Tobacco is among the most abused substances globally. It is estimated to cause around 6 million deaths yearly, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Therefore, it is considered the leading cause of preventable death.
The most addictive component of tobacco is nicotine. The symptoms of tobacco addiction include inability to stop smoking, discontinuing other activities for smoking, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms, among others.
The treatment of tobacco addiction can be very difficult, particularly if professional help isn’t engaged. Medications and counseling are among the most common options used by professionals. They have both proven effective in treating tobacco addiction, with better results observed when the two options are combined.
Table of Contents
What is Tobacco Addiction?
The compulsive seeking and use of tobacco, regardless of the obvious harms, is referred to as Tobacco Addiction. It involves smoking or chewing tobacco over a long period of time, such that the brain chemistry becomes altered. Nicotine present in tobacco is highly addictive, hence it is difficult to stop despite the numerous dangers associated.
What Are the Symptoms of Tobacco Addiction?
- Experiencing Withdrawal Symptoms
Withdrawal symptoms are the psychological and physical effects that happen when a person suddenly cuts back on or stops using a substance. Hence, if withdrawal symptoms are experienced following an attempt to stop using tobacco, tobacco addiction has developed. The symptoms include cravings, irritability, depression, increased appetite, difficulty concentrating, and diarrhea.
- Inability to Stop Smoking
If you have tried to stop using tobacco, perhaps a number of times, but just can’t help it, you are dealing with Tobacco Addiction. For example, an individual who saw some nasty effects of smoking decides to stop but keeps finding themselves back in it is addicted to tobacco. The adverse effects include health issues and financial problems but despite the severity of these problems, tobacco usage continues.
- Discontinuation of Social Activities
An addicted person will gradually withdraw from activities he used to look forward to, such as social meetings, time out with family, and other hobbies, especially if they fear they won’t be able to smoke or where the freedom to smoke may be limited. So, they are more likely to spend more time alone, e.g. at home.
What are the Factors that Increase the Risk of Tobacco Addiction?
The vulnerability to tobacco addiction varies from one person to another. There are risk factors that make one person more vulnerable than the others. They include:
- Age: there is a higher risk of tobacco addiction for people who start smoking at a very young age. These early smokers are more likely to develop nicotine dependence and ultimately cause tobacco addiction.
- Heredity: an individual with a family history of using or smoking tobacco is at an increased risk of developing tobacco addiction. Different studies, such as one published in a journal on tobacco control, have backed the family history risk of tobacco addiction.
- Mental Health Disorders: mental health disorders and addiction often happen together. An individual battling mental health issues like anxiety disorder and depression is more likely to turn to tobacco as a relief option or ‘medication’ for the symptoms of mental health issues. This then leads to tobacco dependence, significantly increasing the risk of addiction. A 2015 study published in International Review of Neurobiology, Nicotine Addiction and Psychiatric Disorders, states that attempts to self-medicate to get lessened symptoms plays a significant role in the high prevalence of smoking among people with mental illnesses.
- Other substance use disorders: there is a higher risk of tobacco addiction for people who have other substance addictions. For instance, an individual with drug addiction is more likely to develop tobacco addiction. In the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2016, Campbell and others said patients undergoing substance dependence treatment have high smoking rates.
- Environment: the chance that an individual living in an environment where there are many smokers and tobacco is readily available is at a higher risk of Tobacco Addiction. Similarly, a person whose friends are smokers is more likely to develop tobacco addiction.
What are the Common Health Effects or Complications of Tobacco Addiction?
Tobacco addiction increases the risk of a wide range of health complications, particularly tobacco products containing nicotine. The health complications include:
- Lung Cancer: the leading risk factor for lung cancer is cigarette smoking, with about 9 out of every 10 deaths from lung cancer caused by smoking, according to an article released by the American Lung Association. It isn’t limited to smoking, using other tobacco products also increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Besides lung cancer, lung diseases like chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, etc. are also caused by smoking.
- Heart Disease: smoking is among the primary factors causing heart disease. The formation of plaque in the coronary artery can be enhanced by smoking. Hence, blood flow to the heart is reduced and the risk of cardiovascular issues increased.
- Diabetes: smoking plays a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes. It is a result of the impact of nicotine on cells – it changes them, making it difficult for cells to respond to insulin as they should. Therefore, there is an increase in blood sugar level.
- High red blood cell count: some of the diseases, e.g. emphysema, caused by smoking have the potential to increase the red blood cells, leading to thicker blood and an increased risk for blood clots.
- Other cancers: besides lung cancer, tobacco use causes a wide range of other cancers, like cancer of the colon, mouth, esophagus, bladder, cervix, larynx, pancreas, stomach, liver, etc. Acute myeloid leukemia is another one, according to Cancer Research UK.
- Weakened immune system: the body’s ability to protect itself can be significantly affected by smoking because some components of cigarettes can interfere with the immune system. This ultimately exposes the body to diverse diseases, including severe and long-lasting ones.
- Reproductive health problems: according to a 2020 article published in Healthline, 8 Dangers of Smoking While Pregnant, people (man and woman) who smoke are twice as likely to have fertility issues than people who don’t.
- Eye problems: cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration (AMD) are two serious eye diseases that can be caused by smoking. The harmful toxins in tobacco get to the eyes via the bloodstream.
- Gum disease and tooth loss: oral health can be compromised by nicotine. This combined with a weakened immune system makes treating gum infection more difficult and increases the chances of tooth loss.
What are the Treatment Options for Tobacco Addiction?
There are a variety of therapy techniques and interventions used by experts to treat tobacco addiction. They include:
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- Medications
This involves nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) provided as nasal sprays, gums, inhalers, or patches, without the harmful components of tobacco. It reduces nicotine cravings and various physical withdrawal symptoms. Antidepressants also help alleviate depressive symptoms caused by nicotine withdrawal.
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- The patch: this sticker, small and bandage-like, which is applied to the back or arm is designed to give low levels of nicotine to the body with the aim of gradually weaning the body off nicotine.
- Nicotine gum: people who require the oral fixation of chewing or smoking will find this very helpful because it takes care of the urge to have something in the mouth. For craving management, small doses of nicotine are contained in the gum.
- Spray or inhaler: nicotine sprays are very common, made to supply nicotine in low doses without using tobacco.
- Counseling
Counseling addresses the psychological aspects of the treatment of tobacco addiction, while medications deal with the physical aspects. Through counseling, necessary coping skills are learned by afflicted people.
Note: both medications and counseling are effective treatment options for tobacco medication. A combination of both is considered more effective, with higher rates of smoking cessation recorded.
There are other popular treatment tools that have been found not to be effective. For example, using electronic cigarettes as a tool to stop tobacco addiction often lead to addicted people using both traditional and electronic cigarettes in the end.
What are the Prevention Strategies of Tobacco Addiction?
Prevention Strategies for tobacco Addiction can either be personal or general. Let’s begin with personal strategies. They include:
- Avoiding triggers: the urge to use tobacco will be stronger in some places, among some people, or in certain situations. Hence, once you know your triggers, avoid them or find a way to get through them if it’s impossible to avoid them.
- Delay: the urge to use a substance can be very compulsive. Whenever it feels as though you can’t fight it anymore, tell yourself you have to wait for maybe 15 minutes. It’s a way of tricking yourself to buy enough time to get to a place where you can’t smoke or distract yourself by doing something else.
- Chewing: people with tobacco addiction often feel the urge to put something in their mouth, hence chewing on hard candy, sugarless gum, or even nicotine gum can be very helpful.
- Don’t fall for the ‘just one’ trick: when fighting addiction, temptation will be enormous. A common example is the ‘just one’ trick. If you fall for the temptation of using just one cigarette, you are most likely to go on and on. Don’t fall for it.
- Parental control: it is important that people don’t start smoking too early. Hence, parents must monitor the kind of friends their kids make as well as ensure, as much as possible, their environment doesn’t increase the risk of tobacco addiction for kids.
- Physical activities: going out for a walk, visiting the gym, or even in-house options like running/walking up and down the stairs, squats, push-ups, etc. are excellent ways to distract yourself.
- Try relaxation techniques: for many, smoking is their way of dealing with stress. Massage, yoga, deep breathing, and visualization are excellent alternatives to explore.
- Remind yourself of the benefit: writing down the benefits of stopping tobacco use and/or saying them out loud may also be helpful. For example, the promise of getting healthier, saving money, and feeling better can be very satisfying on its own.
- Use support groups: it is very helpful to have people who understand the path you are on and can offer support.
Note: it’s better to do something to beat tobacco cravings and with every victory, you are a step closer to full recovery.
On a general level, tobacco addiction is a major issue for society, hence tobacco addiction prevention strategies include:
- Policy level
- Policies can be put in place to make getting tobacco more difficult. Such policies include:
- Higher taxes for tobacco products, which have been proven to be very beneficial in this regard.
- Stricter laws on who purchases tobacco as well as how and where it can be purchased. Where and when they can be used is also vital.
- Advertising restrictions
- Compulsory health warnings on packages
- School and Community level
This must not be limited to just educating people on the dangers of smoking, but must include measures to at least delay the use of tobacco by young people.
Is there a Safe Way to Smoke Cigarettes?
The answer is NO. There is no safe way to smoke cigarettes as all cigarettes can damage the body. Switching from high nicotine cigarettes to lower nicotine cigarettes does not make smoking better, because most people eventually end up increasing cigarette usage to get the same effect or feeling as before.
Are Menthol Cigarettes Safer?
Menthol does not add anything to cigarettes, aside from the flavor. Hence, menthol cigarettes are not safer. It is, in fact, considered more dangerous because the menthol in the cigar soothes the throat and decreases cough reflexes. Therefore, users can inhale deeper and hold the smoke longer.
Am I at Risk If I Puff a Cigarette Without Inhaling the Smoke?
Yes, you are. Nicotine and several other components of cigarettes contained in the smoke can be absorbed through the skin, mouth, and nose. Also, the smoke ends up in your lungs as you take your next breath. Eventually, it still does its associated damages. The only way to be without the risk is to stop smoking.