In an interview with Moscow’s chief freelance psychiatrist and narcologist Anton Masyakin DEA News He stated that nicotine-free cigarettes will not help quit smoking, they will only complicate the process of quitting a bad habit.
“Electronic cigarettes, including nicotine-free ones, will not only help quit smoking, but will also complicate the process.”
According to him, while smoking nicotine-free cigarettes, a person continues to do all the regular activities they do while smoking regular cigarettes, meaning that the neural circuits that provide the behavioral component of smoking continue to receive positive reinforcement and inhibit stereotyped behavior. from smoking change.
“The most effective and proven approach to treating nicotine addiction is a combination of behavioral and pharmacotherapy,” said Masyakin.
He noted that when quitting smoking, it is equally important to stop drinking alcohol, as this runs the risk of causing the addiction to relapse.
Former scientists at the University of Pennsylvania proventhat smoking can lead to brain shrinkage, potentially associated with an increased risk of dementia.