Nicotine: Addictive Substance or Just a Habit?

Non smokers don’t understand why smokers don’t simply throw away their cigarettes and be done with it. Smokers do not do this because smoking tobacco isn’t simply a bad habit. It is incredibly addictive. Health professionals believe that it is just as addictive as any street drug, and because it is legal, people tend to believe that it is less harmful then it really is.

When the chemicals in cigarettes are inhaled, they reach the smoker’s bloodstream, lungs and brain, which has long lasting effects that are very addictive. One of the primary chemicals in cigarettes is nicotine. Nicotine is extremely habit forming, both physically and psychologically. It isn’t just nicotine, but arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, all dangerous chemicals, can also be found in cigarettes.

Nicotine affects the central nervous system by stimulating it. The chemicals in the cigarettes cause the blood pressure to rise and the heart rate to speed up. It also restricts the blood vessels, which puts smokers at a greater risk of heart problems. Smoking also leads to premature aging, wrinkles, a lower ability to taste and smell. With all of these negative affects, it’s a wonder why people continue to smoke. However, they do. In fact, millions of individuals want to stop smoking but can not. This is because it is more then a simple bad habit, but is a very real addiction.

When individuals smoke, their brains begin to associate it with pleasure and release the brain chemical, dopamine. Dopamine helps you feel relaxed and good. When individuals stop smoking, this chemical is not as released as often. This can cause the individual to want to start smoking again because they miss these good feelings. It usually takes at least three weeks for the brain to re-train itself. Besides, the issue of brain chemistry, nicotine is also very addicting.

It generally takes about 100 hours or about 4-5 days for nicotine to leave your system, however, if you have smoked cigarettes for a long period of time, then it will take longer for your body to get over the effects and you still may be physically and psychologically addicted. Generally the first 3-4 months are crucial to one quitting smoking. If an individual can stop smoking for this amount of time, they should be able to outlast both the physical and mental addictive factors.