Overview:
Nicotine is highly addictive. It is both a stimulant and a sedative to the central nervous system. The ingestion of nicotine results in an almost immediate "kick" because it causes a discharge of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex. This stimulates the central nervous system, and other endocrine glands, which causes a sudden release of glucose. Stimulation is then followed by depression and fatigue, leading the abuser to seek more nicotine. Nicotine is absorbed readily from tobacco smoke in the lungs, and it does not matter whether the tobacco smoke is from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
Nicotine also is absorbed readily when tobacco is chewed. With regular use of tobacco, levels of nicotine accumulate in the body during the day and persist overnight. Thus, daily smokers or chewers are exposed to the effects of nicotine for 24 hours each day. Nicotine taken in by cigarette or cigar smoking takes only seconds to reach the brain but has a direct effect on the body for up to 30 minutes.
Research has shown that stress and anxiety affect nicotine tolerance and dependence. The stress hormone corticosterone reduces the effects of nicotine; therefore, more nicotine must be consumed to achieve the same effect. This increases tolerance to nicotine and leads to increased dependence. Studies in animals have also shown that stress can directly cause relapse to nicotine self-administration after a period of abstinence.
Other studies have shown that animals cannot discriminate between the effects
of nicotine and the effects of cocaine. Studies have also shown that nicotine
self-administration sensitizes animals to self-administer cocaine more readily.
Addiction to nicotine results in withdrawal symptoms when a person tries
to stop smoking. For example, a study found that when chronic smokers were
deprived of cigarettes for 24 hours, they had increased anger, hostility,
and aggression, and loss of social cooperation. Persons suffering from withdrawal
also take longer to regain emotional equilibrium following stress. During
periods of abstinence and/or craving, smokers have shown impairment across
a wide range of psychomotor and cognitive functions, such as language comprehension.
Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofax/tobacco.html
General:
Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Products
Nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States.
Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine since
the beginning of the 20th century. In 1998, 60 million Americans were current
cigarette smokers (28 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older), and
4.1 million were between the ages of 12 and 17 (18 percent of youth in
this age bracket).
In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that cigarettes
and other forms of tobacco, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco,
are addictive and that nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction.
In addition, the report determined that smoking was a major cause of stroke
and the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2002, September 24). NIDA InfoFacts: Cigarettes and Other
Nicotine ProductsWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved
October 03, 2002 from the World Wide Web:http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofax/tobacco.html
Statistics:
An estimated 66.5 million Americans reported current use (past month use) of a tobacco product in 2001, a prevalence rate of 29.5 percent for the population aged 12 or older.
Among that same population, 56.3 million (24.9 percent of the total population
aged 12 or older) smoked cigarettes, 12.1 million (5.4 percent) smoked cigars,
7.3 million (3.2 percent) used smokeless tobacco, and 2.3 million (1.0 percent)
smoked tobacco in pipes (Figure 4.1). Between 2000 and 2001, the percentage
reporting past month cigar smoking increased from 4.8 to 5.4 percent, which
was similar to the rate reported in 1999 (5.5 percent). There were no other
significant changes in the rates of current use of other tobacco products.
Source: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. (2002, September 4). Results from
the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National
Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NHSDA Series H-17 ed.) (BKD461, SMA
02-3758)Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September
26, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/NHSDA/2k1NHSDA/vol1/Chapter4.htm
