Nicotine Addiction
From Terry Martin,
The Effects of Nicotine Addiction
Nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. In 2002, 30 percent of the U.S. population 12 and older, or 71.5 million people, used tobacco at least once in the month prior to being interviewed. This figure includes 3.8 million young people age 12 to 17; 14 million people age 18 to 25; and 53.7 million age 26 and older.* Most of them were cigarette smokers.
Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco, are addictive and that nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction.
The report also determined that smoking was a major cause of stroke and the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 440,000 deaths each year, and resulting in an annual cost of more than $75 billion in direct medical costs. (See www.cdc.gov/tobacco/issue.htm)
Nicotine is highly addictive. Nicotine provides an almost immediate "kick" because it causes a discharge of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex. This stimulates the central nervous system, and other endocrine glands, which causes a sudden release of glucose. Stimulation is then followed by depression and fatigue, leading the smoker to seek more nicotine.
Nicotine affects brain chemistry:
Nicotine and Adrenaline:
When a person inhales cigarette smoke, the nicotine in the smoke is rapidly absorbed into the blood and starts affecting the brain within 7 seconds. The result is the release of the hormone adrenaline, the "fight or flight" hormone. Physically, adrenaline will increase a person's heart rate, blood pressure and restrict flow to the heart muscle. The smoker will experience rapid, shallow breathing. Adrenaline also instructs the body to dump any excess glucose into the bloodstream.
Nicotine and Insulin
It is thought that nicotine inhibits the release of the hormone insulin, which is responsible for removing excess sugar from a person's blood. The result can be that the smoker is slightly hyperglycemic, meaning they have more sugar in their blood than usual. High blood sugar acts as an appetite suppressant, which may be why smokers think their cigarettes reduce hunger. In the long run though, nicotine in the bloodstream increases the "bad" LDL cholesterol, which is thought to clog and harden arteries. That in turn will step up the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Nicotine and Dopamine
Nicotine activates the same reward system as do other drugs of abuse such as cocaine or amphetamine, although to a lesser degree. Research has shown that nicotine increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is a chemical in the brain responsible for feelings of pleasure and well-being. The acute effects of nicotine wear off within minutes, so people continue dosing themselves frequently throughout the day to maintain the pleasurable effects of nicotine and to prevent withdrawal symptoms..
Nicotine and Acetylcholine
The nicotine molecule is very similar in shape to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which affects many bodily functions, including breathing, heart rate, learning and memory. Acetylcholine in turn also affects other neurotransmitters that have influence over appetite, mood, and memory. When nicotine gets into the brain, it attaches to nerve cells in places where acetylcholine would, creating the same effects.
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Toxic Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke - Hydrogen Cyanide
From Terry Martin,
Your Guide to Smoking Cessation.
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Hydrogen Cyanide in Second Hand Smoke
Cigarettes contain some 599 possible additives, all of which are approved for use by the US Government. When these ingredients are burned however, they produce a whole host of chemical compounds which a person takes in with every breath of smoke. One of the toxic byproducts present in cigarette smoke is hydrogen cyanide. Of course no one would willingly inhale this chemical which, under the name of Zyklon B, was used as a genocidal agent during World War II, but smokers do it multiple times with every cigarette they light. Because hydrogen cyanide is present in second hand smoke, nonsmokers are also at risk.
Hydrogen cyanide at room temperature is a volatile, colorless-to-blue liquid (also called hydrocyanidic acid). It rapidly becomes a gas that can produce death in minutes if breathed.
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Hydrogen cyanide is used in making fibers, plastics, dyes, pesticides, and other chemicals, and as a fumigant to kill rats. It is also used in electroplating metals and in developing photographic film.
Breathing small amounts of hydrogen cyanide may cause:
* headache
* dizziness
* weakness
* nausea
* vomiting
Larger amounts may cause:
* gasping
* irregular heartbeats
* seizures
* fainting
* rapid death
Generally, the more serious the exposure, the more severe the symptoms. Similar symptoms may be produced when solutions of hydrogen cyanide are ingested or come in contact with the skin.
Treatment for hydrogen cyanide poisoning includes breathing pure oxygen, and in the case of serious symptoms, treatment with specific cyanide antidotes. Persons with serious symptoms will need to be hospitalized.
Other facts about hydrogen cyanide:
* Reports have indicated that during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, hydrogen cyanide gas may have been used along with other chemical agents against the inhabitants of the Kurdish city of Halabja in northern Iraq.
* Cyanide is naturally present in some foods and in certain plants such as cassava. Cyanide is contained in cigarette smoke and the combustion products of synthetic materials such as plastics. Combustion products are substances given off when things burn.
Smoking cigarettes is one of the major sources of cyanide exposure for people who do not work in cyanide-related industries.Information for this article obtained from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
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Facts You Should Know About Secondhand Smoke
From Terry Martin,
Your Guide to Smoking Cessation.
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Passive Smoking is Dangerous
Secondhand smoke is a toxic cocktail consisting of poisons and carcinogens. There are over 4000 chemical compounds in secondhand smoke; 200 of which are known to be poisonous, and upwards of 60 have been identified as carcinogens.
When a cigarette is smoked , about half of the smoke is inhaled/exhaled(mainstream smoke) by the smoker and the other half floats around in the air(sidestream smoke). Environmental tobacco smoke(ETS) or secondhand smoke plays a part in more health problems than you might realize. The following facts point out why it is so important to have smoking bans in place. No one should be forced to breathe in air tainted with cigarette smoke.
Cancer:
The U.S. Environment Protection Agency(EPA) has classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen. Cancers linked to passive smoking include:
