VIDEO
How do I know if I am addicted to nicotine?
Because of the fact that drug dependence is distinct from physiological dependency and the fact that addiction to nicotine is not the same as addiction to heroin or cocaine, sometimes it is difficult even for those who smoke to know whether or not they are addicted to tobacco.
This is particularly true, as the criteria state, if a drug does not become a central activity in people’s daily lives. How one decides this is largely subjective. As Mark Twain famously said, “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” This quote illustrates the central dilemma regarding addiction to tobacco.
How can it be addictive if it is so easy to quit?
Then why do you have to quit so many times before you convince yourself you are addicted? A later question offers a list of common nicotine withdrawal symptoms to give a clue that, at the very least, physiological dependency has occurred. Of course, as mentioned earlier, these alone are not enough to meet all of the DSM-IV-TR criteria of addiction. But Twain’s quote captures at least one other criterion: there is a persistent desire or unsuccessful effort to cut down or control substance use. Of course, you may argue, “but I have neither a desire nor made an effort to cut down so therefore I am not addicted!” Well, aside from the mental gymnastics that addicts go through to convince themselves they are OK, consider one more criterion: the substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance (for example, current cocaine use despite recognition of cocaine-induced depression, or continued drinking despite recognition that an ulcer was made worse by alcohol consumption).
The physical problems resulting from smoking are by now so well documented that anyone who does not quit despite these facts meets this criterion. Yes, we all know of Grandpa who smoked from the age of 12 until he died at the age of 100. That is always a heartening story. Unfortunately, tobacco use is like Russian roulette or any other risky activity. You can still win, but you are playing against the casino, and while some individuals win, most do not; regardless, the casino always wins.
Here are some simple warning signs that you are addicted: If you smoke within 30 minutes after getting out of bed in the morning, you are probably addicted. If you cannot resist smoking even when you are ill, you are probably addicted. If you are smoking more than one pack each day, smoking more in the morning than at other times of the day, or having difficulty refraining from smoking in places that are assigned as no smoking areas, then you are probably addicted.
Lisa’s comment:
When I tried to quit in the past, using the withdrawal process without any medication support, I suffered extreme depression. I kept running to the bathroom at work or out to the parking lot to cry uncontrollably. When I got home, I’d sit on the floor and cry in a fetal position. I thought something was wrong with me and beat myself up even more for not being able to function in any normal mode.
If you smoke within 30 minutes after getting out of bed in the morning, you are probably
Addicted
