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 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, leading to the much discussed ‘aah’ factor.
The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our system is through tobacco smoke. It is due to the nicotine within the cigarette that the act of smoking seems pleasurable. And nicotine is undoubtedly the biggest reason that the cigarette industry is growing at a steady pace. However, smoking counts as a major preventable reason behind death/disease, and in addition causes a significant number of premature deaths every year.
parhaat nikotiinipussit Tobacco smoke includes 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 also whenever a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine can cause first-hand, smoking can still be quite difficult to quit. While it is the nicotine that keeps a smoker returning for more, another constituents present in cigarettes result in a considerably higher level of cancer, strokes, and heart & lung diseases in smokers. Nicotine dependency may also result in infertility, complications during pregnancy in addition to complications in a newborn baby’s health.
The Effects 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 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 time or later would almost definitely result in withdrawal symptoms. The protective adjustments created by the brain would make sure that any attempt designed to stop smoking would result in discomfort as the brain’s circuitry senses the lack of nicotine as an underlying cause for concern.
Statistics:
More than fifteen thousand Australians die due to smoking each year, and is the largest ‘preventable’ reason behind early death and disease. The percentage of individuals aged over 14 who smoke everyday in Australia went 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 the US alone around 440,000 people die each year because of tobacco related illnesses. Now, there are around 1.3-1.4 billion smokers in the world, with a big chunk surviving in developing countries. And given the ongoing trends, by 2020 tobacco would account for approximately 10 million deaths every year.
Factual statements about Nicotine Dependency:
Nicotine is poisonous, and the reason 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 compared with heroin and cocaine dependency when it comes to difficulty to quit.
Relapses are very common in efforts to give up smoking.
Aside from nicotine, cigarettes have over 4,000 different chemicals; a lot of which are carcinogenic (cancer causing substances).
Smoking for around 15 years, at about 20 cigarettes each 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 have the ability to quit, the majority of the others are ones who’ve passed away because of smoking related illnesses.
Data collected from the ‘Australian Institute of Health 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 do not contain any tobacco or nicotine. One can find a variety of brands when it comes 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 a number of people utilize them as nicotine cessation aids. However, owing 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 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 application of NRT aids is said to increase the chances of quitting by around 50%, however in order to succeed, additional support that is provided to the individual 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 is required to help keep the withdrawal symptoms away, and the consumption of nicotine through this route is regulated and gradually reduced. The application 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 steadily to battle their nicotine dependency, more and more people continue steadily to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling 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 everyone is on the rise, 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 knowing that there’s plenty of help that you may avail of.