VIRTUAL REALITY SMOKING
At first glance, you may think you’re looking at the latest version of play station but incredibly it’s the newest technology that may just help smokers kick the habit.
“It feels like you can reach out and pick up the cigarette out of the ash tray,” says smoker, Audrey Shinner.
At the University of Georgia, addiction specialist Dr. Patrick Bordnick and a team of researchers are on the cutting edge of re-defining therapy for people who want to quit smoking. They’re bringing the real world into the virtual world. “We’ve created smoking cues, triggers, ash trays, coffee pots and even smoking scenarios with people that actually mimic real world situations,” reports Dr. Bordnick.
Twenty patients, all of whom were a pack a day smokers, enrolled in the study. Each of them was eager to explore ways to quit smoking. The patients were exposed to the virtual world of smoking, and their behavior and cravings were closely monitored. The study found that there was a 118% increase in cravings when patients were exposed to smoking triggers compared to when they were in neutral environments.
Audrey Shinner has smoked since she was 18 years old. She struggled with several unsuccessful attempts at quitting smoking. “One of my biggest issues with quitting smoking is anger, and depression,” she says.
According to Dr. Bordnick, the intended goal of any virtual reality therapy is to prepare people with the tools to effectively battle both the physical and psychological addiction.
“We need to teach them people skills because they’re going to go into situations where people are smoking, while they are trying to quit smoking” explains Dr. Bordnick.
The headset goes on, you’re given the controls and instantaneously you’re in a virtual world.
Initially, patients are taken to this room where soothing sounds of fish swimming create what Dr. Bordnick calls a neutral environment. “These images are designed not to evoke or elicit craving at all,” says Dr. Bordnick.
Within moments, the patient gets transported straight into temptation. In this room, the coffee is percolating and the air is filled with cigarette smoke. There’s even a virtual liquor cabinet where patients can hear ice cubes clinking as a cocktail gets prepared.
For people trying to quit smoking, these stimuli act to increase their craving.
“After each room, we ask the subject for their craving rating. This tells us how severe their need to smoke is,” reports Dr. Bordnick.
The final virtual room is where therapy gets turned up a notch, and resistance and will power really get tested. It’s a party scene where both the drinks and nicotine are abundantly flowing.
People like Audrey, who are trying to quit smoking, experience increased cravings when they spend time in rooms filled with smoking triggers. The next step with this virtual world is to transform it into a teaching environment, helping the smoker learn how to deal with the surrounding smoking triggers, and ignore them. Audrey thinks it might actually work for her if she were going to attempt to quit smoking, but she’s just not ready to give up her smokes yet.
As for next steps, the researchers say they’ll be seeking funding for a study to see how well the virtual reality helps smokers kick the habit. They believe that because of the benefits seen with other virtual reality treatments, the study will truly demonstrate its efficacy in helping people who want to quit smoking.
For more information on smoking cessation, click here
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22931
http://www.healthnewsconnect.com/page0028.html
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