Repost: Why a Smoker Smokes Good info. We do not smoke cause we "love...

You are currently viewing the NOPE365 forum as a guest, meaning you will not be able to do anything other than read through the main feed and will only see posts that the owner has allowed for public consumption (~30% of all posts). If you want to see everything NOPE365 has to offer then please register for a new account, it's totally free and allows you to experience all of NOPE365!You are currently viewing the NOPE365 forum as a guest, meaning you will not be able to do anything other than read through the main feed and will only see posts that the owner has allowed for public consumption (~30% of all posts). If you want to see everything NOPE365 has to offer then please register for a new account, it's totally free and allows you to experience all of NOPE365!

Alberta Quits

4939

This group is for quitters from Alberta both new and migrating from Alberta Quits allowing us to...

Join Group

4939

Repost:  Why a Smoker Smokes

Good info.  We do not smoke cause we "love it".  That is addictions lie!  I believed that one waaaayyyy tooooooo long!

KTQ
Cara
D5871

*********************************************************************************************************

Why a Smoker Smokes
From SheriTaylar on 7/25/2013 7:22:38 AM
I found this article on the addiction of nicotine and thought someone here might find it interesting.

What makes nicotine so dangerous and so addictive? The answer begins in the brain. When a person takes a puff on a cigarette, the nicotine is pulled into the lungs and absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Within eight to 10 seconds, nicotine has penetrated the brain and begins to cause its characteristic “rush.”
Nicotine and the Brain
A logical question is, how could the brain be affected so quickly? Part of the answer has to do with the shape of the nicotine molecule. Its shape is similar to a natural neurotransmitter in the brain called acetylcholine. Because the shape of nicotine is so close to that of acetylcholine, it can fit into the receptor sites on brain cells that actually belong to acetylcholine.
One might think of nicotine as an interloper in the brain's messenger system. Once nicotine has connected with the acetylcholine receptors, a person's heart rate, blood pressure, and respirations increase as does the release of glucose into the bloodstream. The person smoking may experience these changes and interpret them as increased mental alertness.
Another way that nicotine affects the brain is through the now familiar dopamine pleasure pathway. Nicotine stimulates the release of large amounts of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that causes intense feelings of pleasure. For some unknown reason, components of cigarette smoke block the reabsorption of dopamine. It remains in the space between the neurons called the synaptic gap, contributing to the intense feelings of pleasure that a person addicted to nicotine experiences.
Beta-endorphins are another type of neurotransmitter that have the ability to enhance moods. Nicotine stimulates the release of beta-endorphins as well as dopamine. In addition to these significant effects of nicotine on one's brain, it also has been found to interrupt the flow of oxygen to the brain, especially the right hemisphere. Nicotine also elevates the body's levels of cortisol, which is a hormone involved in relieving stress by arousing the sympathetic nervous system.

Repost: Why a Smoker Smokes

Good info. We do not smoke cause we "love it". That is addictions lie! I believed that one waaaayyyy tooooooo long!

KTQ
Cara
D5871

*********************************************************************************************************

Why a Smoker Smokes
From SheriTaylar on 7/25/2013 7:22:38 AM
I found this article on the addiction of nicotine and thought someone here might find it interesting.

What makes nicotine so dangerous and so addictive? The answer begins... Show more

Teach

2 days ago

6,813 Days Quit

2 days ago

One can readily see that nicotine affects the brain on many levels. However, these effects come and go quickly. Recall that the drug reaches the brain within eight to 10 seconds. Within 40 minutes, half of the effects caused by nicotine are over. This process is somewhat slower for a person who uses smokeless tobacco or who smokes cigars or pipes. The result is that, before long, someone addicted to nicotine is needing another dose of the drug either to achieve the desired effects or to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Over a period of time, the brain begins to make changes in order to adjust to the effects of the drug, particularly the increased production of dopamine. For example, the brain cuts down on its normal production of dopamine and reduces the number of certain brain cell receptors. Again, adjustments must be made to maintain homeostasis, or balance, in the brain's functioning. The addicted person must now consume more of the drug to stimulate the release of more dopamine just to feel “normal.”
Many individuals with multiple addictions would argue that nicotine is the most difficult addiction to stop. Whether this is true or not is unknown. What is known is that nicotine is indeed highly addictive, equal in addictive qualities to heroin or cocaine. Even though nicotine delivers its pleasurable effects quickly, the byproducts of nicotine, such as cotinine, stay in a person's system for three to four days. When someone stops smoking, the withdrawal symptoms are quite unpleasant and cravings can last for weeks, months, or longer.

As wholeheartedly as someone might want to stop her nicotine addiction, the discomfort from withdrawal and the intense cravings caused by both physiological and psychological processes often send her back to the addiction. She might find that it takes multiple attempts to finally be nicotine-free.

It is hard, but not impossible to quit....keep at it!!

Sheri