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Facts about Nicotine
Often rumors get mixed in with facts, but when you are talking about nicotine, it’s important to set the record straight. Here are the honest facts about nicotine.
Rumor: Nicotine is not harmful; it is the other chemicals in tobacco that cause harm.
FACT: Nicotine increases heart rate blood pressure restricting blood flow to the heart muscle. If that weren’t enough nicotine is also toxic to humans. It was once used as an insecticide and just one cigarette worth of nicotine can make a toddler very sick. In fact just 60 milligrams of nicotine has the potential to kill a non-smoking adult.
Rumor: Nicotine is not that addictive, I can quit anytime.
FACT: Nicotine stimulates the same brain reward centers as cocaine. Nicotine’s effect on this reward center is what scientists believe causes people to become addicted. When a person stops using the drug, they go through withdrawal symptoms which include nervousness, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, depression and nicotine cravings. Also, the earlier a person starts, the more difficult it is to break this addiction.
Rumor: I smoke light cigarettes; they have less nicotine so I won’t get addicted as easily.
FACT: While light cigarettes contain about half the nicotine of regular cigarettes, most smokers inhale more deeply on light cigarettes. Studies show that light and regular cigarettes involve almost the same amount of nicotine receptors in the brain, and new nicotine free cigarettes (less than 0.05 milligrams) still delivered a significant amount of nicotine to the brain.
While this all may seem disheartening, there is help breaking the addiction to nicotine. Getting the facts straight is the first step to overcoming the addiction. For more information on how to quit, talk to your doctor, then call the phone number above to sign up for a free quit smoking clinic.
References:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926194611.htm
http://archives.drugabuse.gov/nida_notes/nnvol13n3/tearoff.html
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_nicotine1.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine_poisoning
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000953.htm
Photo:
Harbin; Wikimedia. No endorsement implied.
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