Nicotine is really a toxin within 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 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, resulting in the much discussed ‘aah’ factor.
The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our bodies is through tobacco 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 biggest reason 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 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 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 is the nicotine that keeps a smoker coming back for more, the other constituents within cigarettes result in a considerably higher rate of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency can also result in infertility, complications during pregnancy together with complications in a new baby baby’s health.
THE CONSEQUENCES of Nicotine:
Not only 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 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 made by the brain would ensure that any attempt designed 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 due to smoking each year, and may be the largest ‘preventable’ cause of 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. Around the world, ten percent of the adult population smokes; and in america this figure stands at 20%. In the US alone around 440,000 people die each year due to tobacco related illnesses. Now, there are around 1.3-1.4 billion smokers on the planet, with a large chunk living in developing countries. And given the ongoing trends, by 2020 tobacco would account for 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 levels of nicotine within each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is often compared with heroin and cocaine dependency with regards to difficulty to quit.
Relapses are very common in efforts to quit smoking.
Apart from nicotine, cigarettes have over 4,000 different chemicals; a lot 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 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 have the ability to quit, almost all 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’ demonstrates almost 80% of the smokers have tried quitting at least once, and within 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 will discover several 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, 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 get his/her quota of nicotine supply. Different NRT aids include nicotine gums, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal sprays. The application of NRT aids is said to increase the likelihood of quitting by around 50%, but in order to succeed, additional support that’s provided to the average person by means of counselling, etc. also play a significant role. When a person stops smoking, these aids continue steadily to supply him/her with the nicotine that’s needed is to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay, and the consumption of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. The usage of nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking is generally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.
www.puffandpouch.com Even though an increasing number of smokers continue to battle their nicotine dependency, increasing numbers of 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, which is what keeps the smoker coming back for more. Fortunately that awareness in the general public is on the rise, and help battle nicotine dependency is available in various forms. So if you wish to fight nicotine dependency and feel that it really is an uphill battle, at the very least take heart in realizing that there’s a lot of help that one could avail of.