As a nicotine addict I can tell you it is one of the most difficult chemical substances to quit. With all of the tremendous information on the dangers of smoking and nicotine it is a wonder people continue to take up the habit. Yet thousands of new smokers take their first puff each day.
Many of these new smokers suffer from mental illness. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), half of all cigarettes consumed in the U.S. are smoked by people with some form of mental illness (which includes those with substance use disorders). This as reported in the Courier Press.
The health hazards of tobacco use. A number of studies have shown that tobacco use in those with mental health or substance use disorders is associated with 20 to 30 years of life lost compared to mean life expectancy of general population.
Studies also have shown that nicotine activates the same reward pathway in the brain as heroin and cocaine and although consequences are not immediate, more alcoholics die from smoking related diseases than alcohol related diseases.
Nicotine addiction is not different from other addictions, and should be treated as such.
Research has also repeatedly shown that treating tobacco use during addiction treatment led to an increase in positive treatment outcomes by 25 percent. Tobacco users learn skills in recovery from other substance use disorders that help them quit tobacco use.
The sooner we as a society start treating nicotine addiction as a disease the sooner people will get competent help for their problem. A good place to start would be a tobacco class.
