Inhaling nicotine in tobacco is most commonly done by smoking cigarettes. There are roughly 60 million cigarette smokers in America as of 2007. Astoundingly, the American Council for Drug Education reports 30 percent of adolescents smoke, a critical statistic once you realize those who try cigarettes for the first time after they are 21 are likely to remain smoke-free. Approximately 20 percent of Americans die from smoking-related causes each year as of 2007.
Nicotine
Nicotine is a chemical in the leaves of the tobacco plant nicotinae. The Latin name stems from the ambassador Jean Nicot, who brought tobacco home to France from Lisbon. Due to its lethal nature, nicotine has long been used as a pesticide. Indeed, the National Institute of Drug Abuse states that a single drop of pure nicotine is fatal. Children and pets who eat tobacco can die within minutes due to paralysis of the respiratory system, according to NIDA. Perhaps the most deadly aspect of nicotine is its highly addictive nature.
Immediate Effects
Inhaled nicotine passes through the lungs to the bloodstream, where it is carried throughout the body and to the brain within seconds. Nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, which causes increased breath, heart rate and blood pressure. Researchers believe the pleasure smokers may feel comes in part from the higher dopamine levels in the brain that nicotine causes, and later results in less ability to experience the pleasures of dopamine as receptors are destroyed. Smoking can cause nausea, dizziness, coughing and vomiting in new users. Nicotine affects many body systems with the first exposure, such as the constriction of blood vessels.
Nicotine Addiction
Smokers usually find it extremely difficult to quit using nicotine in tobacco. "On average, it takes smokers five to seven tries before they succeed," said Ted Jackson, manager of the Bloomington Hospital's respiratory therapy department in Bloomington, Indiana. "It's a stronger addiction than that of heroin or cocaine." In fact, NIDA reports that "tobacco use causes far more illnesses and death than all other addicting drugs combined."
Rapid Effects
Regularly inhaling nicotine in tobacco "raises your blood pressure, dulls your senses of smell and taste, reduces your stamina, and wrinkles your skin. More dangerously, long-term smoking can lead to fatal heart attacks, strokes, emphysema, and cancer...," according to www.NIDA.gov. Each day, youth come of age who are in need of a comprehensive understanding of the dangers of nicotine in tobacco.
Innocent Bystanders
Nicotine, as well as the hundreds of other chemicals and carcinogens in tobacco products, cause disability and death to people who themselves do not use tobacco. The consequences of inhaling nicotine in tobacco include the roughly 1,000 people who die in the U.S. each year from home fires from dropped cigarettes as of 2010. Increasingly new research and awareness is building around the devastating effects of simply being exposed to smoke, including the smoke exhaled by smokers. NIDA reports that "secondhand smoke is estimated to cause approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths per year among nonsmokers and contributes to more than 35,000 deaths related to cardiovascular disease."
References
- The American Council for Drug Education: Basic Facts About Drugs-Tobacco
- "Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry": Neurological Stamp-Jean Nicot 1530 to 1600; L.F. Haus; June 1992; 55(6)
- Cigarettes; Elaine Landau; Franklin Watts; 2003
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco Addiction- What Are The Extent and Impact of Tobacco Use?
- NIDA for Teens: Mind Over Matter-Tobacco Addiction
