A member just sent me a copy of an article related to the above study, wanting to make sure we were aware of it. I saw the study has been getting some press over the past week. John was ahead of the curve though, putting up the article original study a couple of months ago.
I want to attach a couple of comments that I put up in a different string we have at Freedom titled How long does it take to become addicted? I think they fit well into this issue:
Question: How long does it take to become readdicted?

Answer: There is no answer, it was a trick question. You never got unaddicted.*

The question should have been how long does it take to relapse? The answer to this is how long does it take you to secure a cigarette, strike a match or lighter and take a puff? It can happen in an instant if you ever drop your guard.

So how long does it take to secure your quit? It only takes a few seconds, the time that it should take for you to just remind yourself as to why you committed to never take another puff!

Joel

*If you look "unaddicted" in the dictionary the word does not exist. This is not surprising considering people who are true addict to substances never lose that addiction.
"Although only 5% of daily smokers surveyed in high school said they would definitely be smoking five years later, close to 75% were smoking 7 to 9 years later."

From our string: Frightening Trends in Teenage Smoking
This clearly indicates that even though kids are addicted early on--they don't often recognize the fact. The only way to avoid becoming an actively using nicotine addict--whether you ever smoked in the past or not is from this point on knowing to never take another puff!

Joel