# Does nicotine addiction cause permanent changes in the brain/body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520 "2019-12-07T17:40:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/1 "2019-12-07T17:40:21Z")
That is, if you become addicted to nicotine, are you now forever a recovering addict even if you quit? Lots of quitters relapse. Bonus round: Same question for caffeine. Regular coffee drinkers get withdrawal symptoms if they stop (e.g., headaches). Is the same kind of addiction mechanism as for nicotine or opioids? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/2 "2019-12-07T22:14:38Z")
One of many that came up doing a quick search is a “[Yes](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543069/).”, especially for adolescents. Smoke as a teen and you can mess up your brain for life. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/3 "2019-12-07T22:42:31Z")
I wouldn’t call it a yes or no answer. I’d say yes on a graduated scale of 1 to 10. One being easy to avoid regardless of temptation but knowing you once liked it. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/4 "2019-12-08T03:00:47Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > One of many that came up doing a quick search is a “[Yes](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543069/).”, especially for adolescents. > > Smoke as a teen and you can mess up your brain for life. This paper appears to address the negative effects of exposure to nicotine, but not the chemical addiction itself. One of the things that happens in some (all?) types of addiction is chemical or even structural changes in the brain. The body adjusts to the addictive substance so now you have to have it just to feel normal. So my question is whether nicotine creates changes in the brain that cause addiction to be permanent, even if you manage to stop smoking. I know one person who quit smoking and never went back, claims he has never had a desire for another cigarette. He used a drug that I believe blocks the nicotine receptors. I have another friend who has quit smoking and started again so many times I can’t count. So the answer is probably not one-size-fits-all. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/5 "2019-12-08T11:06:42Z")
I was reading about this the other day and read one study I thought was interesting but can’t for the life of me remember it right now. I know smokers have a huge increase in nicotine receptors in their brain and after smoking cessation I assume the numbers of receptors goes down but I have no idea how long it will take, there was one article that had pictures of brain scans showing this very thing. I stopped nicotine cold turkey about 3 weeks ago and that first week was immensely hard but now I feel mostly normal again. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/6 "2019-12-08T15:51:21Z")
> [@pool](#): > > I stopped nicotine cold turkey about 3 weeks ago and that first week was immensely hard but now I feel mostly normal again. Congratulations! Your body will thank you for it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/7 "2019-12-08T18:20:09Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Bonus round: Same question for caffeine. Regular coffee drinkers get withdrawal symptoms if they stop (e.g., headaches). Is the same kind of addiction mechanism as for nicotine or opioids? Coffee drinking is not generally regarded as a true “addiction”, more like a mild physical dependence. If a regular drinker goes without coffee “cold turkey” they might feel more tired and irritable for a couple of days, but there’s nothing remotely like the intense cravings an opioid user or nicotine addict would feel when stopping suddenly. > **[Caffeine Myths and Facts](https://www.webmd.com/diet/caffeine-myths-and-facts)** > > WebMD examines myths around caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/8 "2019-12-08T19:22:44Z")
I stopped smoking nearly 55 years ago, but even in the interest of science I’ll be damned if I am going to try it. I had a heart attack that day in 1965 and quit cold turkey. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/9 "2019-12-09T02:45:52Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Coffee drinking is not generally regarded as a true “addiction”, more like a mild physical dependence. If a regular drinker goes without coffee “cold turkey” they might feel more tired and irritable for a couple of days, but there’s nothing remotely like the intense cravings an opioid user or nicotine addict would feel when stopping suddenly. > > [Caffeine Facts: Addiction, Insomnia, Pregnancy Effects, and More](http://webmd.com/diet/caffeine-myths-and-facts) That is an interesting take. It seems that their definition of “addiction” is not a scientific one but rather a social one. I don’t see the difference between “addiction” and “physical dependence.” ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/10 "2019-12-09T04:17:17Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > That is an interesting take. It seems that their definition of “addiction” is not a scientific one but rather a social one. I don’t see the difference between “addiction” and “physical dependence.” > **[Addiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction)** > > Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behaviour that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use often alters brain function in ways that perpetuate craving, and weakens (but does not completely negate) self-control. This phenomenon – drugs reshaping brain function – has led to an understanding of addiction as a brain disorder with a complex variety of psy... > [@](#): > > **Addiction and dependence glossary** > [ul] > [li] addiction – a brain disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences[/li][li] addictive behavior – a behavior that is both rewarding and reinforcing[/li][li] addictive drug – a drug that is both rewarding and reinforcing[/li][li] dependence – an adaptive state associated with a withdrawal syndrome upon cessation of repeated exposure to a stimulus (e.g., drug intake)[/li][li] drug sensitization or reverse tolerance – the escalating effect of a drug resulting from repeated administration at a given dose[/li][li] drug withdrawal – symptoms that occur upon cessation of repeated drug use[/li][li] physical dependence – dependence that involves persistent physical–somatic withdrawal symptoms (e.g., fatigue and delirium tremens)[/li][li] psychological dependence – dependence that involves emotional–motivational withdrawal symptoms (e.g., dysphoria and anhedonia)[/li][li] reinforcing stimuli – stimuli that increase the probability of repeating behaviors paired with them[/li][li] rewarding stimuli – stimuli that the brain interprets as intrinsically positive and desirable or as something to approach[/li][li] sensitization – an amplified response to a stimulus resulting from repeated exposure to it[/li][li] substance use disorder – a condition in which the use of substances leads to clinically and functionally significant impairment or distress[/li][li] tolerance – the diminishing effect of a drug resulting from repeated administration at a given dose[/li][/ul] > \ > The term addiction is misused frequently to refer to other compulsive behaviors or disorders, particularly dependence, in news media. An important distinction between drug addiction and dependence is that drug dependence is a disorder in which cessation of drug use results in an unpleasant state of withdrawal, which can lead to further drug use. Addiction is the compulsive use of a substance or performance of a behavior that is independent of withdrawal. Addiction can occur in the absence of dependence, and dependence can occur in the absence of addiction, although the two often occur together. I think a “mild physical dependence” on caffeine skips the delerium tremons stuff. I also never noticed developing a tolerance to coffee. I won’t kill or rob anyone if I’m deprived of coffee; I just won’t wake up fully. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/11 "2019-12-09T13:53:43Z")
Ive been quit for 18 years. A couple years ago i decided to try smoking a cigarette. I enjoyed it for the first half or so. I put it out and miraculously _did not_ fall down and return to being a nicotine addict! Since then, I’d say i enjoy a half-cigarette every 3 or 4 months. It aint nuttin.Oh i was a pack a day smoker for 6 years, fwiw ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/12 "2019-12-09T13:59:56Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I stopped smoking nearly 55 years ago, but even in the interest of science I’ll be damned if I am going to try it. I had a heart attack that day in 1965 and quit cold turkey. Heh. My last use of nicotine (via the gum) was in 1997, the day I had my MI. It was also my sobriety birthday. I now have 29+ years opioid/alcohol free, and 22+ years nicotine free. Been MI free during that whole time too. In its own way, nicotine was harder to quit than opioids and alcohol. For me, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/13 "2019-12-09T14:35:37Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Heh. My last use of nicotine (via the gum) was in 1997, the day I had my MI. It was also my sobriety birthday. I now have 29+ years opioid/alcohol free, and 22+ years nicotine free. Been MI free during that whole time too. > > In its own way, nicotine was harder to quit than opioids and alcohol. For me, at least. Harder because of reasons not to do with the comparative effect of withdrawal but the lack of immediate negative health, interpersonal and social effects as well as the overwhelming availability due to the legality and social acceptance, wouldnt u agree? If cigarette smoking turned you into a strung out junkie who couldnt function in society as normal and caused relatively immediate health effects like withdrawal that made u feel like dying, instead of just _knowing_ in an academic sense that the habit will one day perhaps kill you, id say its a safe bet a lot of people would find it easier to quit smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/14 "2019-12-09T17:14:31Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Harder because of reasons not to do with the comparative effect of withdrawal but the lack of immediate negative health, interpersonal and social effects as well as the overwhelming availability due to the legality and social acceptance, wouldnt u agree? If cigarette smoking turned you into a strung out junkie who couldnt function in society as normal and caused relatively immediate health effects like withdrawal that made u feel like dying, instead of just _knowing_ in an academic sense that the habit will one day perhaps kill you, id say its a safe bet a lot of people would find it easier to quit smoking. Not talking withdrawal cravings here. It was harder because nicotine cravings lasted longer and were accompanied by irritability, anxiety, fits of anger. Opioid cravings were more just “I really want to feel that good again, right now!” I had all too easy access to both nicotine and pharmaceutical grade opioids during much of that time too. And many opioid addicts report the same as my experience, we find it tougher staying off nicotine than opioids. Not that staying off opioids is a walk in the park. Both have very high relapse rates, but they’re higher for nicotine. And that high relapse rate is seen also in many people who are not traditional addicts, i.e. not abusive of alcohol or other drugs. Nicotine’s a bitch, it kills with regularity after causing frequent devastation to the user and family. But it tends to be a delayed devastation compared to opioids. But the devastation doesn’t deter many nicotine users. I’ve seen far too many tracheostomy patients inhaling their cigarettes or even vaping devices thru the hole in their neck. Or laying on the patches or putting chewing tobacco between their toes when they can no longer use their mouths or noses or trachs to deliver their dose. I’ve got waaaaay too many stories about novel ways to ingest substances while trying to beat the system. Addicts are ingenious this way. If we addicts put as much effort into productive endeavors as we did into getting our fixes, we could work miracles. Miracles, I tell you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/15 "2019-12-09T17:41:21Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Ive been quit for 18 years. A couple years ago i decided to try smoking a cigarette. I enjoyed it for the first half or so. I put it out and miraculously _did not_ fall down and return to being a nicotine addict! Since then, I’d say i enjoy a half-cigarette every 3 or 4 months. It aint nuttin.Oh i was a pack a day smoker for 6 years, fwiw Similar here, though I got up to almost two packs a day in my late 20s when I just, one day for who knows what reason, decided not to go to the store and buy a pack of smokes and next thing you know, I stopped smoking. That was about 15 years ago. I have bought three packs of cigarettes since then: once when my uncle died, once when I was back in my old stomping grounds in Budapest (that is where I quit), and once in India. Smoked those packs and did not relapse. I’ll have a social cigarette if offered one, but it’s been about three or four years since I’ve actually been offered one, so that would be the last smoke I ever had. Everyone’s different. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/16 "2019-12-09T17:42:36Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Not talking withdrawal cravings here. It was harder because nicotine cravings lasted longer and were accompanied by irritability, anxiety, fits of anger. Opioid cravings were more just “I really want to feel that good again, right now!” I had all too easy access to both nicotine and pharmaceutical grade opioids during much of that time too. > > And many opioid addicts report the same as my experience, we find it tougher staying off nicotine than opioids. Not that staying off opioids is a walk in the park. Both have very high relapse rates, but they’re higher for nicotine. And that high relapse rate is seen also in many people who are not traditional addicts, i.e. not abusive of alcohol or other drugs. > > Nicotine’s a bitch, it kills with regularity after causing frequent devastation to the user and family. But it tends to be a delayed devastation compared to opioids. But the devastation doesn’t deter many nicotine users. I’ve seen far too many tracheostomy patients inhaling their cigarettes or even vaping devices thru the hole in their neck. Or laying on the patches or putting chewing tobacco between their toes when they can no longer use their mouths or noses or trachs to deliver their dose. > > I’ve got waaaaay too many stories about novel ways to ingest substances while trying to beat the system. Addicts are ingenious this way. If we addicts put as much effort into productive endeavors as we did into getting our fixes, we could work miracles. Miracles, I tell you! 😃 Ive been addicted to both hard drugs and nicotine myself and i find even the comparison absurd and laughable in a direct side by side comparison, without factoring in the elements i discussed. I mean, shit, many drug rehab facilities still let the patients _smoke cigarettes_! Sit a group of hard core heroin addicts, meth heads and alcoholics together and have a person come in and say “well i am addicted to nicotine so i can relate?” That person would be laughed out of the fucking room. How can you discount the fact that the impacts and consequences of hard drug addictions that are basically immediately or very quickly experienced are a strong motivator to kick the habit? Whereas nicotine, while not only socially acceptable, unlike hard drugs, doesn’t bring about any serious dire health or quality of life impacts for decades, if ever? The nicotine addict must rely on _belief_ that the habit may one day kill thru cancer or heart disease. There is no visceral impact of hard drugs to motivate ones quest to quit. Its much harder to quit based on harm that you believe _may_ or _probably_ will come but _hasn’t_. This devastation that you say doesn’t deter nicotine addicts, what percentage of nicotine addicts ever experience this devastation? Compared to the percentage of hard drug addicts who experience a version of devastation themselves? Would you say its a comparable percentage. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/17 "2019-12-09T17:56:00Z")
I tried a shot of heroin once. Knocked me right out and kept me out for 18 hours. No rush. Never again. I smoked tobacco between ages 15-25. Lots of cheap tobacco, hand-rolled in a ZigZag machine. I quit about 10 times and it finally took when I really tired of waking with my mouth tasting like the bottom of a birdcage. That was in the Army - I traded the C-ration ciggies to other troops for C-rat desserts. I drank and I drink. Not falling-down drunk any more, never fighting drunk, but it takes the edge off. Tobacco again: We pick up Cuban cigars and Veracruz [i[vainilla\* cigarillos when in Mexico. We share those maybe once or twice every year or two. Tobacco, like much other stuff, is a fun buzz but a bad habit. Am I permanently damaged by tobacco? Maybe as much as by Los Angeles smog pre-Clean Air Act. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-nicotine-addiction-cause-permanent-changes-in-the-brain-body/844520/18 "2019-12-09T22:07:42Z")
**Ambivalid** , I think we’re talking around each other. My point (which I never really did make too clearly, 'tis true) is NOT that nicotine addiction is as bad as opioid addiction. Opioid addiction is far, far more destructive than nicotine addiction tends to ever get, and opioids are destructive from the earliest of days. Opioids impair daily functioning early and progressively; nicotine actually enhances a lot of daily functioning for some folks. Granted, smoking (and now possibly vaping) has a huge disease burden in the form of initiating and/or accelerating lung and heart and oncologic and brain disease and this will inevitably cost lives and inflict despair. But in terms of daily loathing and misery, opioids inflict more of that than nicotine from the start too. But a lot of addicts find nicotine cravings more persistent and more problematic to deal with than opioid cravings, in the longer run. I haven’t had a using dream (opioids, alcohol) for years. I still get my dreams of relapsing to chewing tobacco on a regular basis. And while at the local NA meetings I attend, we’d doubtless admit a nicotine addict to the fellowship, I’d wager we’d try hard to find him a Smoker’s Anonymous group he could get to.