Nicotine is a toxin found in the tobacco plant, and its own 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 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. nikotiinipussit netistä And nicotine is without a doubt the prevailing concern that that the cigarette industry is growing 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 every year.

Tobacco smoke contains a plethora of chemicals, and nicotine is amongst the primary ones. Can say for certain that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine aswell. Nicotine dependency is known as to be amongst the hardest to break, and also whenever 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 returning for more, another constituents within cigarettes result in a considerably higher rate of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency may also lead to infertility, complications during pregnancy and also complications in a newborn baby’s health.

THE CONSEQUENCES of Nicotine:

Not only does nicotine work in the torso releasing dopamine, it also activates the pathways that release adrenaline and serotonin, thereby impacting impulsivity and mood. Over a period the physical changes create a new ‘neuro chemical’ system which revolves entirely round the presence of nicotine within the system. At this stage, the average person is truly addicted. Attempts to avoid using nicotine at this stage or later would almost definitely result in withdrawal symptoms. The protective adjustments created by the brain would ensure that any attempt designed to stop smoking would bring about discomfort because the brain’s circuitry senses the absence of nicotine as an underlying cause for concern.

Statistics:

A lot more than fifteen thousand Australians die because of smoking every year, and is the largest ‘preventable’ cause of 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. 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 because of tobacco related illnesses. Now, you can find around 1.3-1.4 billion smokers in the world, with a large chunk surviving in developing countries. And given the ongoing trends, by 2020 tobacco would take into account 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 quantities of nicotine within each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is often weighed against heroin and cocaine dependency in terms of difficulty to quit.
Relapses are very 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 around 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 go down 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 have passed away because of 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 do not contain any tobacco or nicotine. One can find numerous 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 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 usage of NRT aids is thought to increase the likelihood 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 a significant role. Whenever a person stops smoking, these aids continue steadily to supply him/her with the nicotine that’s needed is to help keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay, and the intake of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. The usage of nicotine replacement therapy to give up smoking is generally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.

Even though an increasing number of smokers continue to battle their nicotine dependency, more and more people continue to smoke their first cigarette. The sensation of euphoria that is often linked to smoking is a result of the nicotine present therein, and this is what keeps the smoker returning 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 desire to fight nicotine dependency and feel that it really is an uphill battle, at the very least take heart in realizing that there’s plenty of help you could avail of.