The faster-acting NRTs (gum, lozenge, inhaler, spray) work sooner to reduce both nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings. The slower-acting NRTs (patch) reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. NRT products come in different formats: patch, gum, inhaler, lozenge and nasal spray. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) uses pure nicotine to treat nicotine dependence.Two types of medications exist for treating nicotine dependence: over-the-counter products that contain nicotine and prescription medications that do not contain nicotine. The choice of medication, dosage and duration of use depend on each person's needs and preferences.

Stop-smoking medications reduce withdrawal symptoms and nicotine cravings. Combining these two types of treatment is the most successful way to quit tobacco use. Medications and behavioural counselling are the two main types of tobacco cessation treatment. Quitting tobacco use can take many attempts, so it is important to keep trying. Which is the most important cigarette of the day for you?.How many cigarettes do you smoke per day?.How soon after you wake up do you use tobacco?.Health care providers determine whether a person has nicotine dependence, and how severe it is, by asking certain questions. Other substance use: People who use alcohol, cannabis and illegal drugs have much higher rates of tobacco use.Co-existing mental health problems: People with mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, have much higher rates of tobacco use.Age: The younger a person is when they start using tobacco, the greater the chance that they will continue to smoke and develop nicotine dependence as adults.Children with friends who smoke are also more likely to try cigarettes. Family and friends: Children with parents who smoke are more likely to eventually take up smoking themselves.Genetics: Heredity may determine how receptors in the brain respond to high doses of nicotine delivered by tobacco products.Various factors influence who is more likely to use tobacco and to develop nicotine dependence: These triggers lead to behaviour patterns that can be difficult to change.Īnyone who smokes or uses other forms of tobacco is at risk of developing nicotine dependence. For example, some people always smoke after a meal or when they feel anxious. People develop conditioned signals, or “triggers,” for tobacco use. In addition to physical factors involved in nicotine dependence, there are psychological factors. These symptoms usually stop within a couple of weeks, but some people continue to have problems concentrating or experience strong nicotine cravings weeks or months after quitting. Signs and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include: They may no longer experience pleasure from using tobacco, but they continue to use it because they have cravings and want to avoid nicotine withdrawal. Tobacco use causes feelings of pleasure and alertness, but people with nicotine dependence become tolerant to the desired effects. smoking at regular intervals throughout the day.ranking the first cigarette of the day as the most important.

the urge to smoke within 30 minutes of waking.Signs of physical dependence on nicotine include: Nicotine dependence involves physical and psychological factors. Long-term changes in the brain caused by continued nicotine exposure result in nicotine dependence, and attempts to stop cause withdrawal symptoms that are relieved with renewed tobacco use. This change triggers processes that contribute to the cycle of cravings and urges that maintains addiction. When the person stops using tobacco, nicotine levels in the brain drop. Inhaled smoke delivers nicotine to the brain within 20 seconds, which makes it very addictive-comparable to opioids, alcohol and cocaine. This 'rush' is a major part of the addictive process. It causes mood-altering changes that make the person temporarily feel good. Nicotine releases a chemical called dopamine in the same regions of the brain as other addictive drugs.

Nicotine dependence (also called tobacco addiction) involves physical and psychological factors that make it difficult to stop using tobacco, even if the person wants to quit. Today, nicotine is recognized as the very addictive drug found in tobacco products. In the past, it was believed that because nicotine does not cause intoxication or impairment, using tobacco was simply a bad habit, not an addiction.

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