Is smoking addictive? Well, the answer is…

Using any form of tobacco, including smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes or chewing tobacco can rapidly lead to addiction. The drug in tobacco that causes addiction is called nicotine, which is as addictive as heroin or cocaine, some can become addicted after smoking just a few cigarettes.

The cigarette is legally engineered to deliver the nicotine in a very efficient way. By inhaling, the smoker can get nicotine to the brain very rapidly with every puff. A typical smoker takes about 10 puffs on a lit cigarette over 5 minutes. The “hits” of nicotine to the brain each day, depending on the number of cigarettes smoke contributes to nicotine’s highly addictive nature.

Nicotine acts as a stimulant in small doses, creating a sense of alertness, calmness and relaxation especially at times of stress. The problem is that nicotine isn’t stored in the body so these effects last only a few minutes. We need to absorb more and more nicotine to make the effects last.

When your nicotine intake becomes regular, you become dependant on it. So, instead of providing a temporary high, people smoke regularly just to feel “normal”.

When some people go without tobacco for more than a few hours they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as lack of energy, slight depression, difficulty concentrating, headache, dizziness. This is why giving up smoking takes a lot of effort and determination. But when you quit for good, withdrawal symptoms will pass within a few days.

Similar to other addictions, it’s difficult to give up without help and many have failed several if not many times, often suffering a relapse and more often than not, smoking more than before. Studies have shown that tobacco use usually begins at an early age and those that started early are more likely to develop an addiction compared to those that start later.

So the answer to the question, is smoking addictive? The answer is yes.