title: Psychosocial withdrawal characteristics of nicotine compared with alcohol and caffeine.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to observe the psychosocial characteristics of withdrawal from cigarette smoking in comparison with those from caffeine (CAF) and alcoholic (ALC) beverage withdrawal. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers at a medial level of dependence on both cigarettes (nicotine, NCT) and either CAF or ALC, as judged by the DSM-IV-TR criteria for substance dependence, participated in this study. The participants were required to abstain from smoking and either CAF or ALC for 7 days, each one after another, with a 7-day interval. The order of abstinence was counterbalanced among the participants. Psychosocial parameters, including a desire for substances, social activity function, well-being, withdrawal symptoms, and vital signs, were assessed during the withdrawal periods. The study protocol was approved by the Jikei University Review Board. The results indicated that there were no differences in the maximum level of desire for a substance and the influence on social activity function between NCT and other substances during the withdrawal periods. As for withdrawal symptoms, NCT caused a more intensive degree of irritability than CAF or ALC, and a more intensive degree of difficulty concentrating and restlessness than did withdrawal from ALC. However, the subjective well-being questionnaire indicated no differences in these symptoms between NCT and other substances. The present results suggest that there are no significant differences in psychosocial manifestations regarding the difficulty in abstaining from NCT, CAF, and ALC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. miyata@jikei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hisatsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyata
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hironaka
authors.forename: Kohji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Katsumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyasato
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Tomoji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanagita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D002110:Caffeine; D000431:Ethanol; D009538:Nicotine