Tobacco Use Disorder
Cigarettes, vapes, pouches, dip — anything that delivers nicotine.
What to know. Most common substance use disorder. Highly treatable with medication.
What major medical bodies recommend first when this condition is the focus of care.
Off-label medications can be used in addition to behavioral therapy.
How clinicians think about it.
The DSM-5 lists eleven signs grouped into four areas. The number that fit in the past year suggests a severity — not a verdict.
- ·Using more than meant to
- ·Wanting to cut down
- ·Time spent using
- ·Cravings
- ·Trouble at work / school
- ·Relationship strain
- ·Giving up activities
- ·Risky situations
- ·Using despite harm
- ·Tolerance
- ·Withdrawal
Plainly: what makes this condition dangerous.
Cardiovascular and lung disease
Multiple cancers
Vaping — emerging long-term unknowns
What's offered, and what we usually start with.
Most effective single medication. Twelve-week course.
Patch plus gum or lozenge. As effective as varenicline for many.
Useful especially when depression is also present.
Quitlines, apps, brief counseling — doubles success rate.
Asked often, answered briefly.
Most people who eventually quit make several attempts. Each attempt teaches you something. The medications are better than they used to be.