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.

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Sugar bingeing can lead to sugar addiction, a new study finds. As for reactions to the news? No one is surprised, least of all me, currently recovering from a binge of my own while on vacation at one of those all-inclusive resorts in Mexico. Oh, Pina Coladas, how I miss thee.

Anyway. The study monitored the effect of sugar bingeing on behaviour in mice, and the ultimate conclusion drawn was that after a sugar binge, absence made the heart grow fonder. Furthermore, when the sugar was taken away, folks actually went into withdrawal -- teeth chattering and all. Evidently, a sugar binge changed the chemistry of their brain for good. Scary stuff, huh?

So is there any hope for those of us who are trying to change our sugary ways? You can break the cycle of addiction. There's only one way to do it, man -- cold turkey.

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Anyone who has ever had trouble sleeping knows how upsetting, irritating and frustrating it can be to lie awake watching your alarm clock tick closer and closer to the time you'll have to get up for school or work feeling exhausted, grumpy and unhappy. For some, sleeplessness is a chronic problem while for others it can be brought on by a number of issues including stress and other lifestyle factors.

On the occasions I've had trouble sleeping, I've resorted to over-the-counter, low-dose sleeping pills that were recommended by my doctor. As my own sleepless nights are fairly rare, and the pills were recommended by my family physician, I don't worry too much about taking them. If I needed the tablets on a regular basis though, I may be more inclined to try a herbal sleeping pill made with non-addictive, all-natural ingredients.

But then I read this article about how a number of over-the-counter herbal sleeping pills being sold in Canada (my homeland) contained potentially-addictive drugs, which weren't listed on the label. According to the piece, some people who took the pills experienced weeks of sleeplessness followed by depression after discontinuing use. A pretty scary thought for those believing that herbal pills are better for them than those with sleep-inducing drugs.

I think the most important thing to learn from this is that if you're having a chronic sleep problem, it is worthwhile to consult your physician about the best options available to you. That, and to make sure that you're aware of what kinds of ingredients are in any pill that you consume on a regular basis.

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According to Dr. Sam Sugar addiction can be defined as "repetitive behavior beyond your control that leads to adverse consequences." That's especially interesting because according to a recently published report, compulsive eating and drug addiction are similiar in terms of brain activity. So, it's possible to be addicted to food?

Yeah, that seems to be the case. Did you know it takes more time to detoxify somebody from coffee than it does heroin? And unfortunately for food addicts, they face so many social eating situations it's very difficult to notice it as an addiction, and then having temptation and advertisements everywhere makes it obviously very difficult to control. And to top it all off, our society has made it almost the norm to overeat and have unhealthy food relationships. Makes you wonder.

And I just can't resist: Dr. Sugar? That's too funny.

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