Understanding nicotine dependence

It’s important to know that you can still become addicted to nicotine even if you don’t vape every day.

Signs that you might be addicted to nicotine include:

• You vape or smoke within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning.
• You vape or smoke alone.
• You find it hard to concentrate if you haven’t vaped or smoked recently.
• You feel you need to use your vape to stay calm or be in a good mood, or you feel stressed, anxious or irritable if you can’t vape or smoke.
• You’re interrupted by thoughts about vaping or smoking (cravings) when you’re doing other things.
• You don’t like leaving the house without your vape or tobacco.
• You struggle not to vape or smoke in places where it’s not allowed (such as school, work, or public transport).
• You turn to vaping or smoking when you’re stressed.
• You’ve struggled to quit vaping or smoking.

If you experience any of the above, you are likely to be addicted to nicotine and could benefit from support to quit.

Download this information as a NSW Health factsheet.