contact the Philadelphia quit-line for more information (1-800-QUIT-NOW)."