A Comparison and Contrast of Nicotine and Cocaine Addiction

Abstract

This paper gives contrast and comparison of nicotine and cocaine addiction treatment. In both cases, therapy plays a central role in recovery, but medical treatment to aid withdrawal symptoms comes with using prescription medication. Therapeutic communities are more effective at treating nicotine addiction than supporting medical treatment alone without therapeutic communities, making it a contrast. Cocaine addicts experience physical withdrawal symptoms after quitting, which is not true of nicotine where it does not cause these kinds of immediate physical discomfort. Finally, therapeutic communities are more effective at treating nicotine addiction than supporting medical treatment alone without therapeutic communities, making it a contrast.

A Comparison and Contrast of Nicotine and Cocaine Addiction

Many people continue the habit of smoking because nicotine addiction has such a powerful presence in our society, with an estimated one out of two Americans dying from cigarette-related diseases (Felman, 2018). Nicotine addiction is defined as compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences (Mello, 2010). According to the American Psychological Association, nicotine users can become addicted to just one cigarette. Other common signs of nicotine addiction include withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and trouble concentrating when not smoking; using more than planned and often having an intense desire to use nicotine; and using tobacco in situations where it is physically dangerous, such as while driving or operating machinery (APA). The American Psychiatric Association defines drug addiction as “a state of periodic or chronic impairment that results from repeated consumption of a drug (or drugs) and tends to increase in severity” (Mello, 2010). The characteristics of drug addiction include compulsive drug seeking and continued use despite harmful consequences. “Individuals who are addicted continue to use a substance despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance” (Mello, 2010). In the United States, there is a rapidly changing landscape of nicotine and cocaine abuse. In 2014, more men than women abused cocaine. An estimated 1.5 million people aged 12 or older were current users of cocaine in 2015 (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime). Cocaine is obtained from a plant called the Erythroxylon coca, which grows in certain areas of South America. And while nearly one-fifth of teens who used tobacco products reported using two or more in the past 30 days (NSDUH), it’s reported that “the majority of smokers (80%) begin smoking by age 18 and 99% start by age 26” (Felman, 2018). This makes nicotine addiction and its effects a growing concern, especially due to the higher rates among those under 18. A person addicted to either drug cannot control their use and develop a compulsive dependence that results in harmful consequences. Nicotine and cocaine addiction can be further defined by comparing and contrasting their causes and treatment.

Causes

The main similarities between nicotine and cocaine addictions are that they involve a heightened concentration in the brain’s reward centers, producing an intense sense of pleasure. Both drugs also cause a powerful craving for more when a person tries to quit due to physical dependence, which is because of these changes in the brain (Gabbey. 2018, May 16). Most users are a result of peer pressure or just seeking pleasure, although the availability of drugs is also a reason for both addictions, which are readily available in society (Noschang et al., 2021).

A major difference between nicotine addiction and cocaine addiction is that one is socially acceptable while the other is stigmatized. It has been proven that more people are addicted to nicotine than those who use cocaine. Nicotine doesn’t impair judgment like cocaine; therefore, is not as addictive and harmful (Felman, 2018, January 11). Another difference between the two addictions is that, in cocaine addiction, a person will experience euphoria and impaired judgment while the same doesn’t happen with nicotine addiction. Also, nicotine is legal, while cocaine is illegal (Gabbey. 2018, May 16). While cocaine is injected into the bloodstream, nicotine is a substance that is absorbed into the bloodstream through smoking.

Effects

Both nicotine and cocaine are drugs with serious consequences, which begin to show after extended indulgence. Nicotine is more dangerous because it is harder to kick the addiction than cocaine, but both do pose major health risks if abused (Antonelli et al., 2021). Nicotine can lead to cancer of many organs like lungs, kidneys, etc (Felman, 2018, January 11). Cocaine also poses a risk of contracting cancer due to the toxins in the drug, but there are also other immediate risks like the collapse of veins, infections from contaminated needles used for injection, etc. Nicotine addiction has been linked to more serious drugs, given that it is harder to quit. Cocaine addicts on first use generally exhibit physical symptoms of withdrawal after quitting.”

Comparing the two drugs, we can see that although cocaine has more severe immediate effects, such as collapsed veins and infections from contaminated needles used for injection, the long-term effects of both drugs are likely to be equally harmful (Mello, 2010). Both nicotine and cocaine have been linked to cancer in various organs, including lungs and kidneys. One major difference between the two is that nicotine addiction is harder to kick than cocaine. Cocaine addicts on first use generally exhibit physical symptoms of withdrawal after quitting, while nicotine, although it can lead to certain cancers, does not cause physical withdrawal symptoms when the addict tries to quit (Antonelli et al., 2021). Nicotine addiction has been linked to more serious drugs, given that it is harder to quit. However, both drugs pose major health risks if abused.

Treatment

Both nicotine and cocaine addicts are treated with therapy in terms of treatment. However, it is more common to use prescription medication like Zyban (Wellbutrin) for nicotine addiction. Modafinil (Provigil) has been shown to aid cocaine addicts; another difference in treatment is that therapeutic communities are known as “therapeutic communities,” are the most effective treatment for nicotine addiction (Struik, De Vries, & Peters, 2019). Cocaine addicts are more likely to receive medical treatment without the support of a therapeutic community (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020, January). One major difference between treatments for nicotine and cocaine is that nicotine addiction is harder to kick than cocaine. Cocaine addicts on first use generally exhibit physical symptoms of withdrawal after quitting, while nicotine, although it can lead to certain cancers, does not cause physical withdrawal symptoms when the addict tries to quit (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020, January).

Another difference is that nicotine, although it can lead to certain cancers, does not cause physical withdrawal symptoms when the addict tries to quit (Felman, 2018, January 11). On first use of cocaine, addicts generally exhibit physical withdrawal symptoms after quitting, while nicotine, although it can lead to certain cancers, does not cause physical withdrawal symptoms when the addict tries to quit (Struik, De Vries, & Peters, 2019). Finally, cocaine addicts are more likely to receive medical treatment without the support of a therapeutic community, while nicotine, although it can lead to certain cancers, does not cause physical withdrawal symptoms when the addict tries to quit.

Conclusion

Both nicotine and cocaine are drugs with serious consequences, which begin to show after extended indulgence. Nicotine is more dangerous because it is harder to kick the addiction than cocaine, but both do pose major health risks if abused. Nicotine can lead to cancer of many organs like lungs, kidneys etc., while cocaine poses a risk of contracting cancer due to the toxins in the drug, but it also poses immediate risks like collapsed veins and infections from contaminated needles used for injection. Treatment involves therapy and medical treatment with prescription medication to aid recovery; however, therapeutic communities are more effective than medical treatment alone. Finally, withdrawal symptoms are different in both cases because while cocaine addicts generally experience physical symptoms after quitting, nicotine doesn’t cause physical symptoms when the addict tries to quit.

References

Antonelli, M., Fattore, L., Sestito, L., Di Giuda, D., Diana, M., & Addolorato, G. (2021). Transcranial magnetic stimulation: a review about its efficacy in the treatment of alcohol, tobacco and cocaine addiction. Addictive behaviors, 114, 106760.

Felman, A. (2018, January 11). Everything you need to know about nicotine. Medical News Today. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240820

Gabbey. A. E. (2018, May 16). Nicotine Addiction: Effects, Symptoms, and Risk factors. Healthline. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/nicotine-and-related-disorders

Mello, N.K. (2010) Hormones, Nicotine, and cocaine: Clinical Studies. Hormones and Behavior, Volume 58, Issue1, Retrieved November 27, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.10.003, from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018506X09002232

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, January). Is Nicotine Addictive? National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/nicotine-addictive

Neto, A., Figueiroa, M., Almeida, R., Albuquerque, R., Moura, I., & Napp, S. (2020, January 22). Cocaine and its Variations in Forms of Presentation and Addiction, Retrieved November 27, 2021, DOI: DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.81529, from: https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/64021

NIDA. (2021, October 5). What is the scope of cocaine use in the United States? Retrieved October 21, 2021, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/cocaine/what-scope-cocaine-use-in-united-states

Noschang, C., Lampert, C., Krolow, R., & de Almeida, R. M. M. (2021). Social isolation at adolescence: a systematic review on behaviour related to cocaine, amphetamine and nicotine use in rats and mice. Psychopharmacology, 1-21.

Struik, R. F., De Vries, T. J., & Peters, J. (2019). Detrimental effects of a retrieval-extinction procedure on nicotine seeking, but not cocaine seeking. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 13, 243.