Nicotine is really a toxin found in the tobacco plant, and its own main function would be to serve as deterrent with regards 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 method of nicotine finding its way into our bodies is through cigarette smoke. It is owing to the nicotine within the cigarette that the act of smoking seems pleasurable. And nicotine is undoubtedly the prevailing concern that that the cigarette industry is growing at a reliable pace. However, smoking counts as a significant preventable reason behind 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. Can say for certain that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine as well. Nicotine dependency is known as to be between the hardest to break, and even whenever a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine could 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, the other constituents within cigarettes lead to a considerably higher rate of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency may also result in infertility, complications during pregnancy and complications in a newborn baby’s health.

The Effects of Nicotine:

Not merely 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 actually addicted. Attempts to stop using nicotine at this time or later would almost definitely bring about withdrawal symptoms. The protective adjustments made by the brain would ensure that any attempt made to stop smoking would bring about discomfort as 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 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 went down considerably, from 30.5% in 1988 down to 16.6% in 2007. parhaat nikotiinipussit 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 earth, with a large chunk surviving 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 that a smoker will not immediately die is due to the minuscule levels of nicotine present in each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is often compared with 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 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).
Each month, tobacco companies in Australia lose around 12,000 customers. While around 10,000 manage 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 one time, and within 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 several 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 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 that they too can be carcinogenic.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy:

Nicotine replacement therapy refers to a smoker quitting smoking but utilizing 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%, however in order to succeed, additional support that is 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 keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay, and the intake of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. The use of nicotine replacement therapy to give up smoking is generally 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 sensation of euphoria that’s often associated with smoking is a result of 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 on the rise, and help battle nicotine dependency comes in various forms. If you wish to fight nicotine dependency and feel that it is an uphill battle, at least take heart in understanding that there’s plenty of help you could avail of.