Nicotine is really a toxin within the tobacco plant, and its main function would be to serve as deterrent with regards to insects attempting to eat the plant. Nicotine is said to be more lethal than arsenic, venoms of different snakes, strychnine, etc. Interestingly though, once nicotine reaches the reward pathways in the mind, a surge of dopamine is released, leading to the much spoken about ‘aah’ factor.
The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our system is through tobacco smoke. It is due to the nicotine present in the cigarette that the act of smoking seems pleasurable. Nikotiinipussit And nicotine is without a doubt the biggest reason that the cigarette industry continues to grow at a reliable pace. However, smoking counts as a significant preventable cause of death/disease, and in addition causes a significant number of premature deaths each year.
Tobacco smoke includes a plethora of chemicals, and nicotine is one of the primary ones. Do know that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine as well. Nicotine dependency is known as to be between the hardest to break, and also when a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine could cause first-hand, smoking can be quite difficult to quit. While it may be the nicotine that keeps a smoker coming back for more, the other constituents present in cigarettes result in a considerably higher rate of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency can also lead to infertility, complications during pregnancy along with complications in a new baby baby’s health.
The Effects of Nicotine:
Not only does nicotine work in the body releasing dopamine, it also activates the pathways that release adrenaline and serotonin, thereby impacting impulsivity and mood. Over a period of time the physical changes build a new ‘neuro chemical’ system which revolves entirely round the presence of nicotine within the machine. At this stage, the individual is actually addicted. Attempts to stop using nicotine at this time or later would almost definitely bring about withdrawal symptoms. The protective adjustments made by the brain would make sure that any attempt designed to stop smoking would result in discomfort as the brain’s circuitry senses the lack of nicotine as a cause for concern.
Statistics:
More than fifteen thousand Australians die due to smoking every year, and is the largest ‘preventable’ cause of early death and disease. The percentage of individuals aged over 14 who smoke everyday in Australia went down considerably, from 30.5% in 1988 down to 16.6% in 2007. Around the world, ten percent of the adult population smokes; and in america this figure stands at 20%. In america alone around 440,000 people die each year due to tobacco related illnesses. Now, there are around 1.3-1.4 billion smokers in the world, with a large chunk living in developing countries. And given the ongoing trends, by 2020 tobacco would account for approximately 10 million deaths every year.
Factual statements about Nicotine Dependency:
Nicotine is poisonous, and the reason why that reason a smoker does not immediately die is because of the minuscule levels of nicotine within each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is frequently weighed against heroin and cocaine dependency regarding difficulty to quit.
Relapses are quite common in efforts to give up smoking.
Apart from nicotine, cigarettes have over 4,000 different chemicals; many of which are carcinogenic (cancer causing substances).
Smoking for about 15 years, at about 20 cigarettes per day, should result in about one kg of tar in a smoker’s lungs.
A regular smoker’s life span would decrease by around 7 to 8 years (at about 7 to 8 minutes per cigarette).
Each month, tobacco companies in Australia lose around 12,000 customers. While around 10,000 manage to quit, the majority of the others are ones who’ve passed away due to smoking related illnesses.
Data collected from the ‘Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’ demonstrates almost 80% of the smokers have tried quitting at least once, and in the last year more than 30% have tried stopping.
The Alternatives – Quitting Help:
Nicotine Free Cigarettes:
Nicotine free cigarettes are ones that do not contain any tobacco or nicotine. One can find a number of brands with regards to these nicotine free cigarettes, and these cigarettes use various herbs/plants as a base. These cigarettes are often used as substitutes to smoking conventional cigarettes, and numerous people use them as nicotine cessation aids. However, due to the various compounds within these cigarettes, smoking them isn’t entirely safe, with research showing they too can be carcinogenic.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy:
Nicotine replacement therapy refers to a smoker quitting smoking but using a different medium to get his/her quota of nicotine supply. Different NRT aids include nicotine gums, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays. The utilization of NRT aids is said to increase the likelihood of quitting by around 50%, but in order to achieve success, additional support that is provided to the average person by means of counselling, etc. also play an important role. Whenever a person stops smoking, these aids continue steadily to supply him/her with the nicotine that’s needed is to keep the withdrawal symptoms away, and the consumption of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. The use of nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking is normally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.
Even though a growing number of smokers continue to battle their nicotine dependency, increasing numbers of people continue to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling of euphoria that is often associated with smoking is a result of the nicotine present therein, which is what keeps the smoker coming back for more. The good thing is that awareness in the general public is increasing, and help to battle nicotine dependency comes in various forms. If you wish to fight nicotine dependency and feel that it really is an uphill battle, at least take heart in realizing that there’s a lot of help that you could avail of.