Nicotine

Watch this video first - it will make you want to quit smoking immediately

Nicotine is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in some plants and in particular the tobacco plant.  Tobacco was chewed or smoked for thousands of years by Native Americans.  It was then discovered by the European settlers who also found tobacco use pleasurable and began shipping it back to the old world.

The tobacco plant usually contains about 5% nicotine by weight.  It is one of the most potent and powerful poisons known to man and provides natural protection to the tobacco plant from the ravages of insects.

When a cigarette is smoked, most of the nicotine is burned off but still enough nicotine is inhaled by the smoker to produce its desired effects.

Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco that makes quitting the tobacco habit so difficult.  Unfortunately cigarette smoke contains many other dangerous chemicals including carbon monoxide, tar, acetaldehyde, nitrosamines, and many more. It is the toxins in the smoke from the cigarette that results in the dangers and adverse effects.

It has been found that the effects of nicotine occur on every part of the nervous system including that portion of the brain known as the pleasure center.  Whether you smoke tobacco or chew tobacco, you are providing nicotine to your brain.

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and produces effects in your brain that are both physical and mood altering.  The effects of nicotine on these centers in your brain reinforce your use of tobacco and feed your nicotine dependence.

Nicotine is a very powerful psychoactive drug which means it is a chemical that acts directly upon the central nervous system thereby altering brain function and providing you with temporary changes in your mood, perception, and consciousness.  These changes in brain function may also include feelings of euphoria which reinforce the use of tobacco producing nicotine withdrawal symptoms when the use is discontinued.

It has been found that nicotine produces both a stimulant as well as depressant action on the user.  Although nicotine is primarily a stimulant drug, the effects of stimulation as well as relaxation may be experienced by the user.

Nicotine use has been found to have some of the same effects on your brain dopamine system that are very similar to those of cocaine and heroin.

Nicotine Addiction

The American Heart Association has this to say, “Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.”

Going back as far as the 16th century it became known that the use of tobacco led to addiction.  Throughout the history of mankind, addiction is certainly not a new phenomenon and people have become addicted to different substances down through the ages.

In young smokers, nicotine addiction usually becomes established within less than a year of first beginning to smoke cigarettes.  In many cases with teenage smokers, addiction to nicotine occurs even before they reached the legal age to purchase cigarettes.

As mentioned above, the pharmacological and behavioral characteristics found with tobacco addiction are much like those characteristics that are found with addiction to drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Even the smell, feel, sight, handling, lighting up, and then smoking a cigarette are all pleasurable effects associated with the smoking habit and tend to, at times make the craving and withdrawal symptoms even worse.

And then to muddy the waters even further, tobacco companies have tried to minimize nicotine addiction by attempting to compare the habit of smoking with other so-called “addictions” such as chocolate or shopping.

Keep in mind though, that as addictive a substance as nicotine can be, folks can break their addiction to nicotine.

Nicotine Withdraw

During the first three days after quitting smoking, the withdrawal symptoms are normally the most intense.  Some of the more common symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can include restlessness, insomnia, headaches, irritability, and difficulty concentrating.  Other symptoms such as having difficulty dealing with stress, anxiousness, depression, and even anger may also be present in folks who are attempting to quit smoking.

As research has come to understand the addiction to nicotine as an addiction to a drug, great strides have been made in developing behavioral treatments and medications for the addiction to tobacco.  Products that provide nicotine replacement that help folks deal with their withdrawal symptoms while at the same time being exposed to some type of behavioral treatment have been very helpful in enabling folks to break their addiction to nicotine.

Some of the nicotine replacement therapy aids used in smoking cessation on the market today include the nicotine patch and the nicotine gum. These products provide nicotine to your body using a controlled method and aid you in weaning yourself from your addiction.

The patches are applied to your skin and provide nicotine through what’s called transdermal transfer through your skin and into your blood stream.  Nicotine gum is chewed slowly and provides nicotine to your system through the lining of your mouth.

Nicotine gum is manufactured by companies like Nicotrol, Nicorette, Nicotinell, and Habitrol. Nicotine patches are manufactured by companies like Nicotrol, Nicorette, Habitrol, and Nicoderm.

Then there is the nicotine nasal spray and lozenges that are also available.

The effect these have on your body is to help you with the nicotine withdraw symptoms you will probably experience while you quit smoking. These won’t however help you with the psychological withdraw symptoms you may also experience.

Some other products that may help you to control your nicotine withdraw symptoms are the prescription stop smoking drugs Zyban (bupropion) and Chantix. These drugs work on the chemical receptors and levels of dopamine  in your brain to lessen the effects of your withdraw symptoms and cravings.

Most folks find their greatest success with using some type of behavior modification, such as exercise for instance or support groups while at the same time gradually reducing their use of nicotine through one of the nicotine replacement products.  Folks have found this much easier than quitting immediately going cold turkey.

Breaking your dependence and addiction to nicotine can be difficult.  Keep in mind that many smokers have had to make numerous attempts to stop smoking before they were finally successful.  However the benefits of quitting smoking are very well worth it and will add years to your health and life.

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