Airway sensory replacement as a treatment for smoking cessation

Although nicotine may be a necessary component of the smoking addiction, it is obvious even to the non-expert that there is far more to smoking than the delivery of nicotine alone. Among the many aspects of smoking that smokers find pleasurable, 60% of smokers report liking of the feeling of cigarette smoke in the throat and chest. This paper summarizes several studies that strongly suggest that the airway sensations of smoking are important for at least the short-term satisfaction and craving reduction of cigarette smoking, and that these sensations can be reproduced by several other substances than cigarette smoke. Airway sensory replacement, especially in combination with nicotine replacement, may fill one of the many gaps that currently exist in smoking cessation treatment. Drug Dev. Res. 38:257–262 © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.