Stop smoking with virtual diving goggles

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

When smokers reach for the cigarette, this is another reason why it is so difficult for them to quit. In the future, they could train against the addiction impulse in a virtual world.

The cigarettes beckon. They are within easy reach on the desk. The urge to get infected is almost irresistible. Your hand is already feeling for the parcel. But instead of opening it, your hand kicks it into the trash. The nicotine addiction is defeated - for the moment.

Immerse yourself in the virtual world

The special thing about this scene: Neither the cigarette pack nor the trash can are real. They are part of a virtual quit smoking course that is currently being developed at the University of Siegen. In a lifelike but digital scenario, smokers should train to resist their impulse to smoke. This should make it easier for them to leave their cigarettes lying around in real life.

They also wear so-called VR glasses on their noses, the size of diving goggles. Instead of diving into the depths of the oceans, they dive into a digital parallel world. You move in the three-dimensional image of a fully equipped room. In it you can look around and act like in a real room. The line between real and virtual is becoming blurred.

Difficult way out of addiction

The University of Siegen's project should be of interest to around 18 million Germans: despite the known health risks, they regularly take up cigarettes. Around 60 percent of them want to stop doing it. But almost everyone who tries it alone and unprepared will soon be hooked again.

The problem: "Smokers often reach for a cigarette almost ritually or automatically in stressful situations," says Prof. Tim Klucken, head of the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Siegen, in a NetDoctor conversation.

Addicts work on autopilot

Such reactions have become second nature to nicotine addicts: the cigarette with their coffee or the pickup after an unpleasant argument runs as if on autopilot. To break these connections in the brain again, Klucken and his colleagues are currently developing a special program. It is based on the psychological mechanisms of addiction.

Dependent people perceive their “drug” more than others: smokers spot every packet of cigarettes out of the corner of their eye and automatically feel like smoking. Psychologists call this phenomenon “triggering”. A so-called approach avoidance training is intended to weaken such automated processes without the nicotine junkies having any real contact with the addictive substance. When handling real cigarettes, the risk of relapse would be greater.

At the moment, the smoking cessation training is still done on the computer. The smokers see images of cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays on the screen in quick succession. The task is to quickly push them away from you with a joystick. Neutral images such as flowers or the sun, on the other hand, enlarged them and brought them closer to them. The call of the addictive substance pictures is gradually decreasing. This also reduces their seductiveness in the real world.

Butt ends up in the digital trash can

So that this works even better in the future, the psychologists are relying on the virtual training course. “The method will probably have a stronger effect in virtual reality,” Klucken hopes. With the VR-Bille on your nose, the respective situation becomes very realistic. Here, too, the participants should dispose of smoking utensils, but now it all seems completely real. The emotional involvement is considerably greater than in front of a computer screen.

Also suitable for other addictions?

Prof. Anil Batra, head of the addiction research and addiction medicine section at the University Clinic Tübingen, also acknowledges the potential of virtual smoking cessation training: "With this new approach, you can achieve a stronger effect." The training could also be interesting when getting out of other addictions. "If the effectiveness is confirmed, a transfer to other forms of addiction is a worthwhile goal."

However, when it comes to drugs with a higher potential for addiction, Klucken has concerns: “With other addictive substances, virtual reality could trigger addiction more.” Of course, smokers could also feel like a real cigarette. But the effects of an extra cigarette on a long-time smoker are a little less dramatic.

Overcome fixation on addictive substances

However, a stroll through virtual worlds is not enough to overcome addiction: “The method alone is not enough for a treatment,” Klucken clarifies. The training can only help to get rid of the fixation on the addictive substance. The method could, however, be a useful addition to behavioral therapies or smoking cessation training.

Because they also have completely different building blocks: Within their framework, you find out, for example, what function smoking has in your own life - to take small breaks or to reduce stress - and develop alternative strategies that fill the gap.

"In addition, physical dependence remains unaffected by training in virtual reality," says addiction expert Batra. Physical withdrawal symptoms would therefore have to be treated separately.

The researchers are still testing which virtual scenario works best. Anyone who is already interested in virtual smoking cessation training can try out the program as part of the study.

For the test phase, the University of Siegen is looking for men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 who have been smoking at least six cigarettes a day for at least six months. The probands should live in Siegen and the surrounding area, the journey to the university is necessary.

Contact: Dr. Alla Machulska, rauchfrei (at) uni-siegen.de

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