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Why Nicotine Is So Addictive The addictive potential of nicotine is so high that the number of deaths it causes every year is almost impossible to understand fully. “Tobacco use is the top preventable cause of disease and death in the United States,” notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Cigarettes cause more than 480,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. That’s about 1,300 deaths every day.” The tragic part about all of these deaths is that every person who dies due to nicotine abuse knows that their habit is harmful. There’s plenty of medical evidence linking cancer, heart disease, and other health conditions with tobacco and nicotine abuse—no one can deny that at this point. However, people can continue using tobacco anyway, which can be maddening to their loved ones. Some even try to keep smoking even after developing respiratory problems that make it hard to breathe.

Nicotine has a permanent effect on certain areas of the brain, leading users to become addicted to the drug even after just a short period of use.

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Facts and Figures: Smoking and Vaping