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Nicotine (Tobacco) Addiction: Signs, Effects, Diagnosis And Treatment

by — Last updated: 2019-12-05 in Addiction & Recovery

Nicotine is a Trojan horse — it's not directly responsible for all the health problems associated with smoking, but it's what makes you addicted, forcing you to inhale thousands of toxins with each puff.

You've all seen the numbers. Smoking cigarettes can cause cancer, lung disease, and heart disease. It increases your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis (brittle bones), gastric ulcers, diabetes, and a whole host of other bad health outcomes. Ultimately, half of those people who have smoked for most of their life will die earlier than they could have because of their smoking. 

Nicotine — the addictive ingredient in cigarettes and other tobacco products — is sneaky. It's not the substance directly responsible for all the health dangers related to smoking, but it does get you hooked rather quickly. Nicotine is what forces you, once addicted, to also inhale the thousands of toxins present in cigarettes. 

What is nicotine? How does it work?

Nicotine addiction is quite complex in terms of brain chemistry. We'll keep it brief, skipping some of the chemical things that happen when you smoke, but here's how it works in a nut shell. 

When you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine found in it is rapidly absorbed by the lungs, from which it reaches the nicotine receptors in your brain within a few seconds. This releases neurotransmitters like the "feel-good chemical" dopamine, temporarily making you feel good and even increasing alertness and concentration. 

The effects of nicotine don't last more than one or two hours, and once you're hooked, you'll want to smoke again as soon as it has worn off. Over time, you'll develop a tolerance, meaning you need more to achieve the same effect. Most smokers are have developed a dependence by the end of their first month as smokers. 

How do you become addicted to nicotine?

Research shows that some people are more vulnerable than others, genetically. It's easier for some people to quit smoking that it is for others. But one thing is universally true — to become addicted to nicotine, you first need to be exposed to it. For most smokers, this happens during their young and more vulnerable years. Over 80 percent of smokers will have started by the time they're legal adults.

Only up to a quarter of those who try smoking develop long-term addictions, however, and you're more vulnerable if:

  • Your peers and relatives smoke. 
  • You tend towards anxiety and depression.
  • You have a risk-taking personality. 
  • You are a woman — interestingly, women's bodies metabolize nicotine more quickly and women are also more likely to smoke more when they're stressed or upset, making it harder for women to quit smoking.

Signs you're addicted to nicotine

This part is quite easy. If you smoke — or use other tobacco products like chewing tobacco or vapes — you are addicted if you feel the need to smoke often, and experience cravings, irritability, restlessness, trouble focusing, and something like depression when you don't have access to smoking. These are withdrawal symptoms, and you're constantly fighting them by lighting up again. 

You may find it difficult to think about anything but smoking until you get your hit. You may want a cigarette as soon as you wake up, or at least in the first half-hour. You may also have conditioned your body to associate certain situations with smoking — your lunch break, learning of stressful news, seeing a particular friend, or after sexual intercourse are all examples. 

You are, in short, addicted to nicotine if you can't help but smoke, even if you don't want to. Over 70 percent of current smokers would like to quit. Few end up being successful and some try to quit as many as 30 times before they're free from cigarettes. All because of nicotine. 

Can you stop smoking and overcome your nicotine addiction?

Yes. It will take will power — nobody quits successfully if they don't really want to, a fact backed up by research. If you have decided you don't want to be a slave to those cancer sticks any more, however, you have options. 

  • Some people successfully become nicotine-free by going cold turkey. This can still involve a lot of strategizing, as you'll want to prepare for cravings, change your routine to avoid triggers, and wait it out until the withdrawal symptoms subside. We've already briefly seen that some people have stronger nicotine addictions than others. You may be able to quit this way if your genetics didn't cause a strong addiction in the first place. 
  • Using nicotine replacement therapy, such as nicotine gum, lozenges, patches, inhalers, or nasal sprays, can help you bridge the gap and avoid the worst of those withdrawal symptoms. Research has shown that nicotine replacement therapy about doubles a person's odds of quitting smoking successfully. 
  • Attending a support group for quitters can also help you, through the power of peer pressure and accountability. 
  • Finally, medications that make smoking less enjoyable and that stem your cravings and other withdrawal symptoms are now on the market. Zyban and Chantix help some people finally become smoke-free.

Conclusion

Nicotine, a highly addictive substance, is a kind of Trojan horse. It's not the chemical that directly causes all of the adverse health outcomes associated with long-term smoking, but it is the one that makes you inhale the toxins that do. The best way to avoid a nicotine addiction is to never smoke, vape, or chew tobacco. 

Once you're addicted, the quit rates aren't optimistic — nicotine has no less of a hold on you than, say, heroin. But quitting is possible. With the right plan and the right support, you, too, can become an ex-smoker. 

  • Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth

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