The “Reward” Trap

Nicotine trains your brain to treat it like a reward.

Long day? Reward.

Finished a task? Reward.

Feeling lonely, bored, overwhelmed, or overstimulated? Reward.

It becomes the shortcut your brain reaches for when it wants anything to feel even slightly better. But here’s the trick: Nicotine only relieves the withdrawal it created. That quick “ahhh” feeling isn’t actual comfort, it’s just the relief of topping off dopamine your brain dipped in the first place.

You’re not soothing stress. You’re soothing nicotine withdrawal. That’s why the cycle feels endless — it literally feeds itself