How long does it take to get addicted to nicotine?

Regular smokers can also be called “nicotine addicts” because they’re drawn to nicotine, the relatively harmless but highly addictive chemical in cigarettes.

Nicotine addiction is also becoming a bigger problem nowadays due to illegal nicotine vaping products (NVPs) circulating in the market. They lack the dangerous chemicals in cigarette smoke, but they shouldn’t be accessed by anyone who hasn’t smoked cigarettes in the first place.

Nicotine dependence exposes them further to the highly dangerous and toxic chemicals in cigarettes. With nicotine and other chemicals entering the bloodstream quickly (making them more addictive), motivated smokers will find it difficult to stop smoking for good.

In contrast, nicotine patches and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products take an hour to reach maximum nicotine levels. They’re designed to wean you off smoking, so you won’t have to worry about their nicotine content keeping you addicted.

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In today’s post, let’s learn how long it takes to get addicted to nicotine.

How long does it take to get addicted to nicotine?

The FDA and other medical and scientific experts agree that nicotine is the primary reason smokers keep coming back to light a ciggie. Even in light of the health dangers, expenses, and other risks associated with smoking, nicotine cravings can cause the most motivated smoker to go back to smoking.

Nicotine withdrawals can happen within a few hours or days after you’ve stopped smoking a cigarette.

The highly addictive chemical, nicotine, releases dopamine in the body — the habit-forming component in our body.

Studies illustrate how nicotine makes it extremely easy to form habits around cigarettes.

In other studies, it was shown that young smokers who have quit for quite a while still experience “cue-elicited” cravings depending on their environment or peers — perhaps while in a party where there’s a smoking area.

While NRT products do contain nicotine, they do not help you form habits associated with lighting a cigarette. The slow nicotine absorption in your bloodstream won’t create the ‘hit’ with every puff, but it will reduce the brain’s buzzing for nicotine in your system.

E-cigarettes or NVPs, which have become famous nowadays and banned from sale outside of pharmacies, have great potential in helping motivated smokers quit. However, this is only possible if used under a professional’s guidance.

What does nicotine addiction look like? 

Someone addicted to cigarettes will experience two different parts to their addiction.

Cravings

Cravings are a strong desire to smoke, and these are usually strongest when a smoker hasn’t had a cigarette for a while or does something they typically do while smoking.

Craving is the main reason why quitting smoking is so hard.

You can be entirely resolved not to smoke in one context but suddenly experience intense cravings in another. These cravings are called “cue-elicited” cravings. About 50% of long-term smokers who stop smoking will experience occasional cravings for several years after quitting.

Withdrawal

Mood changes and feelings of confusion are fairly common a day after a dependent smoker has stopped smoking. They may also experience physical symptoms and stronger food cravings due to the absence of nicotine.

This is normal. The symptoms may vary in intensity — you might find your withdrawals partly easier to handle or overwhelming to the point of disabling.  The absence of nicotine, a chemical that can imitate other signaling chemicals in the nervous system, can throw the latter off balance.

Fortunately, the nervous system gets itself back on track the longer you stop smoking. It might take some more months for your body to “reset” and stop the withdrawal symptoms, but it will fade eventually.

Aside from changing moods and brain fog, be aware that the following symptoms during nicotine withdrawal are all normal to see:

• Diarrhoea
• Arthritic pain
• Muscle pain
• Lower energy levels (or to do anything at all)
• Extreme hunger
• Temporary breathing difficulties
• Lack of strength
• Migraines

All of these symptoms quickly go away once a smoker gets through the first few weeks of quitting.

Nicotine is cleared by the body very quickly (although this too varies between people). Dependent smokers, then, experience a constant cycle of withdrawal and relief. This, in turn, increases the number of contexts in which a person smokes, leading to more possible “cue-elicited” cravings.

How do you deal with withdrawals?

The best way to deal with nicotine withdrawal (should you decide to quit) is to keep yourself busy. Most successful quitters mention forgetting about cigarettes whenever they did something they truly liked or loved.

Here’s a quick list of things you can do to help you manage your withdrawals and cravings:

• Nicotine replacement therapy
• Meditation
• New hobbies
• Working with a GP

The difference between smoking vs. vaping

The first difference is that e-cigarettes are not lit and do not contain tobacco. This is important because, in addition to disease-causing chemicals in cigarette smoke, some compounds may increase the addictive potential of nicotine.

The second is that a cigarette takes around 10 to 15 puffs to consume, but with an e-cigarette, you can take a couple of puffs and put it away.

A cigarette doses you with a certain amount of nicotine and does so in a short time. An e-cigarette, on the other hand, lets you use the amount you want and lets you spread it out over a more extended period.

Some research, while not conclusive, appears to bear this out. Despite delivering nicotine very efficiently, exclusive users of e-cigarettes report less dependence than when they were smoking.

The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.

This research gives some cause for optimism for current smokers looking to use e-cigarettes to stop smoking. But it’s important to note that it does not necessarily mean that e-cigarettes are less likely to cause dependence in youth.

Read more on Prescribed Nicotine Vaping.

More About Vaping

Vaping is a second-line solution to stop smoking. After going through nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), your GP may prescribe nicotine vaping products (NVPs) as another solution to help you stop smoking.

More on vaping, there are two kinds of products available on the market – one that you should stick with, and another that’s already banned from being imported and sold in the country since March 2024.

Pharmacy Vapes

Pharmacy NVPs are built differently from the ones you’ll find sold in grocery stores, corner shops, and even local tobacconists. They’re also not sold in these establishments and are only available through a pharmacy.

They’re manufactured with the gold standard for medical products – GMP and ISO standards – and by medical professionals who are involved throughout the process of formulating the e-liquid (used for aerosolisation) and the compounds from the vapour or aerosol.

When you use NVPs from pharmacies, you can be sure they’re made to help you stop smoking for good.

Illegal NVPs

On the other hand, there are illegal disposable vaping products – the ones we’ve mentioned sold almost anywhere you look. These are imported from foreign manufacturers who do not comply to any standard except turning the biggest profit possible.

Furthermore, these NVPs contained nickel and lead and foreign saliva. It can also contain dangerous levels of nicotine (up to 357mg), which are masked by fruity and delectable flavours designed to keep customers hooked and buying.

Illegal disposable vapes are already banned from being imported and sold in the country as of 2024. The only way to use an NVP is to go through a smoking cessation programme with a GP, get a script if your GP deems it necessary, and purchase an NVP through your local pharmacy.

A better way of thinking about the risk of nicotine addiction

Suppose a person ends up with “full-blown” nicotine dependence because of the vicious cycle of craving and withdrawal that began with a single cigarette. Can’t we say that it started with that first cigarette?

Perhaps “how long does it take to get addicted to nicotine” is the wrong question to ask in the first place.

Instead, let’s try this: If you’re young and you try a cigarette, there’s a 50% chance that you are going to go on to become a daily smoker. If you’re young and try a vape, there’s a chance you’ll become dependent, even if the research says that it’s low as no one yet knows how high it is.

The best path though, is not to try anything that involves nicotine. Most smokers or ex-smokers would agree that it’s never worth taking the chance.

It’s very easy to form new habits, especially when it has a chemical that affects your dopamine system and makes you feel rewarded for doing nothing at all.

Want to talk to a professional about quitting? We can help!

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to friendly Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference

• https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-effects-tobacco-use/nicotine-why-tobacco-products-are-addictive
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10466701/
• https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-young-people-peers-elicit-greater.html
• https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10466701/#CR41
• https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/new-regulation-vapes-starting-january-2024
• https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7zb37/we-got-your-vapes-tested-in-a-lab-heres-what-we-found
• https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65614078
• https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/08/paddy-gower-on-vaping-shocking-facts-uncovered-about-the-known-and-unknown-health-risks-of-e-liquids.html