Donate your Cigarettes to Science

The Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory at Oklahoma State University
wants you to donate your cigarettes to science!

Don’t wait until you finish the pack.
Quit Smoking Now!

Relapse is part of the recovery process.

If you stop with just that one “slip” you are much more likely to completely kick the habit.

Keep at it!

When a slip happens, get rid of the cigarettes.  Don't be tempted to finish the pack and don't feel like you failed.  Remember, those people who kick the habit for good have several slips prior to completely quitting.

Approximately 40% of smokers want to quit smoking; however, they often find it difficult to discard an open pack of cigarettes.  Why not donate these unused cigarettes to science?  Your donation will benefit science and help others quit smoking.  The Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory at Oklahoma State University is now accepting donations of full or opened packs of cigarettes.  Your donation will go toward clinical research of nicotine addiction and treatment of smoking*.  Detailed information can be found below and also at www.cnslab.org
Donations can be made by mailing your cigarettes to:

*For sanitary purposes, opened cigarette packs will not be used in treatment research, but will be used in nicotine addiction research (detailed below).
For more information, contact Dr. Dempsey at:
(405) 744-6027
jared.dempsey@okstate.edu

Why is this important?

Relapse is part of recovery. 

It is normal, and part of the recovery process, for a smoker to have slips. In fact, prior to quitting, the average person slips approximately 5 to 7 times. The trick is to stop after those few cigarettes and not finish the pack.  Finishing the pack reinforces the habit behaviorally and re-strengthens the chemical addiction to nicotine.  Finishing the pack will significantly increase the odds of returning to full-time smoking status.  On the other hand, stopping with that one cigarette will significantly increase the odds of quitting for good.  So how can you stop with a few and avoid “wasting money” by throwing them away?  Donate your cigarettes!

How are the Cigarettes Supporting Science?

The CNS Lab is currently amassing a standardized set of photographs of smoking and cigarettes that scientists around the world will be able to use.  Your old cigarettes will be used in creating this database of images.  Using the exact same stimuli in scientific research is critical.  For example, recent smoking research published in the journal Psychopharmacology found that images of cigarettes being finished (e.g., small amount of cigarette remaining, putting out a cigarette) is actually aversive to the smokers brain (Mucha, Pauli, Weber & Winkler, 2008).  This is very important for smoking scientists to consider, as it has been verified that smoking images are reflexively pleasant to the smokers’ brain (Dempsey, Cohen, Hobson & Randall, 2007).  Choosing the wrong images to use in a study could mean confounded results, conclusions, and potentially poor treatment suggestions.  Your cigarettes will be used to create a standardized set of smoking images, which will be made freely available to scientists around the world.

Treatment: Brand-Fading Smoking Cessation Treatment & Addiction

One of the many effective treatments in smoking cessation is a technique called “brand fading.”  Smokers typically love their specific brand and dislike smoking other brands.  The smoker, guided by a healthcare provider, will begin to slowly decrease the number of cigarettes consumed, replacing them with nicotine in pure form (i.e., nicotine gum).  Remember, smoking is a chemical addiction to nicotine.  First, we measure the exact amount of nicotine in the patient’s brand of cigarette.  As they begin the transition from smoking to nicotine replacement, we have them change brands often, each time to a brand that has slightly less nicotine content.  The number of cigarettes consumed continues to decrease and the nicotine replacement continues to increase.  A steady state of nicotine is maintained in the system, significantly reducing the negative effects from nicotine withdrawal. 

Eventually, the ex-smoker will be consuming the exact amount of nicotine per day as when they were smoking, but now in a safe form.  The nicotine replacement can then begin to be decreased.  Because of the pharmacological profile of nicotine replacement – such as nicotine gum – you do not become “addicted” to the gum.  The healthcare provider will have you slowly start decreasing your intake of nicotine gum.  In basic terms, smoking makes nicotine reach your brain within seconds and also leaves your brain very quickly.  Using nicotine replacement (i.e., nicotine gum), nicotine is slowly introduced to your brain, lasts much longer, and slowly leaves your brain.  This is why nicotine is addictive in the smoked form and not in gum form.  Drugs that quickly enter and leave the brain are highly addictive.  It is also very important to remember that nicotine in pure form does not cause cancer (non-carcinogenic)!  Under the supervision of a healthcare provider, it is completely safe to use nicotine replacement. 

Your old cigarettes will be used in smoking cessation treatment, “brand fading” in treatment to a lower level of nicotine, and as a brand other smokers do not prefer.  It is important to note, for sanitary purposes, opened packs will not be used in treatment but will benefit science in the manners described above.

Where to Donate your Cigarettes:

Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory

Dr. Jared P. Dempsey, Director

116 North Murray

Department of Psychology

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, OK 74078-3064