Comparing withdrawal symptoms and urge to use in daily vapers versus cigarette smokers
A controlled evaluation of abstinence-induced withdrawal and motivation to vape/smoke among daily ENDS users vs. cigarette smokers
This project compares how daily vapers and daily cigarette smokers feel and how strong their urge is to vape or smoke after 24 hours without nicotine.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11323917 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You'll be asked to join one of the groups of daily vapers, daily smokers, or daily dual users and complete two 4-hour lab visits. The order of a visit after normal use and a visit following 24 hours of abstinence will be randomized for each participant. Researchers will use multiple measurements (surveys, behavioral tasks, and physiological checks) to track craving, mood, concentration, restlessness, sleep, appetite, pleasure loss, and physical symptoms. The goal is to directly compare how withdrawal looks and how it drives motivation to use between vapers and smokers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults age 21 or older who currently vape daily or currently smoke cigarettes daily (including some people who use both) are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People under 21, occasional or past users who do not use daily, or those who only use non-inhaled nicotine products are unlikely to match the study groups and may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians and quit programs target the specific withdrawal symptoms that make vapers and smokers relapse, improving support to stop nicotine use.
How similar studies have performed: There is a large literature on cigarette withdrawal, but direct, controlled comparisons between daily ENDS vapers and daily cigarette smokers are new, so this approach is partly novel.
Where this research is happening
Amherst, United States
- State University of New York at Buffalo — Amherst, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hawk, Larry W — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Hawk, Larry W
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.