In this paper, I sought to understand how nicotine withdrawal symptoms manifest, both psychologically and physiologically, with the goal of better understanding how these factors contribute to the maintenance of nicotine addiction. Previous research has found nicotine withdrawal to affect variables such as the intensity of nicotine cravings, emotional regulation, and cognitive performance. In this current case study, I tested the strength of these relationships by examining naturalistic daily changes in their variables longitudinally over a period of one week. Nicotine intake was measured by calculating the total dosage (ml/mg) of nicotine consumed each day, while self-report scales were used to assess craving intensity, emotional regulation levels, and subjective cognitive functioning by a cognitive self-assessment. The results of this study found significant correlations of nicotine amount with emotional regulation and craving levels, but not with cognitive functioning levels. These findings suggest that nicotine withdrawal manifests as intense cravings and difficulties with regulating emotions; however, no relationship with cognitive function was established. A possible practical application of these findings could be the use of craving and emotional regulation levels as indicators of relapse risk. Future research should build upon this study by making some improvements to the design and methodology, such as using a larger sample size to increase generalizability, use objective measures such as physiological or neuroimaging techniques to provide more accurate and reliable data, and extend the study duration, to examine the long-term effects of withdrawal on the variables of interest.
