Assessment Scales for Nicotine Addiction

Cigarette smoking is still a major cause of many preventable diseases [1]. The pharmacologic effect of nicotine plays a crucial role in tobacco addiction [1,2]. When issues around tobacco use are considered, “nicotine addiction” can be regarded as a roadblock that needs to be overcome. The importance of nicotine in maintaining smoking and in cessation difficulty has been well acknowledged [3]. Numerous twin studies have investigated the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to nicotine addiction [4-6]. Recent advances made through the use of linkage and association approaches, especially genome-wide association (GWA) studies, have identified susceptibility genes for addiction including nicotine addiction [7].