Evaluating the Episodic Future Thinking Intervention for Reducing Cigarette Consumption in Cigarette Smokers

This clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of active episodic future thinking (EFT) stimuli for reducing cigarette consumption in cigarette smokers. EFT is an innovative framing method shown to significantly activate brain regions involved in future thinking, planning, and other executive functions. Active EFT stimuli are positive events, unrelated to smoking, that participants anticipate, look forward to, and can vividly imagine happening up to 1 year in the future. Control EFT stimuli are positive past events, unrelated to smoking, that participants can vividly remember happening in the recent past. Active EFT stimuli may help reduce cigarette consumption among cigarette smokers by exposing them to personally relevant future oriented stimuli.

Inclusion Criteria: * Smoke \>= 10 cigarettes daily * \>32 on the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) * No regular use of other tobacco products * In possession of a smartphone with text messaging capabilities * Willing to quit smoking in the next 30 days * Low socioeconomic status * Veteran of the US armed services Exclusion Criteria: * Unable or unwilling to provide verbal consent * Unable or unwilling to provide data to the research team * Current use of nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, or varenicline * Use of drugs of abuse in the past 30 days * Living in the same household as a participant already enrolled in this study * Unable or unwilling to use nicotine patches