| There was a time when smoking a cigarette was kind | | | | seconds of inhaling the smoke of your cigarette, you |
| of the "chic" and fashionable thing to do in many social | | | | will probably be in the throes of nicotine's effects. |
| environments. During many years (and still today) there | | | | Nicotine initially causes a rapid release of Adrenaline, |
| was kind of a social conditioning for smoking. It was | | | | the "fight-or-flight" hormone. The effects of this |
| like wearing a nice suit or a fashionable hat. Something | | | | hormone are the familiar: Rapid heartbeat, increased |
| everyone should "use" if they ever wanted to be | | | | blood pressure, and rapid, shallow breathing. All this |
| included in the "winners" side at the end of the game. | | | | state of high alertness caused by adrenaline also tells |
| Regretfully, the game is over already for many | | | | your body to dump some of its glucose stores into |
| smokers that had to suffer the most common | | | | your blood. |
| consequence of smoking, i.e., an early death. | | | | And if we consider that Nicotine itself may also block |
| The most active ingredient in a cigarette and the one | | | | the release of the hormone insulin. This all means that |
| that is involved in causing the heavy addictive | | | | nicotine puts people in a hyperglycemic state, having |
| characteristics of tobacco is the naturally occurring | | | | more sugar than usual in their blood torrent. So you |
| liquid alkaloid better known as Nicotine. | | | | become kind of a part-time diabetic with each |
| While there are thousands of chemicals in a single | | | | cigarette you smoke and with the long term |
| cigarette, including the naturally occurring ones and also | | | | consequences this condition brings. |
| those added by cigarette manufacturers, it is one, | | | | This is not all because over the long haul, as you keep |
| Nicotine, that produces all the good feelings that draw | | | | smoking and absorbing nicotine everyday, this can |
| people back for another cigarette or plug of tobacco, | | | | increase the level of the "bad" cholesterol (LDL) in your |
| again and again. | | | | blood which will in consequence cause great damage |
| In the standard procedures of cigarette manufacturing, | | | | to your arteries. And this will make it more likely that |
| producers use tobacco where Nicotine normally | | | | over time, and this is not a very long time, you could |
| makes up about 5 percent of the plant by weight. Just | | | | have a heart attack or a stroke. |
| packed cigarettes, contain 8 to 20 milligrams (mg) of | | | | The health problems associated with using |
| nicotine (depending on the brand you prefer to smoke), | | | | nicotine-containing products are far worse than any |
| but only approximately 1 mg is actually absorbed by | | | | benefits you may feel at the beginning. The average |
| your body when you smoke a cigarette. | | | | person will be in high risk of; Lung Cancer, Heart |
| But you do not need industrial amounts of Nicotine in | | | | Disease, Stroke and Emphysema. |
| your body in order to become addicted to cigarettes. | | | | It should be mentioned that many of these illnesses are |
| This minimal quantity of Nicotine that you absorb with | | | | actually caused by other chemicals in cigarette smoke |
| each cigarette you smoke is more than enough to | | | | or in smokeless tobacco products, different to Nicotine. |
| make you eternally beg for more, and more again. | | | | The biggest problem with nicotine is how easily it |
| Nicotine readily diffuses into your body through the | | | | makes you become dependent on smoking or |
| following channels: Skin, Lungs, and the Mucous | | | | chewing tobacco. Which also brings up the conclusion |
| membranes such as the lining of your nose or your | | | | that Nicotine-free cigarettes are not much healthier, |
| gums. That's why you will get equally addicted to | | | | maybe less addictive but equally dangerous. |
| nicotine even if you just chew and spit tobacco. | | | | The position of the medical and scientific communities |
| The path Nicotine follows into your body starts right | | | | world wide is that nicotine is definitely addictive. Nicotine |
| into the small blood vessels that line the tissues | | | | meets both the psychological and physiological |
| covering the channels mentioned above. From there, | | | | characteristics of what we call an addiction. |
| nicotine travels through your bloodstream and then it | | | | When trying to quit smoking you will surely have these |
| safely arrives to the brain, and then is delivered to the | | | | symptoms, arising due to the lack of nicotine in your |
| rest of your body. | | | | blood stream: Irritability, Anxiety, Depression, Craving for |
| Even considering that Nicotine takes a lot of different | | | | nicotine. And yes, no one denies it; quitting cigarette |
| actions throughout the smokers body (many of them | | | | smoking can be a real nightmare for many people. |
| very bad), what it does once it has arrived to the brain | | | | For many smokers, even a day without Nicotine is |
| is responsible for both the good feelings you get from | | | | excruciating. Statistics indicate that every year, millions |
| smoking, as well as the irritability you feel if you try to | | | | of people try to break the nicotine habit but only 10 |
| quit; i.e., the brain becomes addicted. Within 10 to 15 | | | | percent of them succeed. Will you succeed? |