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 reported 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 discussed ‘aah’ factor.
The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our bodies is through tobacco smoke. It is due to the nicotine within 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 steady pace. However, smoking counts as a significant preventable cause of death/disease, and also 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 aswell. Nicotine dependency is known as to be between the hardest to break, and even when a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine can cause first-hand, smoking can still be quite difficult to quit. While it may be the nicotine that keeps a smoker returning for more, the other constituents within 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 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 build a new ‘neuro chemical’ system which revolves entirely around the presence of nicotine within the machine. At this stage, the average person is truly addicted. Attempts to stop using nicotine at this stage or later would almost definitely result in withdrawal symptoms. nikotiinipussit netistä The protective adjustments made by the brain would ensure that any attempt made 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 because of smoking each year, and is 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, 10 % of the adult population smokes; and in america this figure stands at 20%. In america 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.
Facts about Nicotine Dependency:
Nicotine is poisonous, and the reason why that reason a smoker will not immediately die is because of the minuscule quantities of nicotine present in each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is frequently weighed against heroin and cocaine dependency in terms of difficulty to quit.
Relapses are quite common in efforts to give up smoking.
Aside 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 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).
Every 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 because of 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 within the last year a lot 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 when it comes 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 a number of 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 can be carcinogenic.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy:
Nicotine replacement therapy identifies 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%, however in order to achieve success, additional support that’s provided to the individual in the form of counselling, etc. also play an important 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. The utilization of nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking is generally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.
Even though a growing number of smokers continue to battle their nicotine dependency, more and more people continue steadily to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling of euphoria that’s often linked to smoking is a result of the nicotine present therein, which is what keeps the smoker coming back for more. Fortunately that awareness in the general public is on the rise, and help to battle nicotine dependency comes in various forms. So if you wish to fight nicotine dependency and believe that it is an uphill battle, at the very least take heart in realizing that there’s plenty of help you could avail of.