WHY SOME PEOPLE SMOKE AND OTHERS DO NOT - NEW PERSPECTIVES

Because initial reinforcement consequences set the stage for subsequen t nicotine use, elucidation of the contribution of environmental and i nherited factors is crucial to an understanding of nicotine dependence as well as of individual differences in susceptibility to cigarette s moking. A review of some recent animal research and laboratory studies of smokers and never-smokers suggests that vulnerability to nicotine dependence is related to high initial sensitivity to nicotine and that the development of acute pharmacodynamic tolerance in these individua ls - particularly to effects of nicotine that are toxic or aversive - may be an adaptation for protecting homeostasis.