Is nicotine addictive?

Nicotine is very addictive

When tobacco products are used, nicotine is absorbed quickly into your bloodstream. 10 seconds after entering your body, nicotine reaches your brain. This causes the brain to release adrenaline, giving the user a buzz of pleasure and energy.

This buzz fades quickly and leaves users feeling tired, a little down, and wanting the buzz again. This feeling is what makes you light up the next cigarette. Your body is able to build up a high tolerance to nicotine, meaning you will need to smoke more and more cigarettes to get any pleasure from nicotine and preventing withdrawal symptoms.

This cycle repeats again and again leading to addiction and keeps people smoking even after they want to quit. Breaking addiction is harder for some people. Many people will need to try more than once before succeeding to quit.

About quitting.

Research suggests children and younger people may be especially sensitive to nicotine, so it is easier for them to become addicted. The younger a smoker when starting, the more likely they are to become addicted. In fact, about three out of four high /senior school smokers will become adult smokers.

Why are cigarettes addictive?


Why are smokeless tobacco products addictive?




What happens when I quit?


  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Headache
  • Hunger

Craving for cigarettes or other sources of nicotine

Nicotine withdrawal is short-lived and symptoms will reduce and pass in time, usually less than a week.

Withdrawal is the most uncomfortable part of quitting, but the real challenge is beating long term cravings and staying away from tobacco.