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Tobacco Addiction (Nicotine)

Brief Description

Through the use of tobacco, nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs and the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the U.S. Cigarette smoking accounts for 90% of lung cancer cases in the U.S., and about 38,000 deaths per year can be attributed to secondhand smoke. Cigarettes and chew tobacco are illegal substances in most U.S. states for those under 18; a handful of states have raised the age to 19.

Effects

Nicotine is highly addictive. The tar in cigarettes increases a smoker's risk of lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial disorders. The carbon monoxide in smoke increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases. Pregnant smokers have a higher risk of miscarriage or low birthweight babies. Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults and greatly increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children.

Statistics and Trends

In 2009, nearly 70 million Americans age 12 and older had used a tobacco product at least once in the month prior to being surveyed. Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Web Site). The NIDA-funded 2010 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 7.1% of 8th graders, 13.6% of 10th graders, and 19.2% of 12th graders had used cigarettes and 4.1% of 8th graders, 7.5% of 10th graders, and 8.5% of 12th graders had used smokeless tobacco at least once in the month prior to being surveyed. And while rates of smoking have been declining since the mid-nineties, those declines have been slowing in the last two years. Source: Monitoring the Future (University of Michigan Web Site).

Related Publications

Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (DrugFacts)

Revised December 2012.
Provides an overview of the effects of cigarette and other tobacco products, including their effect on their brain, other health effects, approaches to smoking or nicotine cessation, and overall use among youth. En Español

Publication Cover

Tobacco Addiction (Research Reports)

Published July 1998. Revised July 2012.
Discusses the harmful effects of tobacco use, risks associated with pregnancy and adolescents, as well as best practices for the prevention and treatment of tobacco addiction. En Español

Percent of Students Reporting Smoking Cigarettes in Past Month, by Grade

Tobacco Addiction (Topics in Brief)

Revised June 2012.
Examines the scope of tobacco use in the U.S., what makes it addictive, and potential treatment options for tobacco addiction.

Imaging studies show that smoking tobacco affects the whole body image

Tobacco and Nicotine Research (Topics in Brief)

Revised August 2008.
Provides an update on the scientific information on nicotine and tobacco, including basic research on their biological effects, the scope of use, prenatal exposure, and treatment.

Publication Cover

Tobacco Addiction (Mind Over Matter)

Published January 1998.
Describes how nicotine acts on the heart to change heart rate and blood pressure, and discusses dependency, treatment, and effects of long-term nicotine use. En Español

Related Resources

Other Resources

Past information on many drugs of abuse is available on our Archives site.

Tags

This page was last updated July 2012

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Featured Publication

Featured Publication

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction

As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both brain and behavior.