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Smoking
Nicotine
Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Zyban
About
Nicotine
When a person inhales cigarette
smoke, the nicotine in the smoke is rapidly absorbed into the
blood and starts affecting the brain within 7 seconds. In the
brain, nicotine activates the same reward system as do other
drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines, although to a
lesser degree. Nicotine's action on this reward system is
believed to be responsible for drug-induced feelings of
pleasure and, over time, addiction. Nicotine also has the
effect of increasing alertness and enhancing mental
performance. In the cardiovascular system, nicotine increases
heart rate and blood pressure and restricts blood flow to the
heart muscle. The drug stimulates the release of the hormone
epinephrine, which further stimulates the nervous system and
is responsible for part of the "kick" from nicotine. It also
promotes the release of the hormone beta-endorphin, which
inhibits pain.
People addicted to nicotine experience withdrawal when they
stop smoking. This withdrawal involves symptoms such as anger,
anxiety, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating, increased
appetite and cravings for nicotine. Most of these symptoms
subside within 3 to 4 weeks, except for the craving and
hunger, which may persist for months.
Nicotine is an alkaloid poison and is found in nature only in
tobacco. It acts as a very powerful stimulant to the brain and
central nervous system and is extremely addictive. When a
smoker inhales cigarette smoke:
-
they receive an immediate
concentrated dose of nicotine in the bloodstream
-
the inhaled nicotine hits the
brain within 6 seconds (this is twice as fast as mainlining
heroin)
-
the nicotine raises blood
pressure
-
the nicotine increases heart
rate by as many as 33 beats a minute
-
the nicotine may also have a
depressant effect
-
the first daily dose of nicotine
stimulates the large bowel and causes a reduction in appetite
-
a sixty milligrams dose of
nicotine will paralyze breathing and kill the average adult
human being.
The nicotine present in
cigarettes doesn't kill smokers immediately because it is
taken in very small doses. These doses of nicotine are
metabolized and excreted by the body.
Carbon monoxide present in cigarette smoke
Carbon monoxide in the smoke of cigarettes replaces the oxygen
in red blood cells, forming a chemical called
carboxyhemoglobin (COHb). The COHb takes away the extra oxygen
the heart needs to work properly while nicotine makes the
heart work harder. Another deleterious effect of carbon
monoxide is that it promotes cholesterol deposits in arteries.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention offer excellent information about
smoking, tobacco
use and smoking cessation resources. Quitnet is an
excellent online aid for all aspects of
quitting
smoking. |
