Two Views on the Nature of Nicotine Dependence.

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the subject of nicotine dependence and looks at whether it would be better if the tobacco industry in the USA was destroyed. The author also looks at the use of caffeine, including a personal account of his intake.

Outline:
Discussion on Whether American Society be better off if the Tobacco Industry was Completely Destroyed
Major Concerns Regarding Caffeinism and the Potential Toxicity of Caffeine
Imposing Restrictions on Children from Caffeine Use - is this a Matter for Government Involvement?
Personal Intake of Caffeine and Resulting Affects

From the Paper:

"In the United States, dependence on nicotine is characterized by a recurrent pattern of the use of nicotine in such a manner that it may lead to social, occupational or medical problems. In addition, an individual is felt to be physiologically dependent on nicotine if the subject requires ever increasing levels of nicotine to achieve the same level of comfort, of if the individual experiences withdrawal symptoms within hours to days after t he last episode of use. (Typical withdrawal symptoms include tachycardia, tremor, agitation, and anxiety although in those with heavy or prolonged use there are cases of nausea, vomiting and transient visual, tactile or auditory hallucinations). In most cases, the subject will often use nicotine for a longer period than was originally intended and will attempt to discontinue or decrease use, often times unsuccessfully. Probably one of the greatest indicators of nicotine dependence is the continued use despite medical or personal consequences, i.e. a diagnosis of a nicotine related cancer, the loss of a job, etc (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) . One school of thought relates nicotine dependence to the effect of nicotine exposure on the brain. It is easy to understand that early exposure activates nicotinic receptors. The theory that tolerance to levels of nicotine increases the number of binding sites in the brain is not necessarily true. Increased sensitivity to nicotine is not always associated with greater degree of use and resultant biochemical tolerance. In fact, in rodent models in which nicotine was provided at stable dosing, there was still evidence of increases in the number of nicotinic binding sites in the brain. This in turn gives pause to the theory that fluctuating levels of nicotine in the smoker contribute to new nicotinic receptor activation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• No Author Listed, Kaiser Permanente Study Shows Newer, Stronger Evidence that Caffeine During Pregnancy Increases Miscarriage Risk, accessed on 15 May 2008 Listedhttp://www.dor.kaiser.org/dors/news/Jan2008_caffeine_miscarriage.shtml
• Rubin, R. New studies, different outcomes on caffeine, pregnancy (English). USA TODAY. Retrieved on 15 May 2008/

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