Marcus has been smoking cigarettes for five years and now smokes around twenty a day. He explains that his first cigarette of the morning is essential because it instantly makes him feel alert, clear-headed, and relieves the tension he feels upon waking. Initially, Marcus only smoked socially on weekends, but he soon found that he needed to smoke throughout the day to get the same feeling of relaxation and focus. If he tries to stop smoking for more than a few hours, he becomes highly agitated, anxious, and suffers from intense cravings.
Evaluate the neurochemical explanation of nicotine addiction. Refer to Marcus's case in your answer.
84 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Issues around drug taking, Biological explanations of drug addiction, Learning explanations of drug addiction, Treatments for drug addiction, Anti-drug campaign and strategies, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.