Beyond Nicotine: Understanding the Binary Why Smokers Cope or Crave
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26821/IJSRC.13.11.2025.1311012Keywords:
Smoking, nicotine, coping, pleasureAbstract
Despite the call through advertising and health promulgation on the dangers of cigarettes to human health, it has not eradicated smoking, nor has it abated dependence. People have indulged in a smoking habit, motivated by the addictive content of cigarettes, which is nicotine. This article examines how smoking for pleasure or as a coping mechanism is addressed in a systematic review of five foundational studies on smoking. This paper critically evaluates and addresses gaps in understanding, highlighting the need for a comprehensive synthesis of qualitative experiences regarding pleasure and coping to inform cessation strategies. The results of the findings included the pleasurable effects of nicotine. Again, psychological dependence is accrued from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other psychological factors [24]. A limitation of the work is that the demographic sampling was limited to young people and adolescents, excluding adults who smoke. The conclusion is that smokers, both as a pleasure response and a coping mechanism, are compelled by the S-R mechanism [7].
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