How hooked is hooked?
Cigarettes, bidis, hookah, vapes. Or gutka, khaini, zarda, chewing tobacco and snuff. Nicotine holds people in many different ways. This assessment looks at how tight the hold is, what it does for you, and what you want to do about it.
What is a nicotine assessment?
A short, structured look at how dependent you've become on tobacco and what keeps it going. It's not about convincing you to quit. It's about knowing what you're dealing with before you decide.
This assessment helps you see
- ✓ How soon after waking you reach for it, and how much you use
- ✓ How hard it is to go without, and what happens when you do
- ✓ What it does for you: stress, boredom, routine, company
- ✓ What changing your use would involve for you
Secure, confidential scheduling
The questionnaires we use
I use the one that matches what you use. You fill it in at home.
- Broad check (DSM-5 Level 1), question 22. Asks whether you've smoked cigarettes, a cigar or pipe, or used snuff or chewing tobacco in the past two weeks. A first look only.
- Fagerström test for nicotine dependence (FTND). Six questions on how soon after waking you smoke, how many you smoke, and how hard it is to go without. For cigarettes.
- Fagerström test, smokeless tobacco version (FTND-ST). Six questions on how soon after waking you use it, how much you use in a week, which product is hardest to give up, and whether you use it even when you're unwell. For chewing tobacco, snuff and similar.
How it works
A short form at home, then a conversation about the pattern: when, where and why you reach for it, and what happened the last time you tried to cut down. We end by deciding what you want to do with what we've learned.
Questions people ask
Do I have to want to quit?
No. The assessment shows where you stand. What you do with it is up to you.
Does it cover bidis, hookah and vapes?
The standard tests were built around cigarettes and chewing tobacco. For bidis, hookah or vapes, the conversation matters more than the score, and I'll say so.
Is a high score a diagnosis?
No. It shows how strongly nicotine is holding you, which helps us plan.
Will I be given nicotine replacement?
That's a doctor's decision. If it's worth discussing, I'll help you prepare for it.
To talk to a tobacco counsellor now, the National Tobacco Quitline is toll-free on 1800-11-2356. See also the De-addiction Therapy page.