"Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times" this famous quote of Mark Twain sums up the problems a lot of people have when trying to quit...they just can't stick to it.
The problem is that smoking is an addiction like any other, as nicotine is in fact a drug. The addiction to nicotine is not the only danger, as it is in fact a poison.
Nicotine is the natural drug found in tobacco and is as addictive as cocaine or heroin. The dependency will be both physical and emotional; both needing to be dealt with when quitting smoking.
As smoke is inhaled, nicotine enters deep into the lungs, from where it is carried throughout the body via the bloodstream.
Nicotine will affect many parts of the body; blood vessels, heart, brain, metabolism and hormones. It is particularly harmful during pregnancy, as it can be present in breast milk and in cervical fluids as well as placenta, amniotic fluids and the blood in the umbilical cord which in turn feeds into the newborn child.
Inhaling cigarette smoke will send nicotine to the brain quicker than any drugs taken intravenously. Like any other drug, the body eventually develops tolerance, thereby needing larger doses to calm the craving. Quitting smoking will cause the same kind of withdrawal symptoms from the addiction to nicotine that drug addicts experience when quitting their chosen poison.
Whatever your age or the length of time you've been smoking, don't think it's too late in life for you to quit: smokers who quit around age 50 can still cut the risk of dying in the following 15 years by 50%, compared with those who continue to smoke.
Addiction to nicotine should be treated like any other drug addiction, so when quitting smoking be prepared for similar problems. Nicotine patches or chewing gum will only really delay the inevitable; you'll be avoiding many of the other chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but you are still feeding your body nicotine, so are not really making any inroads into your addiction to nicotine. Quitting smoking cold turkey is the only sure answer and will bring with it some problems, particularly in those long-term smokers.
The body will take its time to eject nicotine and other chemicals; sometimes only a couple of days but at other times several weeks. Addiction to nicotine is caused by the pleasant feelings (known as dopamine high) experienced by the smoker, which then lead to them wanting to smoke more. The nervous system begins to adapt to the nicotine intake and increases the amount of nicotine in the blood. As the body begins to get used to the amount of nicotine, it will start to demand more, hence we get into the cycle of addiction.
The poison in nicotine is enough to kill a human with just a few drops in its purest form, although to take in that much in one go by smoking you would have to smoke about 100 cigarettes all at once (together, not one after the other) Even so, that is some nasty poison to take into your system!
Quitting smoking and addiction to nicotine does not need to be terribly difficult; there are quit smoking plans and systems to help you on your way, some of which make it incredibly easy. Find the right method for you and stick with it; you are on your way to a much healthier, more enjoyable life.
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