When couples try to quit, understanding how they use cigarettes in their relationships could help them succeed. Sexy, sexy, sexy. Of course, that was before the U.S. Surgeon General's warning about the health risks of cigarettes, and these days we know better. Take a drag before you answer. Temper your anger with a smoke.
Trouble can brew, however, when one or both spouses decide it's time to give up cigarettes.
Whether they enroll in smoking cessation classes or try self-help measures, they probably aren't taking into account the role smoking plays in their relationship and the needs it serves. And so, their chances of success are dimmed. It becomes part of the relationship pattern and keeps it going. Rohrbaugh and five colleagues are studying the idea that smoking is intertwined within an intimate relationship, their work funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse. To qualify for the study, the couple must include at least one partner who smokes at least a half pack a day despite having a heart or lung condition.