Nicotine is only one of the thousands of toxic chemicals in a cigarette, yet it has a profound effect on the body. It is a drug that is as addictive as heroin or cocaine, according to the American Cancer Society. It affects nearly every system in the body. Smoking cigarettes with nicotine results in hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States each year.
Addiction
People who have been smoking for a while have a hard time quitting because nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive. It both stimulates and sedates a user. The instant kick a smoker has is due to the discharge of the hormone epinephrine in the brain, which stimulates the sudden release of glucose from the adrenal cortex in the kidney. The sudden "high" does not last long as depression and fatigue quickly follows, leading the user to want more nicotine. The cycle continues, making it a hard habit to break.
Withdrawal
Nicotine users find it hard to quit "cold turkey" because withdrawal symptoms are intense. The first few weeks for those who quit are the most difficult, and symptoms persist between eight to 12 weeks. Withdrawal symptoms include stress, headaches, anxiety, sweating, depression, restlessness, nausea, nicotine craving, increased appetite, cognitive impairment and language incomprehension. The intense physical and mental withdrawal symptoms can lead quitters back to smoking.
Cancer
People smoke to satisfy their addiction to nicotine, but other toxic chemicals in cigarettes can cause cancer. The more people use nicotine, the greater the chances of developing cancer are since they inhale cancer causing agents with each puff of a cigarette. Smoking can cause cancer of the lungs, mouth, larynx, pharynx, bladder, kidney, pancreas, stomach, cervix, and esophagus, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Cardiovascular Effects
Nicotine causes a temporary increase in heart rate, blood pressure and blood flow from the heart, according the American Heart Association. It also causes narrowing of the arteries, which makes it difficult for oxygen to be delivered to various parts of the body. The risk of having a blood clot or heart attack increases with nicotine use.
Male Fertility
Men who smoke may be less likely to impregnate women than non-smokers, according to University of Buffalo researchers. Male fertility researchers showed nicotine and cotinine, a substance produced by the breakdown of nicotine, may reduce fertility potential in men because of the chemicals' effect on sperm. Sperm has receptors for nicotine, and when they bind to the drug, the sperms' motility and lifespan are impaired.
References
- American Cancer Society: Guide to Quitting Smoking
- National Cancer Institute: Smoking
- American Heart Association: Nicotine Addiction
- "Fertility and Sterility" Journal; The Sperm From Most Chronic Tobacco Smokers Exhibit a Significant Decline in the Ability to Bind to the Human Egg; Lani Burkman; 2005
