The Nicotine in a cigarette triggers certain cells in the brain, which results in the release of dopamine. This nicotine-cell reaction eventually leads to an addiction and causes a change in the brain’s pleasure centre, similar to that of other addictive drugs like heroin and cocaine. The release of dopamine is common among all forms of abused substances. This finding could be beneficial in helping smokers abstain from smoking.

What is Nicotine?

Nicotine is a drug present in the cigarette that eventually leads to addiction. It has been known to be the single-most hardest addiction to break. Most smokers who make an attempt to quit often find it very difficult to do so because of withdrawal symptoms that are associated with abstinence.

What are these withdrawal symptoms?

•             Anxiety

•             Impulsiveness

•             Hostility

•             Listlessness

•             Aggressiveness

•             Depression

•             Decreased heart rate

•             Appetite increase and weight gain

What does Nicotine do?

The nicotine in a cigarette is absorbed through the mucosal lining of the mouth, nose and lungs, and the skin. On exposure it causes various chemical reactions in the blood, resulting in an-

•             Increase of blood pressure

•             Increase of heart rate

•             Imbalance of oxygen in the blood

•             Increase of fatty acids, glucose and various other hormones, and

•             Narrowing of the arteries

The combined effect of smoking leads to hardening of the arteries and increases the risk of a cardiac arrest. A typical smoker will take 10 puffs on a cigarette over a period of 5 minutes while the cigarette is lit. Therefore, if a person were to smoke one and a half packets a day (30 cigarettes) he would get 300 hits of nicotine on his brain daily. This is the one main reason why nicotine has such an addictive nature.

Effects of Nicotine

Nicotine has been known to be a stimulant and a sedative. Physiologically, nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands resulting in an increased discharge of epinephrine (adrenaline). Adrenaline causes an increase in the heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar. There is also a lack of insulin output, which makes smokers slightly hyperglycemic.

On the other hand nicotine can just as well be a sedative. The sedative effect of nicotine depends on an individual’s nervous system and nicotine intake. In addition as mentioned earlier nicotine indirectly causes a release of dopamine in the brain regions that control pleasure and motivation. This reaction is very similar to that seen with other addictive drugs of abuse, such as, cocaine and heroin.

Medical effects of Nicotine

Cigarette smoking is responsible for 90% of all lung cancers; it also causes other lung diseases, namely-

•             Chronic bronchitis

•             Emphysema, and

•             Adult asthma 

Nicotine is also linked to cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, cervix, kidney, ureter and bladder. It also has a close connection with diseases related to the heart, especially coronary heart disease (CHD), including stroke, cardiac arrest, aneurysm and vascular disease. Medically speaking, and otherwise nicotine is one of the world’s largest killers.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)

ETS is also a major killer in the world causing approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths, every year among non-smokers, and 40,000 deaths related to cardiovascular diseases. In homes ETS causes child asthma and is linked with sudden infant death syndrome. Nicotine is also found in certain insecticide sprays and exposure to which causes vomiting, tremors, convulsions and death.

Besides chemical and biological deaths, smoking leads to many accidental fires and fatalities that are caused due to dropped cigarettes leading to more than 1,000 such deaths each year. Essentially, nicotine/tobacco smoke is harmful to the non-smoker and the environment, and affect.

Is Nicotine gender biased?

Several studies and research indicates that men and women differ in their nicotine sensitivity. This difference largely influences smoking behavior. While women smoke less than men and also inhale lightly, studies indicate that women find it more difficult to quit smoking completely. Cases of relapse are also of a higher percentage in women.

Large-scale smoking cessation trials show that women are less likely to initiate smoking and are more likely to relapse if they do quit. Cessation programs reveal that the use of nicotine replacements methods like nicotine gum and patch is not as effective in controlling nicotine craving for women as it is for men.

 Is Nicotine hereditary?

Study finds that smoking addiction could be linked with hereditary. Case studies have revealed genetic variants of a receptor for dopamine, which consequently influences addiction to nicotine.

Such findings give hope to create targeted chemical interventions for vulnerable smokers. Helping in fighting the main cause of lung cancer and understanding after many years of smoking why certain people can quit and others simply cannot.

Tobacco kills more people than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fire and AIDS combined. Smoking whether it is one cigarette or a pack is just as hazardous to you as it is to the society you live in. Its effects are long lasting and often even after quitting come back to haunt you in later years of illness.

It is important to realize the horror of tobacco and nicotine and to make an endeavor to wipe its existence of the face of earth; to advance toward a cleaner and healthier environment and to make tobacco an incidence of the past and a lesson for the future.