Nicotine is really a toxin found in the tobacco plant, and its main function would be to serve as deterrent in terms of 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 spoken about ‘aah’ factor.
The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our system 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 prevailing concern that that the cigarette industry is growing at a steady pace. However, smoking counts as a major preventable cause of death/disease, and also causes a significant number of premature deaths every year.
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 considered to be between the hardest to break, and also when a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine can cause first-hand, smoking can be quite difficult to quit. While it is 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 can also lead to infertility, complications during pregnancy as well as complications in a new baby 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 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. The protective adjustments made by the brain would ensure that any attempt made to stop smoking would bring about discomfort because the brain’s circuitry senses the lack of nicotine as a cause for concern.
Statistics:
A lot more than fifteen thousand Australians die due to smoking each year, and is the largest ‘preventable’ cause of early death and disease. nikotiini pussit The percentage of people aged over 14 who smoke everyday in Australia has gone down considerably, from 30.5% in 1988 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 each year because of tobacco related illnesses. Now, you can find around 1.3-1.4 billion smokers on the globe, with a big 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 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 often compared with heroin and cocaine dependency with regard to difficulty to quit.
Relapses are very common in efforts to quit 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 bring about about one kg of tar in a smoker’s lungs.
A regular smoker’s life expectancy 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 have the ability to quit, most 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’ implies that almost 80% of the smokers have tried quitting at least once, 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 will discover numerous brands in terms of 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 they too can be carcinogenic.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy:
Nicotine replacement therapy identifies a smoker quitting smoking but utilizing 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 thought to increase the likelihood of quitting by around 50%, however in order to achieve success, additional support that’s provided to the average person in the form 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 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 quit smoking is generally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.
Even though an increasing number of smokers continue steadily to battle their nicotine dependency, increasing numbers of people continue steadily to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling of euphoria that is 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 everyone is increasing, and help battle nicotine dependency is available in various forms. So if you desire to fight nicotine dependency and believe that it really is an uphill battle, at least take heart in knowing that there’s a lot of help that you can avail of.
