According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nicotine is one of the most heavily used drugs in the U.S. Nicotine is the addictive substance found in tobacco products such as cigarettes and chewing tobacco. Health problems associated with the use of tobacco products include lung cancer, emphysema and cardiovascular disease.
According to information released by the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, most people who struggle with nicotine addiction begin to use tobacco products before graduating from high school. Recognizing some of the behaviors associated with nicotine addiction may help with quitting.
Craving
Craving is the compulsive desire to use nicotine, explains the text "Tobacco or Health? Physiological and Social Damages Caused by Tobacco Smoking." Nicotine is believed to cause craving because it releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which produces pleasurable feelings in the brain much like other addictive drugs.
Tolerance and Loss of Control Over Use
The pleasurable and rewarding feelings experienced when a person first starts to use nicotine are quickly diminished as use continues, explains the "Clinical Textbook of Addictive Disorders." For this reason, as a person continues to use tobacco products, she must use more and/or increase her frequency of use in order to get the pleasurable effects.
Spending More Time Smoking
One of the criterion for substance dependence set forth by the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV" is the progressive neglect or loss of interest in other activities due to preoccupation with tobacco consumption. MayoClinic.com adds that nicotine-addicted individuals may stop frequenting establishments that prohibit smoking or avoid other activities that might interfere with the habit.
Use Despite Negative Consequences
Tobacco products are expensive, yet people with a nicotine addiction will continue to spend money on them. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that in 2006, consumers in the U.S. spent an estimated $90 billion on tobacco products. Nicotine-dependent individuals will also continue to use tobacco products despite health consequences. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law June 2009, requires manufacturers to label all tobacco products and product advertisements with warnings to consumers addressing some of the well-known health problems associated with tobacco use.
References
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco and Nicotine
- The Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids: The Path To Smoking Addiction Starts At Very Young Ages
- "Tobacco or Health? Physiological and Social Damages Caused by Tobacco Smoking (Second Edition)"; Knut-Olaf Haustein and David Groneberg; 2010
- "Clinical Textbook of Addictive Disorders (Third Edition)"; Richard J. Francis et al.; 2005
- "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision)"; The American Psychiatric Association; 2000
