Laura M. Juliano

Introduction: Cigarette taste is a central component of the rewarding effects of smoking. It has been suggested that foods and beverages may alter the taste of cigarettes. However, little is known about the relationship between foods and cigarette taste. Methods: The present investigation assessed smokers' perceptions of how different foods and beverages affect cigarette taste using a newly developed 23-item questionnaire administered as part of a parent study that recruited a balanced sample of Black and White and menthol and non-menthol smokers (N = 100). Results: Some foods and beverages were perceived as enhancing (e.g., alcohol, coffee, beef) or worsening (e.g., milk/dairy, vegetables, fruits) the reported taste of cigarettes regardless of race and menthol smoking status. For some foods and beverages there were differences in ratings based on menthol status or race, but no interactions. There were also differences in some food consumption frequencies based on race and/or menthol status. Conclusions: Foods may differentially affect cigarette taste, which could affect both smoking and dietary choices. Future research should examine the relationship between food and smoking taste and reward with larger and more diverse samples as any effects of foods on cigarette taste could have important public health implications.

Introduction: Mindful attention to breath (MAB) is a common component of mindfulness-based interventions for smoking. Other types of breathing strategies including taking deep breaths, diaphragmatic breathing, and yogic breathing have also been advised for smoking cessation. Surprisingly, there has been little research directly investigating the efficacy of breathing techniques on smoking outcomes. The aim of this laboratory study was to test the effects of MAB with and without a controlled yogic breathing component on smoking behavior. Methods: Twelve-hour abstinent daily smokers ( N = 33; 39% female; M = 9.61 cigarettes per day; 67% African American) were randomly assigned to a 20-min intervention consisting of (1) MAB, (2) mindful Ujjayi yogic breathing (MYB), or (3) no treatment (NT). Results: Compared with NT, MAB (Hazard ratio [ HR ] = 0.187, p = 0.023) and MYB ( HR = 0.266, p = 0.048) both reduced the risk of smoking during a 50-min smoking versus money choice task. Furthermore, the MAB group reported significantly greater postmanipulation serenity (i.e., relaxed, calm, and at ease) than MYB and NT. No differences among the conditions were observed for ratings of smoking craving, affect, or withdrawal symptoms. Qualitative data indicated high acceptability of the MAB exercise with participants reporting uniformly positive descriptors of MAB in terms of satisfaction (e.g., “relaxing”), utility (e.g., “very helpful”), and ease of use (“not at all difficult”). Discussion: Findings suggest MAB is an easily disseminable and cost-effective strategy that may promote smoking abstinence and should be further explored.

Despite public health efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption, children’s intake continues to exceed recommendations. While numerous barriers to lowering sugary drink consumption have been identified, aversive feelings during sugary drink cessation may further challenge sustained reduction in children’s sugary drink consumption. Herein, we describe “Stop the Pop”, an intervention to examine children’s physical and emotional responses during three days of sugary drink cessation. Children (n = 150) ages 8–14, who reported habitual consumption of ≥12 ounces of sugary drinks daily, were instructed to avoid sweetened beverages for three days. At baseline and on each day of cessation, children completed a daily feelings questionnaire, and a subset of children (n = 30) also completed a qualitative interview following cessation. During sugary drink cessation, children reported physical and emotional improvements, including being less tired, angry, and annoyed; having less trouble sleeping; and less frequently arguing with others, getting in trouble, and getting mad. However, unfavorable responses, such as mood disturbances and having less energy, were reported by some participants. Our results suggest that children who habitually consume sugary drinks may experience physical and emotional improvements during short-term sugary drink cessation, although longer-term examination is needed and inter-individual variability in responses to cessation warrants further study.

Objective: Smoking reexposure after a quit attempt (i.e., lapse) increases relapse risk, but lapse recovery is possible. Using a 6-day analogue model of smoking cessation and lapse, this study tested the effect of a single lapse cigarette on the risk of subsequent smoking. Abstinence self-efficacy (ASE) and depressive symptoms (using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, CES-D) were also examined as hypothesized moderators of lapse recovery. Method: After receiving cessation counseling and achieving 2 days of incentivized abstinence, 54 daily smokers (mean age: 41 years, 61% African American, 63% male) were randomly assigned to smoke 1 cigarette or to a no-lapse control condition. Participants were then offered monetary incentives to abstain for 3 more days and smoking was monitored. Results: Compared to the control condition, participants who experienced a lapse had a 2.5 times greater risk of smoking in the first 24 hours Furthermore, a lapse resulted in much greater risk of subsequent smoking compared to the control condition among individuals with lower postquit ASE scores (p = .044) and greater CES-D scores (p = .040). Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence that a single lapse cigarette after quitting plays a causal role in subsequent smoking and suggest that individuals with lower postquit ASE and greater depressive symptoms are less likely to recover from a lapse. Future research should investigate factors associated with lapse recovery and failure so that effective lapse-responsive strategies can be developed. Laboratory models provide an efficient and controlled method to examine such processes.

Introduction: It has been suggested that menthol increases exposure to harmful elements of smoking and makes smoking more rewarding, easier to initiate, and harder to quit. Isolating the direct effects of menthol is challenging as African American (AA) race and menthol preference are highly overlapping. This study evaluated smoking behavior and subjective responses among a balanced sample of AA and white menthol and non-menthol smokers. In addition, smoking topography (ST) was compared to naturalistic smoking (NS) and interactions with menthol and race were explored.Aims and Methods: Smokers (N = 100) smoked and rated their preferred brand of cigarettes via ST or NS during two laboratory visits (counterbalanced).Results: Controlling for baseline differences among the groups (eg, nicotine dependence), menthol smokers took shorter and smaller puffs and AA smokers took longer puffs, but there were no differences in total puff volume, carbon monoxide, or other ST parameters. Menthol smokers reported greater urge reduction and lower sensory stimulation. The smoking method (ST vs. NS) had no effects on smoking behavior or exposure. Cigarettes smoked via ST were rated stronger. Differences in satisfaction based on the smoking method interacted with race and menthol status. Ratings of aversion differed by race and menthol status.Conclusions: Menthol was not associated with increased smoke exposure or reward (except for urge reduction). ST caused minimal experimental reactivity relative to NS. Additional research that isolates the effects of menthol and examines potential interactive effects with race and other variables is needed to better understand its role in smoking-related health disparities.Implications: Menthol and non-menthol smokers differed on some demographic variables and menthol preference was associated with greater nicotine dependence and greater urge reduction after smoking. Menthol was not associated with greater smoke exposure. Future research that investigates the unique risks associated with menthol and examines potential interactive effects with race and other related variables is warranted to better understand the role of menthol in smoking-related health disparities.

Breathing practices are often incorporated into treatments for tobacco dependence, but there is little direct research testing the efficacy of breathing practices. This study examined the effects of a mindfulness-based yogic breathing (MB) intervention versus active treatment (cognitive strategy [CS]) and no-treatment (NT) control groups on craving, affect, withdrawal, and smoking behavior. Smokers (N = 60; 50% female; 83% African American) were randomized to receive 20 min of MB, CS, or NT. Participants completed self-report measures before and after the manipulation and then took part in a 50-min smoking choice procedure. Afterward, participants were advised to use the techniques they learned and self-monitor smoking for 24 hr. They received 3 reminder text messages and returned to the lab the following day. MB and CS were more effective than NT in decreasing craving to smoke and perceived nicotine withdrawal. MB, but not CS, was more effective than NT in reducing negative affect. MB reduced the risk of smoking by more than twofold relative to both CS and NT during the smoking choice procedure. Participants in the MB condition smoked fewer cigarettes than those in the CS and NT conditions in the 24 hr following the manipulation. There were no differential effects of the manipulations on state mindfulness or positive affect. Mindful yogic breathing appears to be particularly effective in alleviating the acute negative effects of smoking abstinence and decreasing smoking behavior. Mindful breathing techniques are safe, simple, and cost-effective strategies that deserve additional research attention, especially among underserved populations of smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: This study investigated psychological influences on drug withdrawal symptomatology using a caffeine‐based model.Methods: Using the 2 × 2 balanced placebo design caffeine dose (given caffeinated vs decaffeinated coffee) was crossed with dose expectancy (told caffeine vs. decaf) among 87 (16‐hr abstinent) regular coffee consumers in a 2‐day study.Results: There were effects of expectancy and pharmacology that differed depending on the measure. Those told decaf reported greater caffeine cravings than those told caffeine 45 min and 8 hr postmanipulation. There were no expectancy effects on withdrawal symptoms or cognitive performance. There were pharmacological effects on all measures. Those given decaf reported greater withdrawal symptoms and showed poorer cognitive performance 45 min and 8 hr postmanipulation, with effects for headache and flu‐like symptoms first emerging 8 hr postmanipulation (i.e., 24 hr abstinence in given decaf conditions). Caffeine readministration alleviated all withdrawal symptoms and cognitive decrements within 45 min. No drug by expectancy interactions were observed.Conclusions: These findings confirm a strong pharmacological basis for caffeine withdrawal and an important role of cognition in drug craving. Future research should investigate the role of expectancy in drug withdrawal and craving and the potential use of expectancy manipulations in symptom prevention and management.

Caffeine use disorder is included in the conditions for further study section of the DSM-5. Caffeine’s profile of neurobiological, behavioral, and clinical effects is similar to other common substances that humans use recreationally. Extant data suggest that a clinically meaningful addictive disorder develops in some regular caffeine users, but this literature is incomplete and not yet sufficient to determine if and how best to define and treat caffeine use disorder. An overview of the literature relevant to determining the clinical importance of problematic caffeine use is followed by discussion of potential concerns and benefits associated with its classification as a mental disorder. Concerns about overdiagnosis and trivialization of other psychiatric syndromes are weighed against the public health benefits of increased awareness and development of interventions targeting problematic caffeine use. This discussion includes consideration of alternative diagnostic approaches, improvement of assessment practices, and the need for additional clinical and epidemiological research.

Smoking topography (ST) devices are an important methodological tool for quantifying puffing behavior (eg, puff volume, puff velocity) as well as identifying puffing differences across individuals and situations. Available ST devices are designed such that the smoker’s mouth and hands have direct contact with the device rather than the cigarette itself. Given the importance of the sensorimotor aspects of cigarette smoking in smoking reward, it is possible that ST devices may interfere with the acute rewarding effects of smoking. Despite the methodological importance of this issue, few studies have directly compared subjective reactions to smoking through a topography device to naturalistic smoking. Smokers ( N = 58; 38% female) smoked their preferred brand of cigarettes one time through a portable topography device and one time naturalistically, in counterbalanced order across two laboratory sessions. Smoking behavior (eg, number of puffs) and subjective effects (eg, urge reduction, affect, smoking satisfaction) were assessed. Negative affect reduction was greater in the natural smoking condition relative to the topography condition, but differences were not significant on measures of urge, withdrawal, or positive affect. Self-reported smoking satisfaction, enjoyment of respiratory tract sensations, psychological reward, craving reduction, and other rewarding effects of smoking were also significantly greater in the naturalistic smoking condition. The effects of using a ST device on the smoking experience should be considered when it is used in research as it may diminish some of the rewarding effects of smoking. When considering the inclusion of a smoking topography device in one’s research, it is important to know if use of that device will alter the smoker’s experience. This study assessed affective and subjective reactions to smoking through a topography device compared to naturalistic smoking. We found that smoking satisfaction, psychological reward, enjoyment of respiratory tract sensations and other rewarding effects were all diminished when smoking through the topography device. The effects of using a smoking topography device on the smoking experience should be considered when it is used in future research.