Abstract

“Smoking Kills” This headline has been plastered across buildings, buses, subways, advertisements, commercials, for as long as printed media has existed. Every middle school student has sat through countless P.S.A’s about the dangers of substance abuse since the Reagan Administration. The tobacco industry remains to be one of the most economically lucrative businesses, which generates over 816 billion dollars per year selling 5.5 trillion cigarettes to about 1 billion smokers around the world. Despite the general awareness of the dangers and detriment that smoking has on your development and body, the average age of a first-time smoker remains about 14.5 years old. Understanding the roots of addiction is key to developing preventative measures to lower teenage addiction entirely. Nicotine from tobacco induces stimulation and pleasure, and can reduce stress and anxiety. This review covers different aspects of nicotine addiction and recent trends in ways to treat the addiction and possible news to deal with this global challenge.