Download Nicotine Addiction and Withdrawal

Nicotine Addiction
Nicotine is a chemical compound found in tobacco.
Nicotine causes and keeps people addicted to tobacco.
Within seconds of inhaling cigarette smoke, nicotine reaches the brain.
Over time the brain adjusts to the nicotine and you may need to smoke more to get the same feeling
(which has been described as a “high”) or effect of smoking.
Eventually your brain will adjust and no longer produces the same feeling, it produces a feeling that you
think of as normal.
The power of nicotine comes from the repeated small doses you give yourself when you smoke. If you
smoke 12 puffs from a cigarette and smoke 20 cigarettes a day, that’s 240 drug doses a day or 87,600
doses a year.
When you stop or reduce your smoking, you won’t feel the same. Your brain and body need a few days
or weeks to adjust. The adjustment is known as nicotine withdrawal. You can start to experience
withdrawal within 30 minutes after you last used tobacco.
Each person reacts differently to nicotine and some develop a more powerful physical addiction than
others. So, some may experience a more intense physical withdrawal that could last longer than
average. Some people experience many withdrawal symptoms, while others experience few.
Nicotine Withdrawal
Everyone’s experience is different, but here are a few common withdrawal symptoms:
• Irritability, frustration, anger or anxiety
• Trouble concentrating
• Restlessness
• Sleeplessness
• Depression
• Increased Appetite
Dealing with withdrawal may not be easy, but you should know that:
• The symptoms you may experience in the first few days happen because your body is returning to
normal.
• Most nicotine from your smoking is flushed from your body after an average of 4 to 5 days.
• For those who suffer from uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, there are many simple medication
treatments to help. The nicotine patch and other medications may be helpful. Your healthcare provider
will help you decide which product, or combination of products, is best for you. The key is to use them
properly.
• These medications can help increase your chances of quitting, or reducing, your tobacco use. Your
chances increase when medications are combined with behavior counselling programs such as QuitCore.
Tobacco Cessation Medications Include Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and two prescription
medications: Varenicline/Champix and Bupropion/Zyban.