Nicotine is a toxin found in the tobacco plant, and its own main function is to serve as deterrent with regards to insects wanting 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, leading to the much discussed ‘aah’ factor.

The most common means of nicotine finding its way into our bodies is through cigarette smoke. It is due 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 continues to grow 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 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 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 may be the nicotine that keeps a smoker returning 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 along with complications in a newborn baby’s health.

www.puffandpouch.com 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 designed to stop smoking would result in discomfort as the brain’s circuitry senses the lack of nicotine as a cause for concern.

Statistics:

More than fifteen thousand Australians die because of smoking every year, and may be 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. Across the world, ten percent of the adult population smokes; and in the US this figure stands at 20%. In the US alone around 440,000 people die each year because of tobacco related illnesses. Now, you can find 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 each year.

Facts about Nicotine Dependency:

Nicotine is poisonous, and the reason that reason that a smoker will not immediately die is due to the minuscule quantities of nicotine present in each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is often compared with heroin and cocaine dependency regarding 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 per 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 have 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 in the last year a lot 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 a number of 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 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 identifies 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 utilization of NRT aids is said to increase the likelihood of quitting by around 50%, but in order to achieve success, additional support that’s provided to the individual by means of counselling, etc. also play an important 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 use of nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking is generally is 8 to 12 week long exercise.

Even though a growing number of smokers continue to battle their nicotine dependency, more and more people continue to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling of euphoria that is often associated with smoking is because the nicotine present therein, which is what keeps the smoker returning for more. Fortunately that awareness in everyone is increasing, and help to 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 least take heart in knowing that there’s plenty of help that one could avail of.