[Nicotine addiction]

Abstract

According to the WHO reports from 1997, Bosnia and Herzegovina takes a disgraceful first place in smoking prevalence in Europe. 53% of smokers over 15, then 22% of women, 67% of men are percentages that are not achieved by countries at a much lower development level than B&H. The mortality rate of men (aged 35-64) as a result of tobacco varies from 11% to 45% from country to country. In 11 European countries it is > or = 40% and they are all in the eastern part of the region: Belarus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, B&H. Tobacco addiction, like other drug addictions, is basically a neurobiological mediated brain disease. In the same way, the discontinuation of drug taking, in this case nicotine, is a very important addiction component and one of its clearest manifestations. So, the symptoms of iving up smoking are in fact the symptoms mediated by noradrenalien (excitement, tension, long-lasting desire, distraction, insomnia, increase in appetite, putting on weight, etc). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-4th Edition (DSM-IV), both toxicomanic nicotine addiction and the discontinuation of smoking are classified as diseases. The smokers who give up smoking before they are 50 decrease their mortality risk by 50% over the next 15 years compared to those who continue smoking. This risk decrease is related to the incidence decrease and mortality rate from specific, smoking-related diseases, including: coronary heart disease, strokes, peripheral vascular diseases, COPD and lung cancer. The assistance to addict to give up of smoking is duty of professionals.