Are You Addicted to Smoking?

If you are a smoker, you may know if you’re addicted by simply answering this one question: “Can you go without it?”

If your answer is “YES”, you’re addicted; if your anwer is “NO”, you’re not; and if you’re not sure, you may move toward addiction.

More medical decision is based on American Psychiatric Association’s 12 criteria.  You may become addicted if you have experienced any four of them:

1. Smoking more than before does not cause nausea and dizziness;
2. Have to smoke more cigarettes than before to be satisfied;
3. Stopping/reducing/no smoking for a few days causes physical responses, such as muscle pain, hard to sleep, heart pounding, etc.;
4  Stopping/reducing/no smoking for a few days causes psychological responses, such as restless, depressed, anger, anxiety, stress, difficulty concentrating, etc.;
5. Sometimes try to smoke in order to avoid physical and psychological responses;
6. Promised to quit or stop smoking, but smoke again;
7. Sometimes smoke more than needed, continue to smoke a lot in several days;
8. Tried to quit smoking, but failed;
9. Chained smoking, just finish one cigarette, start another one;
10. Give up important activities (such as go to school, go to work, sports etc) because of the need for smoking;
11. Even though knowing smoking is not good for the body, still smoke;
12. Even though knowing smoking is bad for the mind, still smoke.

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By Jim Sweet, 6/26/2011