Yes, research shows that persistent (chronic) nicotine use makes people more impulsive. It does so by altering dopamine sensitivity via receptor up-regulation, by inflicting developmental trajectory brain neuron damage, and by operant and classical conditioning that makes it difficult to delay gratification, resist cravings, and successfully quit smoking or vaping.

Most dictionaries define impulsivity as the tendency to act without thinking. Science defines it as “a predisposition toward rapid, unplanned reactions to internal or external stimuli with diminished regard to the negative consequences of these reactions to the impulsive individual or others.”

The bad news is that, by some measures, ongoing nicotine use can double impulsiveness. And it isn’t limited to just quickly giving in to nicotine urges, thus keeping us hooked.

Nicotine damage to the prefrontal cortex -- the large “thinking” forehead lobe above our eyes -- can lead to impaired cognitive function, including difficulty paying attention, making decisions, and controlling impulses associated with all aspects of life.

Some degree of risk-taking is necessary if we are to explore, try new things, learn, and grow. That said, impulsive behavior generally becomes unhealthy when it leads to negative consequences that threaten our health, finances, relationships, or employment, or creates legal, substance abuse, gambling, risky sexual behavior, or other self-harm problems.

Imagine mustering the ability to at last say “no” to nicotine, allowing the real “you” to emerge. Imagine going from little or no savings to gradually building a retirement account capable of helping make your golden years comfortable, while increasing your likelihood of being in a stable, content, and rewarding relationship once there.

But how? Fight fire with fire.

Use your intelligence, reason, dreams, and new coping skills to delay impulsiveness long enough to allow it to immediately subside and permanently substantially diminish.

The most important lesson of all? It’s that recovery is all or nothing, that one equals all, that lapse equals relapse, that submitting to impulsivity when battling impulsivity begets impulsivity.

In 1988, my mentor Joel Spitzer termed it “The Law of Addiction,” that "Administration of a drug to an addict will cause re-establishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

While that sounds harsh, what’s harsh are the freedom and health consequences of failing to discover and accept the reality that nicotine addiction is permanent and that there is no known cure.

While we can fully and comfortably arrest our impulsiveness to use, just one puff and the impulse returns.

While research shows that impulsivity decreases after nicotine cessation, the magnitude of the decrease and the amount of time it takes for impulsiveness to return to normal varies from person to person.

The good news is that the brain quickly begins to repair itself after ending all nicotine use. Most nicotine use conditioning is extinguished within the first week. The number of dopamine pathway receptors down-regulate to pre-dependency levels within 21 days and the prefrontal cortex begins to function normally again.

While it may take a season before that first magic day where you never once think about wanting to smoke or vape nicotine, with each passing day beyond peak withdrawal (3 days), the moments of challenge generally become fewer, further apart, and less intense. Before you know it, you’re home.

Ten tips in prevailing over use impulses

1. Let the wind beneath your recovery wings be your dreams and reasons for wanting freedom. Although it sounds 5th grade-ish, write down and carry with you all your reasons for wanting to stop. Pull it out and read it when the compulsion to inhale nicotine strikes. Pit reason against impulse. Consider using and building upon our quit smoking or stop vaping reasons list.
2. In addition, practice and become skilled at quickly calling upon at least two impulse coping strategies. Master at least one relaxation technique as relaxing reduces impulse-induced stress and anxiety. You’ll find that most cravings peak within the time it took us to smoke or vape, up to 3 minutes. Patience, the impulse will soon pass and victory will again be yours.
3. Inventory all the reasons (rationalizations) you invented to justify surrendering to the impulse to inhale more nicotine. Ask yourself, “What will I miss about vaping (or smoking)?” Then, compare your list to Joel’s and mine, seizing upon logic and reason in discarding as many as possible. Remember, the less justification for staying in an abusive relationship, the easier it is to let go and move on.
4. Most common withdrawal symptoms are blood sugar related. Eat little, healthy, and often. Not more calories but striving to keep your blood sugar as stable as possible throughout the day. If your health and diet allow, sip on some form of natural fruit juice for the first 3 days. It will help stabilize blood sugar and accelerate elimination of the alkaloid nicotine from your bloodstream.
5. Avoid early alcohol use as it is a central nervous system depressant proven to diminish impulse control, making relapse during early recovery nearly 4 times more likely. Get your recovery legs under you first. Even then, have a drinking impulse control plan and a backup, and don’t hesitate to call upon both.
6. Get enough sleep. You will be better able to focus and make sound decisions when well-rested. If having difficulty sleeping, be aware that nicotine somehow doubles the rate by which the liver eliminates caffeine from the bloodstream. If your normal caffeine intake has remained unchanged, your blood serum caffeine level has doubled (203% of baseline).
7. Early on, consider some form of regular exercise. Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting and stress-relieving effects. Interestingly, while short-term exercise has been found to reduce negative mood, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms in smokers, long-term exercise has not been found to significantly improve long-term smoking cessation. Exercise or not, the Law of Addiction doesn’t discriminate.
8. Forget about tomorrow, the next day, next week, or next month. Instead, focus on success here and now, in staying calm yet prepared to prevail over that next use impulse, if any. Celebrate each victory. "You" won! Baby steps at first, just one hour, challenge and day at a time, yes you can!
9. While conditioned to fear urges and cravings, strive to embrace feeling all aspects of your healing as recovery is good and wonderful not bad. See the prize at the end, extinction of another smoking or vaping trigger, resulting in diminished compulsion to use.
10. Get excited about coming home, as this can be your greatest personal awakening ever. Ask yourself, “What sense does it make to fear and dread taking back my priorities, freedom, breathing, time, coins, health, and life?” Oh, and discard or destroy all nicotine delivery devices beyond your ability to reclaim, dry, tape, or otherwise salvage them.

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John R. Polito received his JD from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1985, where he graduated Wig & Robe. He is a former 3-pack-a-day thirty-year smoker and the 1999 founder of WhyQuit. A nicotine cessation educator since 2000, John mentored under Joel Spitzer for two decades, presenting more than 100 live nicotine dependency recovery programs modeled after Joel's programs. He is the author of "Freedom from Nicotine - The Journey Home," "Smart Turkey," and 6 peer-reviewed journal articles. John is the founder and director of Turkeyville, a Facebook support group exclusively for cold turkey quitters. Email: johnpolito54@gmail.com

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