{"id":1531,"date":"2016-08-08T23:48:16","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T23:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stopsmokinghypnosisbayarea.com\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2021-10-14T11:41:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T11:41:40","slug":"how-bad-is-nicotine-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/josephgiove.com\/qso\/how-bad-is-nicotine-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"How Bad is Nicotine For You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Smoking cigarettes is extremely dangerous to your health. More specifically, nicotine in general is bad for your health. Nicotine is found in all tobacco products including chewing tobacco, pipe smoking, and even nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gums.<\/p>\n

Nicotine use will affect almost every part of the body, especially the heart, lungs, and brain. There are some (very few) scientifically proven positive effects of nicotine, but the consequences of prolonged use are not worth the cost.<\/p>\n

This article will discuss what nicotine is, how addictive it is, the possible health issues from long term use<\/a>, the use in treating mental illness, other additives in cigarettes, and how Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy can help you quit smoking<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is Nicotine<\/h2>\n

Nicotine is defined as \u201ca toxic colorless or yellowish oily liquid which is the chief active constituent of tobacco.\u201d Nicotine is an alkaloid that is found in certain plants such as tobacco and is synthesized in the roots and leaves of the plant. It makes up to 3 {cb12661b2b7fd86e618703ac3a1bf5df9897d897450d7668a57e7745cc225577} of the dry weight of the tobacco plant. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed through the lining of small air sacs in the lungs and when used in chewing tobacco, it is absorbed through the mucus membranes in the mouth. After it is absorbed it is then free to circulate to the entire body through the bloodstream. This is why nicotine can cause problems for just about any part of the body.<\/p>\n

How Addictive is Nicotine<\/h2>\n

Nicotine is so addictive it has been compared to being addicted to heroin or cocaine. The American Heart Association has said it is one of the hardest addictions to break. So what is the science behind the addictiveness of nicotine?<\/p>\n

After nicotine is absorbed into the body it crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters into the brain. Once there, it binds to specific cholinergic receptors, which are activated by a neurotransmitter. These neurotransmitters normally maintain healthy actions by the body, such keeping the heart beating at a constant rate. Nicotine has a similar chemical make-up to these neurotransmitters, so it can activate these cholinergic receptors, but instead of the brain sending normal signals to the body, it sends out disruptive ones. After a period of smoking, the number of receptors in the brain increase in addition to developing a tolerance to the nicotine. This means that in order for a person to have normal brain function, they must continue to feed those receptors the nicotine they expect. When the nicotine level falls, the brain doesn\u2019t function properly and people will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms. This means they need more nicotine to keep functioning. It also means they will have another cigarette. And then another. As you can see, this can end up being an endless cycle in order for a person to avoid the unpleasantries that come along with withdrawal symptoms.<\/p>\n

Health Issues From Long Term Use<\/h2>\n

Nicotine is the active ingredient in tobacco and tobacco is the main ingredient in cigarettes, therefore the nicotine in cigarettes makes you crave more. Prolonged use of nicotine in cigarettes can cause serious health issues. Some of those issues are:<\/p>\n