nicotine addiction
Cigarettes are exceptionally addictive because of nicotine. Many consider nicotine to be the most addictive drug, all the more troublesome because it can be easily legally obtained. Nicotine withdrawal can be extremely difficult and causes headaches, nausea, irritability, and other symptoms.
Posted under Cigarette Addiction
Best Reasons Ever to Quit Smoking Now
With estimates upwards of 46 million current smokers in the U.S. (figures as of 2009, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and cigarette smoking the leading cause of preventable death in this country – accounting for approximately 443,000 deaths each year – every smoker should be looking at ways to quit. In fact, since there’s no time like the present, here are some of the best reasons ever to quit smoking now.
Posted under Teens
Hookah Use in High Schools
While several decades ago cigarette smoking was associated with being cool, modern kids know better. SAMHSA reports that cigarette use has declined in recent years, which is welcomed news given the risks associated with tobacco use, from lung cancer to emphysema. Continue Reading
Posted under Cigarette Addiction
Pleasure and Anxiety Relief Activated by Nicotine
There are many reasons that individuals take up smoking. Many initiate tobacco use because of social networks where smoking is considered an acceptable behavior. Smoking is often continued because the individual feels pleasure or anxiety relief after using tobacco. Continue Reading
Posted under Cigarette Addiction
Can You Scare Someone Out of Smoking?
There are many options available for those who want to stop using nicotine. The available treatments range from nicotine gum, to nicotine patches, to hypnosis. While some smokers have been successful with immediate cessation, most people struggle with quitting and need assistance with the physical and mental challenges associated with a nicotine addiction.
Posted under Cigarette Addiction
Adolescent Smokers Don’t Recognize Early Signs of Addiction
Kids who have just started smoking, but not on a daily basis, don’t seem to recognize the early symptoms of dependence, according to a new study.
Posted under Addiction & Society
Does Menthol Make Nicotine More Addictive?
Although nicotine is definitely addictive, scientists have been debating for several decades the role menthol plays in addiction. Brenda Wilson of NPR writes that some researchers suspect that menthol allows smokers to take deeper drags on cigarettes, drawing in greater amounts of nicotine and its byproducts.
Posted under Addiction Treatment
Stressing Benefits of Quitting Smoking May Improve Cessation
A new study found that smokers who received gain-framed messaging from quitline specialists (stressing the benefits of quitting) had slightly better cessation outcomes than those who received standard-care messaging (i.e., potential losses from smoking and benefits of quitting). The study was published online January 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Researchers also established that quitline specialists can be trained to provide gain-framed messaging with good fidelity.
Posted under Cigarette Addiction
Just One Cigarette Can Affect Young Adults’ Health
Even one cigarette has serious adverse effects on young adults, according to research presented by Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
Posted under Types of Addiction
Cancer Survivors Who Smoke Aren’t Getting the Help They Need to Quit
More than a quarter of cancer survivors who still smoke have not been advised to quit smoking by their health care providers in the last year, according to a study published by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Posted under Science & Research
Surprising Attitudes toward Smoking in Low-Income Neighborhoods
In some of Milwaukee’s poorest neighborhoods, nearly half of all adults are addicted to cigarettes, despite the fact that prices are nearing $9 a pack while many household incomes are below $15,000.
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The Addiction Primer
Everything you need to know to help a loved one struggling with addiction, from the writers and editors of Everything Addiction.
