Big help for women smokers?

Many women find it harder to quit smoking than men do. Now, researchers at the University of Chicago are studying a drug they think could help.

The drug -- naltrexone -- appears to block the pleasurable feeling that smokers, much like drug users, experience. Naltrexone previously was approved as an aid to alcoholics and heroin addicts trying to quit.

One reason women have trouble quitting is that they fear gaining weight. An earlier study found that women who quit with the help of naltrexone gained just one pound.

Another obstacle: Women are more prone to depression -- and depression makes quitting harder.

"Naltrexone may give them the break they need," says Andrea King, a U. of C. psychologist who specializes in addictions.

The Chicago Stop Smoking Research Project at U.

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