Defy Dementia Episode 28: Never Quit Quitting – Healing the Smoker’s Brain
This episode explores the powerful hold of nicotine addiction and how quitting smoking can transform not only heart health but also brain health. We hear from Connor Dorr, a lived-experience advisor at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), who shares his personal journey with nicotine addiction, recovery, and advocacy. Connor’s story highlights the challenges of quitting and the hope that comes with persistence and support.
We also hear from two leading experts in smoking cessation and brain health. Dr. Adrienne Johnson, Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, brings her expertise on how smoking impacts dementia risk and how the brain can recover after quitting. Dr. Andrew Pipe, Order of Canada recipient and world-renowned leader in smoking cessation, shares decades of experience in prevention and rehabilitation, as well as practical advice for individuals and healthcare providers.
Together, they shed light on the science of nicotine addiction, the resilience required to quit, and the real possibility of healing the smoker’s brain.
Tune in at defydementia.org, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
Key Messages:
- Smoking is a powerful addiction, not a personal weakness. Quitting can take multiple attempts.
- Smoking harms cardiovascular and brain health, increasing the risk of dementia.
- Effective medications and treatments exist to help people quit.
- The brain can recover in as little as three years after quitting smoking.
Key actions
- Never quit quitting. Each attempt brings you closer to success.
- Seek help from healthcare professionals and ask about effective treatments.
- For healthcare providers: ask your patients about smoking and offer support to quit.
- For friends and family: be supportive and encouraging.
Learn more about our guests
Connor Dorr is a lived-experience advisor and research contributor at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) within the INTREPID Lab, where he has participated in multiple projects bridging personal insight and academic research. His contributions include providing a testimonial for the STOP program, co-hosting a live Q&A for physicians, advising on the Limited Recreational Nicotine Use Guidelines (LRNUG), and serving as an advisor on research led by Dr. Stuart Matan Lithwick. Connor’s lived experience with nicotine addiction informs his work and advocacy. He is currently a psychology and economics student at the University of Toronto, passionate about ensuring that mental health and addiction research reflects the realities of those it aims to serve. His goal is to improve outcomes by integrating diverse perspectives into the scientific process.
Dr. Adrienne Johnson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Medicine, an investigator at the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, and a Faculty Affiliate of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. A licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in health psychology and neurological disorders, Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on reducing the impacts of smoking and understanding its role in brain health, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. She has been awarded a K23 Career Development Award from the National Institute on Aging as well as a Developmental Grant from the University of Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
Dr. Andrew Pipe, C.M., M.D., LL.D. (Hon), D.Sc. (Hon), FRCSPS (Hon), graduated from Queen’s University and was formerly Chief of the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He continues his academic activities as a Clinician-Scientist at the Heart Institute and is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Pipe has been extensively involved in clinical research on new approaches to smoking and vaping cessation and has addressed audiences in more than 30 countries. The founding Chair of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, he has received honourary degrees from Queen’s University, Brock University, and the University of Guelph, and in 2002 was named to the Order of Canada. Dr. Pipe previously served as Chair of the Board of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.