Nicotine is the primary ingredient of tobacco plants, and its addiction can cause several issues. According to this study, smoking diseases cause 43500 deaths, which is around 20% of the total deaths. Are you also a nicotine or tobacco addict and looking for ways to quit?
Nicotine or tobacco addiction is being unable to stop the use of tobacco despite wanting to stop it. It is also known as a behavioural addiction like gambling. Here, you are going to learn every single thing about Nicotine addiction, from its diagnosis to its treatment.
This brief guide will help you in getting away from this unhealthy addiction. We have also shared its side effects to assist you in realising how harmful it is for your health if you smoke it casually or for fun. Let’s start with understanding this addiction.
What Is Nicotine Addiction?
Nicotine addiction or dependency is an addiction which is caused by using tobacco elements. A nicotine addict feels cravings for nicotine both mentally and physically despite its side effects.
It is often associated with different moods, like smoking after dinner when you are sad, or to look cool, etc. That’s why it is also called behavioural addiction. There are multiple ways to use nicotine, like Cigarettes, Vapes, Cigars or smokeless tobacco.
How To Diagnose It?
There are two ways to diagnose if you are a smoking addict or not. The first one is a straightforward method. Take a look at the symptoms of nicotine addiction if they sound familiar when you are also an addict. The second option is to consult an expert, share your condition and listen to their guidance.
Causes
There can be several causes of nicotine addiction because it is also found in other products like chewing gum, inhalers, patches, and tobacco. But there are rare chances of getting attached to these products due to the lower amount of nicotine in them.
So, the main reason for nicotine addiction is smoking. Let’s take a look at the common causes of smoking addiction in detail.
- Impact Of Your Company
- Young age (Common among youngsters)
- Smoking to get away from stress or anxiety
- Smoking to look cool
Symptoms Of Nicotine Addiction
Nicotine addiction can be diagnosed by two kinds of symptoms primarily. These are physical and psychological. Let’s take a deeper look into these symptoms to understand them better.
Physical Symptoms
These physical symptoms are prevalent among nicotine addicts.
- Smoking at different intervals the whole day
- Smoking urge after walking or eating
- Considering the first cigarette of the day very important
Psychological Signs
Here are some of the common psychological symptoms of nicotine addiction.
- Feeling happy after smoking
- Relaxed
- Alertness
Withdrawal Symptoms While Quitting
The third symptom and the essential point is you will face withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit nicotine use.
- Irritation
- Stress
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Concentration problems
Side Effects
There are several side effects of smoking. Nicotine addiction is not only harmful to you, but it also affects the health of people around you, especially children. Although you may feel happy now due to dopamine release, it is fatal in the long run.
Let’s take a look at the side effects and see what these harmful ingredients of tobacco are capable of doing.
- Lung or mouth cancer
- Pale teeth
- Asthma
- Heart diseases
- chronic bronchitis
- Stroke
- Miscarriage
- Loss of taste or smell
- Diabetes
- Osteoporosis
Treatment Of Nicotine Addiction
There are several ways of nicotine addiction treatment. These ways may and may not be suitable for you, depending upon your addiction level. It’s not just about medicine, but it’s about changing your lifestyle. Let’s take a look at these treatment methods in detail.
Medications
Medications are essential in the treatment of nicotine addiction. These medications are using products with less nicotine, like gums, nasal sprays and patches. These alternative options help you replace tobacco slowly and then leave it.
Positive Environment
The second treatment of nicotine addiction is changing our environment. It’s because there are no pills for it; you need to diagnose the reasons for your smoking and then make changes.
If your friends are smokers, then you may ask them not to smoke in front of you. It is because a positive environment and the support of your family or friends can be a fantastic aid in leaving this addiction.
Self Care
Self-care is another fantastic technique to get rid of Nicotine addiction. You need to replace the triggers with healthy habits with this technique, like eating something else when you need to smoke or sitting with people whom you don’t smoke.
Healthy Replacements
Another excellent aid to quitting smoking is using healthy alternatives instead of nicotine. Here are some of the healthy options you can use instead of nicotine.
- Acupuncture
- Hypnosis
- Herbs
Final Words
Although nicotine addiction may not look very harmful to you, it is a very bad habit. It can cause severe health problems like heart and lung diseases for you in future.
It’s never too late to leave your bad habits. So it doesn’t matter if you have been smoking for how long; you should try to quit smoking, especially if you are a family man or you have kids around you. Even passive smoking can cause asthma or respiratory infections in kids.