Quitting the habit: neurobiology, addiction and the insidious ciggieQuitting the habit: neurobiology, addiction and the insidious ciggie
All In The Mind
Smokers cling to the ciggies for dear life, knowing it will likely be a much shorter one. An anti-smoking drug released in Australia targets nicotine receptors in the brain, working differently to traditional nicotine replacement therapies. But are we too fixed on a quick fix for addiction? And, the challenge of investigating post-marketing reports that the drug may trigger suicidal thoughts and behaviour in some users. Real side effect of the meds, or part of nicotine withdrawal?
30:06•10 May 2008
Quitting Cigarettes: Brains, Champix and the Myth of a Quick Fix
Episode Overview
- Nicotine creates powerful habit loops in the brain, acting as a “pleasure amplifier” and making quitting feel far stronger than a simple choice.
- Perceived stress relief from smoking is largely the easing of nicotine withdrawal, and research suggests cigarettes actually worsen stress overall.
- Varenicline partially activates and blocks nicotine receptors, making cigarettes less rewarding, and can significantly improve quit rates for some people.
- Reports of severe side effects like suicidal thoughts are hard to interpret because quitting itself, and underlying depression, can trigger similar symptoms.
- Experts stress that medication should be combined with motivation, counselling, regular follow-up and supportive policies; there is no single magic solution to addiction.
“The behaviour becomes so strongly integrated into a person's life that it takes on a high priority, and that priority overrides other priorities, such as staying alive.”
Curious about how others manage a love–hate relationship with cigarettes? This episode of All In The Mind takes a clear-eyed look at why quitting can feel like breaking up with your closest friend – and why that friend is quietly trying to kill you. Producer Anita Barrow steps in as guide while smokers like Liz and Peter share what it's really like to try again and again to stop.
You’ll hear lines like, “I just one day forgot to smoke,” alongside Liz’s nausea and wild anxiety dreams on a new medication, showing just how different the quitting journey can be from person to person. Professor Robert West explains how nicotine acts as a “pleasure amplifier”, wiring the brain into powerful habit loops that sit far below conscious choice.
Professor Neil Benowitz breaks down how nicotine hijacks acetylcholine receptors and pushes dopamine to “higher levels than the body would normally release”, which helps explain why a morning ciggie with coffee can feel non‑negotiable. The conversation then turns to varenicline (Champix/Chantix), a drug that partially stimulates and blocks nicotine receptors so cigarettes become boring or even disgusting.
Wayne Hall outlines the promising quit rates, but he and Neil Benowitz also unpack reports of suicidal thoughts, aggression and bizarre behaviour, and the headache of working out whether that’s the drug, nicotine withdrawal, or underlying mental health issues. GP Dr Janet Randall adds a sober clinical angle, stressing cautious prescribing, close follow‑up, and solid counselling rather than relying on a “magic pill”.
The episode keeps circling back to one message: quitting often takes multiple attempts, strong motivation and support, plus wider social measures like smoke‑free spaces – medication is just one piece of the puzzle. If you’ve ever wondered why cigarettes feel so powerful, or whether a quit‑smoking pill is worth the risk, this one might get you thinking about what really needs to change: the brain, the habit, or the life wrapped around both.
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.