**The Addictive Brain** | **Why We Crave Coffee and Cigarettes**

Discover the neural mechanisms that underlie the behaviors of addiction. This course includes watching a lecture followed by a group discussion moderated by the facilitator.

Caffeine and nicotine are two of the most common psychoactive drugs in our society. How do they work? How dangerous are they? After reviewing how each of these drugs affects the brain — and why nicotine in particular is so addictive — Professor Polk offers several strategies to quit tobacco use.

**DISCUSSION QUESTIONS**

1. Why is nicotine dependence considered an addiction while caffeine dependence isn’t?

2. What does nicotine do in the brain, and how does it produce addiction?

3. What are some of the approaches being used to help smokers quit?