Smoking Vaccine Being Tested
Good news for smokers trying to quit- A new vaccine is in the human testing trials that is supposed to block the nicotine from reaching the pleasure receptors in the brain so smokers can enjoy the rush that comes with smoking.
As a reformed smoker, and going on my 4th year anniversary of not having a cigarette, I can certainly appreciate medical efforts to help smokers quit the habit. But will this “vaccine” be the first in a long line of pleasure suppressants that will aim to cure society’s ills? Will a similar vaccine be able to block the pleasure receptors for opiates? How about Alcoholism? Could we? More importantly, should we? At what point do we simply throw out all personal responsibility?
From the AP here:
Doctors test anti-smoking vaccine
MADISON, Wis. – Doctors are testing a radical new way to help smokers quit: a shot that “immunizes” them against the nicotine rush that fuels their addiction.
The treatment keeps nicotine from reaching the brain, making smoking less pleasurable and theoretically, easier to give up. The small amount that still manages to get in helps to ease withdrawal, the main reason most quitters relapse.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted the vaccine fast-track status, meaning it will get prompt review, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse just gave Nabi a second $4 million grant to finance the study and NicVax’s development.
The antibodies should remain in the system for up to a year; booster shots may be needed after that, but this needs more study, Rasmussen said.
I quit by taking Zyban. It worked for me. Two other smokers, close friends of mine, tried it too, but Zyban didn’t work for them. I think they werent as serious about quitting as I was.
I’ve been quit for 10 weeks now and I used the patch. You’re absolutely right. You have to have an immense desire to quit or else nothing will work.
You took something to help you quit. So, how is that different from a vaccine? (And, I don’t mean dictionary-wise. 🙂
If there were a vaccine for alcoholism I would have had a very different childhood. So. I wouldn’t mind one.
Poppy,
Im not too sure why I think that taking a vaccine would be bad. It feels like cheating to me. Yeah, I took Zyban and quit, but I still want a cigarette at least once per day. It is still hard today to not smoke.
Trench, this is going to be your reality for some time too, but stick with it. I smoked for 25 years, but I am now in the best condition of my life. And joining a gym helps immensely.
But back to why the vaccine seems odd to me- it absolves the individual from the responsibility for having started the bad habit in the first place. For instance, if I knew there was a vaccine for cocaine addiction, I could carelessly devote a year or so to smoking crack, and then after I was arrested a few times I could take the vaccine, get new teeth and pretend it didnt happen.
Yes, it could make the world a better place, especially for families that deal with alcohol addiction, but if science gets to the point where there are no more vices, will there no longer be any responsibility for personal behavior?
My wife still smokes and when I told her about this blog entry she got huffy and wondered aloud why society thought that it had to “cure” her in the first place, that smoking was her personal choice.
I think Im going to watch THX1138 tonight to see what society is like when it is controlled by behavioral modifying drugs. 😉
Okay, one more post: If you believe that an addiction is a disease then you can use the logic that you want a vaccine that prevents or cures you of a disease.
But, it would appear that you see addiction as lack of willpower, perhaps even as a choice, and so overcoming it but still experiencing the daily craving is what you appreciate. I can understand and appreciate that. Your accomplishment is incredible, cigarettes are more addictive than crack so you’ve beaten crack and cigs all in one go!