A person who recently quit smoking will not be triggered into a relapse because they smell cigarette smoke! A study further revealed that this is even the case if the ex-smoker considers that smell to be pleasant.

Franc Tausch, PhD, CCHT

A regression analysis showed that a return to smoking was a function of general urges, not smoke-related cravings, Hayden McRobbie, M.B.Ch.B., of Auckland University of Technology, and colleagues reported in the November issue of Addiction.

And reporting that the smell of smoke was pleasant had no relationship to the risk of relapse.

"Recent quitters can be reassured that finding the smell of cigarette smoke pleasant is not likely to lead them back to smoking," Dr. McRobbie said.

Patients in smoking cessation programs have a variety of reactions to the smell of other people’s smoke, ranging from disgust to temptation, according to the researchers.

To investigate whether these reactions affect the risk of relapse shortly after quitting, they analyzed data from 1,110 patients (mean age 47; 55% female) attending a smoking cessation treatment center in London.

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