1) They crave the drug effect of nicotine on their brain
2) They fear the very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that occur if they try to quit (see
below), and
3) They have developed a very powerful habit which has been ingrained into their daily
routine (e.g., smoking on awakening, after eating, with coffee, with an alcoholic drink,
while on the phone, while driving, when stressed, when bored, when socializing with
other smokers, etc.). These activities of daily life have become linked to the nicotine
drug effect that they crave and act as repeated trigger factors or cues to use tobacco.

Signs of tobacco addiction include: smoking the first cigarette within thirty minutes of waking up, smoking a pack or more a day, craving cigarettes when they're not available and finding it hard to refrain from smoking for more than a few hours. Most adolescents and adults who become established smokers state that they would like to quit but are unable to do so. Most smokers don't realize that nicotine is just as addictive or in many cases even more addictive than heroin or cocaine. (see testimony below). (see slide j)

Video Examples of Tobacco Addiction:
Laurena Diaz (18 year old smoker) "I really wasn't addicted to them until the past two years. I've made several attempts to quit. My friends have broken my cigarettes. They've hid them from me and I just go out and keep buying and I keep spending money on them. I really don't know why I cant quit although I've tried." (see Video Script pg 38).

April Sigmund (20 year old) "One of my very best friends is a smoker and actually he used to be a drug addict. He's recovered now. He's been sober for two years and when he quit he said, "take away my drugs, I can't do them anymore, but don't take my ciga-rettes!" (see Video Script pg 39).

Bill Stone (50 year old smoker) "I've tried to quit but you wake up in the middle of the night and you're sucking on a cigarette. I used to drink a lot. I used to smoke pot. I was able to stop doing that. I've done heroin. I've been able to stop doing that. The only thing I can't get off is these damn cigarettes. It's terrible to really need something like that! Like I have no control! If they told me that if I didn't quit smoking cigarettes today, in a year I would die, I'd just keep smoking up until the end! And I wouldn't wish this on anybody!". (see Video Script pgs 40-41).

Gregorio Flores (an adult smoker who developed cancer of the larynx because of smoking and required a tracheostomy, a surgically placed breathing hole in his neck). Despite this surgery he continued to smoke. He inhales the smoke through his mouth and then blows it out through the hole in his neck. Because of his severe addiction to nicotine, he contin-ued to smoke this way right up until his death. (see Video Script pg 43).

Claude Levy (adult smoker with lung cancer) "I started smoking when I was about 15 years old. A friend of mine gave me a couple of cigarettes and that's how it all started. It's very hard to quit. I suppose we get addicted to the nicotine and there is some psy-chological involvement also. It's very, very hard to quit. If you did start , do your utmost to stop now because later on it's going to be extremely hard to do". (see Video Script pg 44).