Nicotine addiction quick for teen smokers
4 October 2000
A study published in the September issue of Tobacco Control has debunked the popular myth that nicotine addiction is a gradual process and occurs only after prolonged daily use of tobacco.
Researchers in the United States have found that the first symptoms of nicotine dependence can appear within days to weeks of the onset of occasional use, often before the onset of daily smoking.
The researchers followed a group of 681 US students (age 12-13 years) over one year.
Of the 95 students who had initiated occasional smoking, 22 per cent reported nicotine dependence within four weeks of beginning monthly smoking.
One or more symptoms of nicotine dependence were reported by 60 of these 95 students and, of these 60, 62 per cent reported experiencing their first symptom before smoking daily, or began smoking daily only when they experienced their first symptom.
Researchers said that these findings reflect results in mice that show that nicotine receptors in the brain significantly increase just after a second dose of nicotine: this then becomes a pathway to addiction.
Last Reviewed: 30 May 2002
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