Monday, April 12, 2010

Is nicotine addiction a disease?

Addiction Box by Dirk Hanson

This is an interesting article about whether addiction is a disease or not. The case can be made that individuals that are addicted to a substance (whether it's nicotine or something else) have a powerlessness over the ability to abstain from their nicotine (or other substance). In this post, the point is made that often addiction is a change in the nervous system that can not be eliminated but can become dormant.

With smokers, the "need" to smoke can re-awake even after years of abstaining from cigarettes. It is something that the nervous system will always remember--"You're a puff away from a pack a day". Just like if you have learned to ride a bike or how to swim, you don't learn how not to swim or not to ride a bide, the only option is to stay out of the water and off of the bike. Same with smoking, you can not learn how not to smoke, only learn how to avoid smoking.

1 comment:

Ajay Atri said...

I will say my experience of smoking for 40 years and quitting 4 months ago,says there is nothing like nicotine addiction.I still have many types of NRT with me,hardly used,as i never felt any need of them.Although in initial days i use to take them,as i was advised,but they were of no use.