Cessation in Non-Daily Smokers

Our aim is to study the effect of as-needed oral Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) - 2 mg nicotine gum - for smoking cessation in non-daily, or intermittent, smokers (ITS), and to study the process of relapse in ITS, using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of oral NRT for smoking cessation in ITS. 600 ITS who are interested in quitting will be recruited through multiple channels. Enrollees will be randomized 1:1 to active 2 mg nicotine gum or an inert control gum. Participants will attend 6 sessions with brief behavioral support, with a planned quit day at week 2. Short and long term abstinence will be assessed and biochemically validated. EMA data collection includes two weeks of baseline data on ad lib smoking patterns and 6 weeks of post-quit data. This will capture data on craving, withdrawal, and relapse among ITS, and relate relapse contexts to baseline smoking patterns.