Nicotine is really a toxin within the tobacco plant, and its own main function would be to serve as deterrent when it comes 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 human brain, a surge of dopamine is released, leading to the much discussed ‘aah’ factor.

The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our bodies is through cigarette smoke. It is owing to the nicotine present in the cigarette that the act of smoking seems pleasurable. And nicotine is without a doubt the prevailing concern that that the cigarette industry continues to grow at a reliable pace. However, smoking counts as a major preventable cause of death/disease, and also causes a significant amount of premature deaths each year.

Tobacco smoke contains a plethora of chemicals, and nicotine is amongst the primary ones. Do know that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine aswell. Nicotine dependency is known as to be amongst the hardest to break, and even whenever a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine can cause first-hand, smoking can be quite difficult to give up. While it may be the nicotine that keeps a smoker coming back for more, another constituents present in cigarettes lead to a considerably higher rate of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency can also lead to infertility, complications during pregnancy together with complications in a newborn baby’s health.

The Effects of Nicotine:

Not merely does nicotine work in the body 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 around the presence of nicotine within the machine. At this stage, the individual is truly addicted. Attempts to avoid using nicotine at this stage or later would almost definitely bring about withdrawal symptoms. The protective adjustments made by the brain would make sure that any attempt made to stop smoking would bring about discomfort as the brain’s circuitry senses the absence of nicotine as a cause for concern.

Statistics:

A lot 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 individuals aged over 14 who smoke everyday in Australia has gone down considerably, from 30.5% in 1988 down to 16.6% in 2007. Across the world, 10 % of the adult population smokes; and in america this figure stands at 20%. In the US alone around 440,000 people die every year due to tobacco related illnesses. Now, there are around 1.3-1.4 billion smokers on the planet, with a big chunk living in developing countries. And given the ongoing trends, by 2020 tobacco would account for approximately 10 million deaths each year.

Factual statements about Nicotine Dependency:

Nicotine is poisonous, and the reason why that reason a smoker will not immediately die is due to the minuscule quantities of nicotine present in each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is often weighed against heroin and cocaine dependency with regards to difficulty to quit.
Relapses are quite common in efforts to quit 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 each 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 have the ability 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’ 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. Nikotiinipussit One can find many brands with regards to these nicotine free cigarettes, and these cigarettes use various herbs/plants as a base. These cigarettes tend to be used as substitutes to smoking conventional cigarettes, and numerous people utilize them as nicotine cessation aids. However, owing to the various compounds present in these cigarettes, smoking them isn’t entirely safe, with research showing that 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. The use of NRT aids is thought to increase the chances of quitting by around 50%, but in order to succeed, additional support that is provided to the individual in the form of counselling, etc. also play a significant role. When a person stops smoking, these aids continue to supply him/her with the nicotine that is required to help keep the withdrawal symptoms away, and the intake of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. Using 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, increasing numbers of people continue to smoke their first cigarette. The sensation of euphoria that’s often associated with smoking is because 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 battle nicotine dependency is available in various forms. If you wish to fight nicotine dependency and believe that it is an uphill battle, at least take heart in realizing that there’s plenty of help that you could avail of.