Abstract
The most common form of tobacco use is cigarette smoking, which is a classic drug addiction and, according to both the currently-used classification systems of mental health disorders, also an illness. Out of all the different addictive substances in the population, smoking belongs among the most common addictions in the Czech Republic.
Cigarette smoking may be perceived on a whole continuum from initial harmful use, through regular use, to cessation and relapse. The majority of smokers are physically addicted to nicotine.
Currently, there is enough research to support an association between cigarette smoking and a number of serious illnesses and high mortality rates. The social costs associated with this illness and the problems caused by smoking (e.g. disability) are high.
Presently, almost one-third of adolescents and adults in the Czech Republic smoke and cigarette smoking is also common among children. However, the trends in recent years show a gradual slight decrease in the prevalence of smoking across all age groups.
The multidimensional construct of impulsivity has shown to be very significant in the etiology of cigarette smoking, as its individual dimensions relate to all stages of tobacco use. The article presents the current prevalence of cigarette smoking in adults and the underage population in the Czech Republic, summarizes the issue of smoking in relation to impulsivity, and briefly introduces the concept of gratification as one of the alternative methods for measuring impulsivity, which may lead to a better understanding of addiction problems.