Word count: 2, 326 words
Learning outcomes:
Explain factors related to smoking addiction.
Smoking cigarettes is an addictive behaviour as tobacco in one cigarette contains 1-2mgs
of nicotine. Nicotine is a substance which is anything that people ingest in order to alter mood,
cognition, or behaviour. Substances can produce dependence and withdrawal symptoms which
would cause addiction. Addiction refers to an uncontrollable behaviour in using the specific
substance that they are dependent on. However, addiction does not have to be specifically to
drugs or substances as there are many forms of addiction (such as gambling, shopping, etc.) that
are not ingested. Addictive substances make the body release hormones such as adrenaline and
neurotransmitters such as dopamine which make the user feel excited. There are psychological
addictions, which is the craving of the substance and moods can come as triggers to craving, for
example when smokers are nervous or angry, that triggers a psychological memory of smoking.
There are also physiological addictions which can be related to withdrawal symptoms which
cause anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, increase appetite, and others. Also, if a substance is
used frequently, or is abused, then the brain builds tolerance to the effects of the substance and
more is needed to fulfil the same effect as experience the first time the substance was taken.
There are multiple factors that are related to addiction which include, biological, psychological,
and socio-cultural. Socio-cultural has a few sub-factors such as peer pressure, parent modelling,
advertising, etc. There will be a focus on biological, psychological, and the peer pressure socio-
cultural factors and smoking.
The biological factors are often used to explain why people continue smoking after their
first try. As mentioned before, tobacco contains nicotine which is a psychoactive drug. Nicotine,
just like a lot of other drugs, stimulates the release of adrenaline, which gets the person excited
as it increases heart rate and blood pressure, stimulates the release of dopamine, which results
in a feeling of pleasure, and acts on the acetylcholine neurotransmitters in the brain which
makes the brain adapt to the increased levels on acetylcholine and therefore more nicotine
Learning outcomes:
Explain factors related to smoking addiction.
Smoking cigarettes is an addictive behaviour as tobacco in one cigarette contains 1-2mgs
of nicotine. Nicotine is a substance which is anything that people ingest in order to alter mood,
cognition, or behaviour. Substances can produce dependence and withdrawal symptoms which
would cause addiction. Addiction refers to an uncontrollable behaviour in using the specific
substance that they are dependent on. However, addiction does not have to be specifically to
drugs or substances as there are many forms of addiction (such as gambling, shopping, etc.) that
are not ingested. Addictive substances make the body release hormones such as adrenaline and
neurotransmitters such as dopamine which make the user feel excited. There are psychological
addictions, which is the craving of the substance and moods can come as triggers to craving, for
example when smokers are nervous or angry, that triggers a psychological memory of smoking.
There are also physiological addictions which can be related to withdrawal symptoms which
cause anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, increase appetite, and others. Also, if a substance is
used frequently, or is abused, then the brain builds tolerance to the effects of the substance and
more is needed to fulfil the same effect as experience the first time the substance was taken.
There are multiple factors that are related to addiction which include, biological, psychological,
and socio-cultural. Socio-cultural has a few sub-factors such as peer pressure, parent modelling,
advertising, etc. There will be a focus on biological, psychological, and the peer pressure socio-
cultural factors and smoking.
The biological factors are often used to explain why people continue smoking after their
first try. As mentioned before, tobacco contains nicotine which is a psychoactive drug. Nicotine,
just like a lot of other drugs, stimulates the release of adrenaline, which gets the person excited
as it increases heart rate and blood pressure, stimulates the release of dopamine, which results
in a feeling of pleasure, and acts on the acetylcholine neurotransmitters in the brain which
makes the brain adapt to the increased levels on acetylcholine and therefore more nicotine
