The nicotine found in tobacco is a highly addictive drug. Within a few seconds of smoking nicotine goes to your brain and gives you a temporary ‘high’" But over time, your brain starts to adjust and you may need more and more nicotine to get the same effect. Eventually your brain adjusts and the nicotine no longer produces a high. It produces the feeling you call ‘normal’.
If you suddenly stop, or significantly reduce your intake of nicotine, you will feel ‘not normal’. Your brain and body will need a few days to re-adjust. This re-adjustment is known as withdrawal.
So, the power of nicotine comes from the repeated small doses you give yourself (by taking drags of a smoke).
For example, if you take 15 puffs from a cigarette and if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, that's 300 drug doses a day or 109,500 doses a year. That can be a powerful dependence to break, and your body is going to miss the nicotine once you take it way, so you must be prepared for withdrawal symptoms.
However, not all quitters develop the same level of addiction to nicotine, or experience the same level of withdrawal. It’s important for you to understand how addicted you are because someone who has a high level of addiction will usually have more withdrawal symptoms and more cravings.
To help you understand your personal level of nicotine addiction, complete the Nicotine Dependence Quiz found in you’re “My Program” section.
