Glossary

To search for a particular term, go to Edit > Find at the top of your browser and type in the term you're looking for.

Addiction. A chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain; sometimes used synonymously with "dependence."

Addictive Personality. A common belief that particular personality traits predispose to addiction to drugs, sex, eating, etc. There is no scientific support for this belief.

Anxiolytic. A medication used to reduce anxiety symptoms; also known as tranquilizer or anti-anxiety medication.

Aversive Smoking. Several types of therapeutic techniques that involve smoking in an unpleasant or concentrated manner. These techniques pair smoking with negative associations or responses. Notable examples include rapid smoking, rapid puffing, focused smoking, and satiation smoking.

Buerger's Disease. A disease of the arteries and veins characterized by pain, color changes, and coldness in the fingers and toes; results from thickening of the walls of blood vessels. Smoking worsens Buerger's disease.

Bupropion. A non-nicotine prescription medication used both for smoking cessation (Zyban) and for treating depression (Wellbutrin).

Carbon Monoxide. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced by the burning of tobacco. CO binds more readily to hemoglobin than oxygen, thereby reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Carcinogen. A chemical or other substance that causes cancer; tobacco smoke has more than 40 known carcinogens.

Chewing Tobacco. A type of smokeless tobacco that is potentially addictive because it contains nicotine. Longterm, regular use can cause oral cancers and dental problems; it should not be used as a substitute for smoking cigarettes. Also known as spit tobacco, chew, dip, and chaw.

Chipper. Smokers who smoke at a low rate, e.g., 1-5 cigarettes per day. An estimated 10-20% of all smokers are chippers. Also know as social smoker or a periodic smoker.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease in which the airways in the lungs produce excess mucus resulting in frequent coughing. Smoking accounts for 80% to 90% of the risk for developing COPD.

Clinician. A professional directly providing health care services.

Clonidine. A prescription medication (Catapres; generic available) primarily used to lower blood pressure. It has also been shown in research studies to help smokers quit smoking. Not approved by the FDA for smoking cessation.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). A psychotherapeutic approach aimed at identifying and modifying faulty or distorted negative thinking styles and the maladaptive behaviors associated with those thinking styles.

Cold Turkey. A smoking cessation strategy that involves abrupt cessation of smoking. Used alone, only 5% to 7% of smokers will remain abstinent long-term.

Compensatory Smoking. When a smoker inhales more smoke, or smokes more intensely, to compensate for reductions in nicotine content of tobacco smoke or number of cigarettes smoked per day.

COPD. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease in which the airways in the lungs produce excess mucus resulting in frequent coughing. Smoking accounts for 80% to 90% of the risk for developing COPD.

Coronary Artery Disease. Thickening of the coronary arteries due to buildup of plaque (fatty deposits); causes narrowing of the arteries so that the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart is restricted or blocked. Smoking is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease.

Cotinine. Cotinine is nicotine's major metabolite, which has a significantly longer half-life than nicotine. Cotinine measurement is often used to estimate a patient's tobacco/nicotine usage prior to quitting, and to confirm abstinence self-reports during follow-up. Cotinine is commonly measured in serum, urine, and saliva.

Craving. A powerful, often uncontrollable, desire.

Dependence. A chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain. "Dependence" is sometimes used synonymously with "addiction;" a psychiatric diagnosis described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (1994).

Depression. A psychiatric disorder characterized by sad mood, loss of pleasure, guilt, disturbed sleep and appetite, and/or self-blame lasting two weeks or more. Previously depressed smokers are half as likely to be able to quit smoking without specialized treatment.

Dopamine. A neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and the feeling of pleasure.

Emphysema. An irreversible chronic lung disease in which the alveoli (small air sacs in the lung) become damaged; smoking is the most common cause of emphysema.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS). Also known as secondhand smoke or passive smoking; occurs when people inhale the smoke of others. ETS contains the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale.

Epidemiology. The study of factors that influence the frequency and distribution of diseases, such as cancer, in an effort to find the cause and therefore prevent them. For instance cancer epidemiology studies how physical surroundings, occupational hazards and personal habits (diet, smoking, lifestyle) may contribute to the development of cancer.

Fading. Cigarette fading (or smoking reduction) involves reducing the number of cigarettes smoked prior to quitting smoking.

Focused Smoking. A smoking cessation technique in which a smoker sits facing a blank wall, smoking at a normal rate while being told by a cessation counselor to focus on the bad aspects of smoking (e.g., bad taste, burning in the throat, nausea, etc.).

Lapse. A brief, temporary resumption of smoking, perhaps a few cigarettes, after a cessation attempt; synonymous with "slip."

Mainstream Smoke. Smoke that is exhaled by a smoker (in contrast to "sidestream smoke" that comes from a burning cigarette).

Managed Care Organizations (MCO). Any group implementing health care using managed care concepts including pre-authorization of treatment, utilization review, and a fixed network of providers.

Mean. A statistical measurement of the central tendency or average of a set of values.

Menthol. A chemical added to cigarettes to produce a cool sensation in the throat when smoke is inhaled.

Neurotransmitter. Chemical messengers in the nervous system that permit nerve cells to communicate; examples include dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Nicotine acts on several neurotransmitters including acetylcholine and dopamine.

Nicotine. An alkaloid (chemical substance) derived from the tobacco plant that is responsible for smoking's psychoactive and addictive effects. It is toxic at high doses but can be safe and effective as a medicine at lower doses.

Nicotine Gum. Nicotine-containing gum that delivers nicotine through the lining of the mouth. It is available without a prescription, marketed as Nicorette.

Nicotine Inhaler. Nicotine-containing inhaler that delivers nicotine in a vapor that is absorbed in the mouth. It is available by prescription only, marketed as the Nicotrol Inhaler.

Nicotine Nasal Spray. Nicotine-containing nasal spray that delivers nicotine in a mist that is absorbed in the nasal passages. It is available by prescription only, marketed as Nicotrol Nasal Spray.

Nicotine Patch. A nicotine-containing patch that delivers nicotine through the skin; available without a prescription. Brands include Nicoderm, Habitrol, Nicotrol, and ProStep. Generics may be available.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Nicotine-containing medications used for smoking cessation including the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, and nicotine nasal spray.

Nortriptyline. An antidepressant that has been found in research studies to be potentially effective for smoking cessation; however, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved nortriptyline as a smoking cessation aid.

Pharmacotherapy. Treatment that uses one or more medications. Five medications are FDA-approved for smoking cessation: nicotine gum, nicotine patch, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray, and Zyban (buproprion SR).

Physical Dependence. An adaptive physiological state that occurs with regular drug use and results in a withdrawal syndrome when drug use is stopped.

Placebo. An inactive, harmless substance with no direct beneficial effects. Usually used in clinical studies for comparison to measure the effectiveness of an experimental drug or regimen.

Prevalence. Total number of persons in a given population with a disease or other health-related event during a specified period of time, usually expressed as a percentage. The prevalence of smoking in U.S adults is approximately 25%.

Problem Solving/Skills Training. Refers to a tobacco use treatment in which tobacco users are trained to identify and cope with events or problems that increase the likelihood of their using tobacco. For example, quitters might be trained to anticipate stressful events and to use coping skills such as distraction or deep breathing to cope with an urge to smoke.

Psychoactive. A chemical substance that exerts psychological effects including changes in mood, cognition, and behavior. Nicotine is a psychoactive drug.

Pulmonary Function Test. A specialized lung test that takes about 10 minutes and requires that the patient blow big breaths into a machine; this test helps the doctor evaluate the health status of the patient's lungs.

Randomized Controlled Trial. A study in which subjects are assigned to conditions on the basis of chance and where at least one of the conditions is a control or a comparison condition (e.g., where a placebo is given).

Rapid Puffing/Smoking. A smoking cessation technique that involves pairing smoking in a concentrated manner with negative associations or responses (e.g., nausea). This technique should only be used by a trained professional in consultation with a medical doctor.

Raynaud Disease. Temporary discoloration, mild tingling/numbness, and sometimes pain of the fingers and toes due to reduced blood flow and reduced availability of oxygen. It occurs in response to changes in temperature and emotional events. Smoking can trigger episodes of Raynaud Disease.

Relapse. A return to regular smoking after a cessation attempt.

Risk Factors. Conditions that increase a person's chances of getting a disease (such as cancer). Risk factors do not cause the disease, rather they indicate that a person has a higher chance of getting the disease.

Secondhand Smoke. Also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The smoke inhaled by an individual not actively engaged in smoking. It contains the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale.

Sidestream Smoke. Smoke that comes from a lit or smoldering cigarette (in contrast to "mainstream smoke" that is exhaled by a smoker).

SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS or crib death) is the leading cause of death for U.S. infants over one month of age. Smoking by a mother or a father doubles the risk (or worse) that the baby will die from SIDS; the risk increases with heavier smoking.

Silver Acetate. Silver acetate is a chemical compound that reacts with cigarette smoke to produce an unpleasant taste and has been investigated as a deterrent to smoking. Scientific studies have shown no support for silver acetate as a treatment for smoking cessation.

Smokeless Tobacco. Includes snuff and chewing tobacco; not a safe alternative to smoking. Smokeless tobacco is as addictive as smoking and can cause cancer of the gum, cheek, lip, mouth, tongue, and throat.

Smoker's Cough. The chronic cough experienced by smokers because smoking impairs the lung's ability to clean out harmful material. Coughing is the body's way of trying to get rid of the harmful material in the lungs.

Snuff. Smokeless tobacco that consists of cured, finely-ground tobacco marketed in various forms (e.g., dry, moist, fine cut). Users put a pinch (dip) of snuff between gum and lip (or cheek) or snort snuff into the nose where nicotine is absorbed.

Tar. An oily substance resulting from the burning of tobacco and consisting of thousands of chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic or otherwise harmful,

Teratogen. A chemical or biological agent capable of causing malformations in embryos; a well-known example is thalidomide. Many of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are known teratogens.

Thiocyanate. A biochemical substance that is produced by smoking tobacco; sometimes as an indicator of smoking in smoking cessation studies and treatment programs.

Tolerance. A condition in which higher doses of a drug are required to produce the same effect as during initial drug use. Tolerance often leads to physical dependence.

Transdermal Nicotine. Also known as the nicotine patch; smoking cessation medication that delivers nicotine by diffusion through the skin.

Transdisciplinary Research. Pertaining to or involving more than one type, field or segment of scientific study.

Trigger. Situations, thoughts, or feelings that "trigger" the urge to smoke. Common triggers include stressful events, driving in the car, drinking alcohol, watching TV, negative emotions, and breaks from work.

Urge. In smokers, an "urge" is a desire to smoke that can vary in intensity from mild to very strong. Some urges are strong enough that a recently quit smoker may experience a lapse or relapse.

Withdrawal. A variety of unpleasant symptoms (e.g., difficulty concentrating, irritability, anxiety, anger, depressed mood, sleep disturbance, and craving) that occur after use of an addictive drug is reduced or stopped. Withdrawal symptoms are thought to increase the risk for relapse.

Zyban. A prescription smoking cessation medication that contains bupropion in a sustained-release formulation.