Addiction
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Mediators of the effect of nicotine pre-treatment on quitting smoking.
Using smoking cessation medications for several weeks prior to quitting smoking facilitates quitting success, but how it does so is not clear. Candidate theories are that pre-cessation medication enhances self-efficacy, facilitates medication adherence post-quit, induces aversion to smoking, reduces reward from smoking or reduces the drive to smoke. We investigated these pathways using data from a large trial of nicotine pre-loading, using mediation analysis. ⋯ Nicotine pre-loading appears to facilitate smoking abstinence by reducing urges to smoke and smoke intake before quitting and urges to smoke after quitting.