How Do I Know I'm Really Addicted to Nicotine?
By Beth W. Orenstein. Medically Reviewed by Heidi Green, MD
Medically Reviewed
Nicotine addiction can begin with even just a few cigarettes, research has shown. Shutterstock
If you smoke cigarettes, there's a good chance that you're addicted to nicotine. Out of the estimated 28 million adults in the United States who regularly light up, about 70 percent of them want to quit smoking, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The problem is that nicotine, a drug found naturally in tobacco, is addictive - in fact, the CDC says that nicotine addiction has similar pharmacologic and behavioral characteristics to cocaine and heroin addictions. And it doesn't take long to get addicted - it can happen after using it one or two times.
While cigarettes are the most common nicotine threat, all tobacco products contain nicotine and bring the risk of addiction, notes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and that includes cigars, chewing tobacco, and most types of e-cigarettes.
I Feel Younger Now Than When I Smoked in My 20s
I Feel Younger Now Than When I Smoked in My 20s
A pack-a-day smoker smokes a cigarette about once an hour, says Erik Augustson, PhD, MPH, a behavioral scientist based in San Francisco and the former director of tobacco control research at the National Cancer Institute. If you were to stop or even cut back, you would start to go into nicotine withdrawal - and that's what drives smokers to smoke their next cigarette.
How soon you reach for a cigarette in the morning is a good indication of the severity of your nicotine addiction. According to the Fagerström Test, which evaluates nicotine dependence, if you have your first cigarette of the day within five minutes of waking up, your addiction is pretty strong. If it's within 30 minutes, it's moderate, and if it's within 60 minutes or later, it's somewhat lower.
By Beth W. Orenstein. Medically Reviewed by Heidi Green, MD
Medically Reviewed
Nicotine addiction can begin with even just a few cigarettes, research has shown. Shutterstock
If you smoke cigarettes, there's a good chance that you're addicted to nicotine. Out of the estimated 28 million adults in the United States who regularly light up, about 70 percent of them want to quit smoking, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The problem is that nicotine, a drug found naturally in tobacco, is addictive - in fact, the CDC says that nicotine addiction has similar pharmacologic and behavioral characteristics to cocaine and heroin addictions. And it doesn't take long to get addicted - it can happen after using it one or two times.
While cigarettes are the most common nicotine threat, all tobacco products contain nicotine and bring the risk of addiction, notes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and that includes cigars, chewing tobacco, and most types of e-cigarettes.
I Feel Younger Now Than When I Smoked in My 20s
I Feel Younger Now Than When I Smoked in My 20s
A pack-a-day smoker smokes a cigarette about once an hour, says Erik Augustson, PhD, MPH, a behavioral scientist based in San Francisco and the former director of tobacco control research at the National Cancer Institute. If you were to stop or even cut back, you would start to go into nicotine withdrawal - and that's what drives smokers to smoke their next cigarette.
How soon you reach for a cigarette in the morning is a good indication of the severity of your nicotine addiction. According to the Fagerström Test, which evaluates nicotine dependence, if you have your first cigarette of the day within five minutes of waking up, your addiction is pretty strong. If it's within 30 minutes, it's moderate, and if it's within 60 minutes or later, it's somewhat lower.
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Title: Recognizing Nicotine Addiction: Symptoms and Risk Factors
Tobacco products, including cigarettes, contain addictive nicotine. About 70% of adult smokers in the US want to quit but are addicted due to nicotine's similarities with cocaine and heroin in addiction characteristics. Nicotine
Tobacco products, including cigarettes, contain addictive nicotine. About 70% of adult smokers in the US want to quit but are addicted due to nicotine's similarities with cocaine and heroin in addiction characteristics. Nicotine