Smoking or breathing in smoke creates addiction over time. The main addictive substance in tobacco is nicotine. It creates addiction not only physically, but also with its psychological and social aspects. Withdrawal symptoms occur when a person does not smoke. Various tests have been developed to measure the level of smoking addiction. The most commonly used is the “Fagerström test.” Each cigarette contains more than 4,000 chemicals that are toxic, irritating, carcinogenic or facilitate the emergence of cancer for the body. At least 81 of these cause cancer. Smoking increases the risk of developing cancers of the mouth, tongue, pharynx, larynx, salivary gland, gums, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, intestine, anus, kidney, bladder, penis, cervix and blood, especially lung cancer.
When nicotine and caffeine combine, it is much more likely to be addictive. The reason why coffee and cigarettes are consumed together is mostly social habits.
When nicotine and caffeine are taken together, a chain of addictions that trigger each other occurs in the brain. For this reason, people who quit smoking should also limit their excessive caffeine consumption.
Tea or coffee consumption is very common in Turkey. However, caffeine intake of more than 700 milligrams per day can be addictive. This equates to about 2-3 cups of coffee and 7-8 cups of tea. The addicts’ abstinence begins with the phrase ‘I can’t wake up without drinking coffee’ and consumes caffeinated beverages at all their spare time during the day. When the requirement cannot be met; Withdrawal symptoms such as headache, fatigue, insomnia or sleepiness, lack of concentration, and loss of work may occur. Serious health problems such as depression, ulcer onset and palpitation may also be observed.