Nicotine is really a toxin found in the tobacco plant, and its own main function is to serve as deterrent when it comes to insects wanting 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, resulting in the much spoken about ‘aah’ factor.
The most common means of nicotine finding its way into our bodies is through cigarette smoke. It is due to the nicotine present in the cigarette that the act of smoking seems pleasurable. 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 reason behind death/disease, and also causes a significant number of premature deaths every year.
Tobacco smoke includes a plethora of chemicals, and nicotine is amongst the primary ones. Can say for certain that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine aswell. Nicotine dependency is considered to be between the hardest to break, and even when a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine can cause first-hand, smoking can be quite difficult to quit. While it may be the nicotine that keeps a smoker returning for more, the other constituents present in cigarettes lead to a considerably higher level of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency may also result in infertility, complications during pregnancy in addition to complications in a newborn baby’s health.
The Effects of Nicotine:
Not merely does nicotine work in the torso releasing dopamine, in addition, it activates the pathways that release adrenaline and serotonin, thereby impacting impulsivity and mood. Over a period of time the physical changes create a new ‘neuro chemical’ system which revolves entirely round the presence of nicotine within the machine. At this stage, the individual is truly addicted. Attempts to stop using nicotine at this time or later would almost definitely bring about withdrawal symptoms. The protective adjustments created by the brain would make sure that any attempt designed to stop smoking would bring about discomfort as the brain’s circuitry senses the lack of nicotine as a cause for concern.
Statistics:
More than fifteen thousand Australians die because of smoking each year, and may be the largest ‘preventable’ reason behind early death and disease. The percentage of people aged over 14 who smoke everyday in Australia has gone down considerably, from 30.5% in 1988 right down to 16.6% in 2007. Across the world, ten percent of the adult population smokes; and in the US this figure stands at 20%. In the US alone around 440,000 people die every year due to tobacco related illnesses. Now, you can find 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 take into account approximately 10 million deaths each 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 often weighed against heroin and cocaine dependency with regard to difficulty to quit.
Relapses are very common in efforts to quit smoking.
Aside 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 each day, should bring about about one kg of tar in a smoker’s lungs.
A regular smoker’s life expectancy 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, most of the others are ones who’ve passed away due to smoking related illnesses.
Data collected from the ‘Australian Institute of Health insurance and Welfare’ shows that almost 80% of the smokers have tried quitting at least one time, and in the last year more than 30% have tried stopping.
The Alternatives – Quitting Help:
Nicotine Free Cigarettes:
Nicotine free cigarettes are ones that not contain any tobacco or nicotine. One can find several brands when it comes 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 a number of people utilize them as nicotine cessation aids. However, due to the various compounds present in these cigarettes, smoking them isn’t entirely safe, with research showing they too could be carcinogenic.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy:
Nicotine replacement therapy refers to a smoker quitting smoking but using a different medium to obtain his/her quota of nicotine supply. Different NRT aids include nicotine gums, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays. Using NRT aids is said to increase the chances of quitting by around 50%, but in order to succeed, additional support that is provided to the average person by means of counselling, etc. also play an important role. When a person stops smoking, these aids continue to supply him/her with the nicotine that’s needed is to keep the withdrawal symptoms away, and the intake of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. The use of nicotine replacement therapy to give up smoking is normally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.
Even though a growing number of smokers continue steadily to battle their nicotine dependency, more and more people continue steadily to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling of euphoria that is often linked to smoking is because the nicotine present therein, and this is what keeps the smoker returning for more. Fortunately that awareness in the general public is on the rise, and help battle nicotine dependency is available in various forms. If you wish to fight nicotine dependency and feel that it really is an uphill battle, at the very least take heart in understanding that there’s plenty of help you could avail of. nikotiini pussit