Nicotine
Addiction Research Report
The use of tobacco products may
be the Nation's most critical public health problem.
It is, in fact, addiction to nicotine that is at the
root of this enormous health, social, and financial
burden.
An improved overall
understanding of addiction, coupled with the
identification of nicotine as an addictive drug, has
been instrumental in the development of medications
and behavioral treatments for nicotine addiction. In
essence, science-driven treatment development has
provided to consumers the option to easily purchase
effective treatments, such as the nicotine patch and
nicotine gum, in their local drugstores and
supermarkets. Science has also shown that treating
addiction with medications alone is not nearly as
effective as when the medication is coupled with a
behavioral approach. While we have made substantial
progress in developing both pharmacological and
behavioral treatments that have proven effective for
many people, much more remains to be done.
Through the use of advanced
neuroimaging technologies, we are now actually able to
see some of the changes in brain function that occur
as people smoke tobacco products. Researchers are
beginning to find that there may be chemicals other
than nicotine in cigarette smoke that contribute to
tobacco's addictiveness. This finding and many other
new research accomplishments in the addiction arena
are providing us with an unprecedented opportunity to
curtail this enormous public health crisis. We hope
this compilation of scientific information will help
to inform readers about our current understanding of
nicotine addiction and its harmful effects and will
assist in prevention and treatment efforts.
Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D.
Director
National Institute on Drug Abuse
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