Are heavy smokers different from light smokers? A comparison after 48 hours without cigarettes

Correlates of heavy smoking (greater than or equal to 25 cigarettes per day) were examined in a group of 380 smokers participating in a minimal-contact smoking relapse prevention trial. The results indicate that heavy smokers are more dependent on cigarettes. Compared with smokers consuming 15 or fewer cigarettes per day, heavy smokers reported greater difficulty quitting, were more troubled by withdrawal symptoms, experienced stronger urges and cravings, and had higher scores on a modified version of the Fagerstrom tolerance questionnaire. Heavy smokers weighed more and were more obese as measured by body mass index. Eighty percent of heavy smokers were classified correctly using discriminant function analysis with two dependence-related measures entering as the most important discriminator variables. Logistic regression analyses yielded similar results. The findings underscore the importance of addressing potential physical dependence factors when developing smoking-cessation treatments for heavy smokers.