Those of you who have vowed to give up smoking in the new year are finding out firsthand that quitting is a bitch. In fact, most ex-smokers will tell you that giving up the habit is the hardest thing they've ever done. If, like me, you never started the nicotine habit, you're probably thinking you've dodged a bullet. Not so fast: Scientists out of New Zealand are insisting that sugar and other refined carbohydrates are as addictive as tobacco.

"Drug addicts have to keep taking larger amounts of their chemical of choice," says Simon Thornley of the Auckland Public Health Authority. "They find it difficult to stop, they keep doing it despite negative consequences and they feel depressed if they do stop. People do all those things around refined carbohydrates."

So are we going to start seeing grotesque photos and huge health warnings on packets of Twinkies any time soon? Will sweets be stashed behind the counter at stores, available only to those with valid ID? More research is needed, but I'd say it's a definite possibility.