Complementing Current NHS Stop Smoking Service Treatments for Smokers With Behavioural Replacement: The Role of De-nicotinised Cigarettes

The aim of this study is to determine if using a behavioural replacement for smoking (de-nicotinised cigarettes; DNCs), in addition to standard treatment during the first two weeks after the target quit date, can reduce urges to smoke over the first 4-weeks of abstinence. Two hundred smokers who want to quit will be recruited from the community. They would all receive standard smoking cessation treatment from the NHS Stop Smoking Service (NHS SSS), which uses a combination of stop smoking medication (e.g. nicotine replacement therapy, Champix) and motivational support. On their target quit date, participants would be randomised to receive behavioural replacement ( i.e. use of de-nicotinised cigarettes) plus standard treatment for the first two weeks of their quit attempt, or to continue with standard treatment alone. De-nicotinised cigarettes are similar to standard cigarettes except that they do not deliver nicotine to the smoker. Participants will rate their urges to smoke at each week. Standard NHS SSS measures will also be taken in addition to user acceptability ratings and reactions to smoking cues.

The hypothesis is that complementing current NHS SSS treatments with de-nicotinised cigarettes, to address the non-nicotine factors associated with smoking and to help extinguish smoking behaviour, would result in lower urges to smoke than standard treatment alone.