When talking with people who are trying to quit smoking, I often hear someone say that they are happy that they have “cut back” on their smoking. And cutting back on how many cigarettes you smoke each day is definitely a great thing to do. It certainly helps people to feel more prepared on their quit dates. But what if they mean they have cut back on their nicotine by smoking “light” cigarettes instead of regular cigarettes? Is this just as helpful?

Recent research from the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology would argue no. According to the research conducted at UCLA, light cigarettes that boast lesser amounts of nicotine have been shown to activate large amounts of nicotine receptors in the brain, just like regular cigarettes do. And it is the activation of these nicotine receptors that trigger a temporary pleasurable affect from smoking that many people reportedly feel. So even though light cigarettes have 0.6mg to 1mg of nicotine, the brain reacted in pretty much the same way as it did with regular cigarettes, which contain 1.2mg to 1.4mg of nicotine. So if they react the same way, what’s the point of having light cigarettes?

One can only assume that it’s a marketing ploy to make people think they are getting less nicotine and are therefore not as addicted. And less nicotine also suggests to many people that they are somehow safer than regular cigarettes. At least that’s what this Quit Coach concludes after speaking with many participants who feel very strongly that light cigarettes are helping them to “cut back” on their smoking.

But as a Quit Coach, I often wonder if I should correct this disbelief, or just recognize a participant’s commitment to finding ways to cut back. In the end, it becomes a fine balance of both: letting them know that light cigarettes are just are harmful as regular ones, and yet still applauding them for taking the step towards being quit someday. They often react with a bit of shock, disbelief, disappointment. And why not? I would certainly feel cheated, too.

So the lesson here is that after all is said and done, light cigarettes are no safer and are just as addictive as regular cigarettes. But the one sure fire way to decrease your health risks from smoking? Quit smoking. And health improves almost instantaneously.