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Nicotine is really a toxin within the tobacco plant, and its own main function is to serve as deterrent in terms of 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 spoken about ‘aah’ factor.

The most common method of nicotine finding its way into our system is through cigarette smoke. It is due to the nicotine within the cigarette that the act of smoking seems pleasurable. And nicotine is without a doubt the biggest reason that the cigarette industry continues to grow at a steady pace. However, smoking counts as a significant preventable cause of death/disease, and in addition causes a significant number of premature deaths every year.

Tobacco smoke contains a plethora of chemicals, and nicotine is one of the primary ones. Can say for certain that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine aswell. Nicotine dependency is considered to be between the hardest to break, and even when a smoker witnesses the damage that nicotine can cause first-hand, smoking can still be quite difficult to give up. 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 lead to infertility, complications during pregnancy along with complications in a newborn baby’s health.

The Effects of Nicotine:

Not only 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 round the presence of nicotine within the machine. At this stage, the individual is actually addicted. Attempts to avoid using nicotine at this stage 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 bring about discomfort as the brain’s circuitry senses the lack of nicotine as an underlying cause for concern.

Statistics:

A lot more than fifteen thousand Australians die because of smoking each year, and may be the largest ‘preventable’ reason behind early death and disease. 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. Around 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 earth, with a big chunk living in developing countries. And given the ongoing trends, by 2020 tobacco would account for approximately 10 million deaths each year.

Nikotiinipussit Facts about Nicotine Dependency:

Nicotine is poisonous, and the reason that reason a smoker will not immediately die is due to the minuscule levels of nicotine within each cigarette.
Nicotine is highly addictive, and nicotine dependency is frequently compared with heroin and cocaine dependency regarding difficulty to quit.
Relapses are very common in efforts to give up smoking.
Apart 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 span would go down 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, a lot of the others are ones who’ve passed away because of smoking related illnesses.
Data collected from the ‘Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’ shows that almost 80% of the smokers have tried quitting at least one time, and within the last year a lot more than 30% have tried stopping.
The Alternatives – Quitting Help:

Nicotine Free Cigarettes:

Nicotine free cigarettes are ones that not contain any tobacco or nicotine. One can find several brands with regards 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 numerous 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 they too could 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. Using NRT aids is thought to increase the chances of quitting by around 50%, but in order to achieve success, additional support that is provided to the average person in the form of counselling, etc. also play an important role. When a person stops smoking, these aids continue 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 an increasing number of smokers continue to battle their nicotine dependency, more and more people continue to smoke their first cigarette. The feeling of euphoria that’s often associated with smoking is a result of the nicotine present therein, and this is what keeps the smoker returning for more. The good thing is that awareness in the general public is on the rise, and help to battle nicotine dependency comes in various forms. So if you wish to fight nicotine dependency and feel that it is an uphill battle, at the very least take heart in understanding that there’s plenty of help that you could avail of.