What Is the Addiction Rate of Tobacco?

by Matt Knouff

Overview

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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, approximately 71 million Americans over the age of 12 currently use tobacco products. Tobacco is highly addictive as evidenced by very high relapse rates and difficulty with quitting experienced by users.
Forms

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the most common form of tobacco abuse is cigarette smoking; 24.2 percent of the general population in the United States is identified as being a current cigarette smoker. Prevalence rates for other forms of tobacco abuse are cigar smoking (5.4 percent), smokeless tobacco (3.2 percent) and pipe smoking (0.8 percent).

Time Frame

Prevalence of tobacco use among high school students has significantly decreased since the 1980s. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, tobacco use among the general population has decreased almost 50 percent since the mid-1960s.
Frequency

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, approximately one out of every three people who smoke a cigarette for the first time will eventually become addicted. Over 80 percent of current tobacco users report wanting to quit smoking.
Mental Illness

Up to 90 percent of people suffering from schizophrenia use tobacco products. The presence of other mental illnesses, sucha s depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD and/or substance abuse are also associated with higher rates of tobacco use.
Genetic Factors

The susceptibility to tobacco addiction appears to have a genetic component. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 40 to 70 percent of the risk of becoming addicted to tobacco relies on inherited genes from the parents.
Relapse

Tobacco addiction is associated with high relapse rates. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 85 percent of smokers who quit relapse within one week of initially quitting.