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Department of Biobehavioral Health
Burning question Does a shorter time to the first cigarette after waking up in the morning indicate greater nicotine addiction among teens? Imagine a heavily addicted smoker reaching for a pack of cigarettes on the bedside table and lighting up before getting out of bed in the morning. Chances are the person you’re thinking of is an adult, not a 12-year-old child. Yet adolescents as young as 12 do smoke, and researchers have found that the sooner they do so upon waking in the morning, the more addicted they may be.