Alcoholics, drug addicts, smokers, and gamblers have their 12-step programs—could Tanners Anonymous be next? A new study suggests that 1 in 5 people who use tanning beds exhibit signs of clinical addiction, including feeling guilty about their artificial sun sessions and tanning more than they intended. “People have shown indirectly, in various ways, that tanning tends to be addictive,” says Darryl Rigel, MD, a clinical professor of dermat ... Jump to full article >>

Only 5% to 10% of smokers who try to quit succeed. For the rest, the quick onset of withdrawal symptoms—craving, irritability, hunger, and headache—is too much; the brain begins to raise hell and demand a fresh dose of nicotine, which binds to certain receptors and causes the pleasurable release of dopamine. In the face of 40 years of public-health drumbeating, smoking bans, and social pressure, that’s an amazing failure rate. The prof ... Jump to full article >>

Don’t tell David Neville that those grape-flavored mini-cigars behind the counter at every local convenience store are aimed at mature smokers. “They’re already hooked,” Neville says of longtime smokers. Instead, tobacco companies are targeting “the kid with the grape Slurpie that comes to the counter,” wondering if the sweetened nicotine will complement his drink, Neville says. Or whether the chocolate-mint f ... Jump to full article >>