Nicotine is a toxic and addictive alkaloid found in tobacco products like cigarettes and chewing tobacco. While it gives you an immediate and temporary lift, its long-term effects can be deadly. Nicotine can lead to cancers, emphysema and...
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Nearly 440,000 deaths each year are attributed to smoking. If you can't stop smoking on your own, you are not alone. The American Heart Association reports that nicotine...
Secondhand smoke is sometimes referred to as environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoke. It's a combination of both the burning tobacco that comes off the end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe and the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Though secondhand...
Cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive substance that causes nicotine dependency. If your mom has been smoking regularly for several years or more, it can be very hard to quit. The most effective way to help your mother quit smoking is to...
Media representations of smoking often make the habit seem glamorous, but smoking is damaging to your health in numerous ways. Quitting smoking can add years to your life, and may also prevent those around you from becoming sick. In the United...
The physical and psychological symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can be difficult to handle for both the person who is quitting and the people who are close to him. When you're trying to quit smoking, some people may even encourage you to have a...
For many, smoking cigarettes is not just a habit, but a way of life. While "casual" smokers enjoy a cigarette while having drinks or in other social settings, others smoke a pack or more daily, with the need to smoke sometimes triggered by...
Smoking tobacco can eventually lead to nicotine addiction. And like any other addiction, the brain begins to recognize nicotine as something it needs. Depriving it of this substance leads to an intense reaction that's often accompanied by a number...
Nicotine is the addictive ingredient in tobacco that causes the chronic use of tobacco products for many people. People generally feel some effects of nicotine immediately, and the pleasant effects cause them to continue to use tobacco even after...
According to a 2004 national survey on drug use and health by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 4,000 kids under 18 smoke their first cigarette each day. Over 1,000 of them will become regular smokers. It's estimated...
Regardless of what many might think, nicotine is an addictive drug. It causes changes in the brain, making people want to use it more, and its withdrawal symptoms are less than pleasant. Historically, it is one of the hardest addictions to break,...
Perhaps the most dangerous health risk of teenage smoking is that the potential harm will grow with age. Most adult tobacco users who never kick the habit began smoking in their teens. The International Agency on Cancer Research relates that half...
The addictiveness of nicotine equals that of cocaine and heroin, and nicotine dependence involves both emotional and physical aspects. The American Cancer Society mentions success rates of 4 to 7 percent when people attempt to quit smoking without...
Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is a psychological illness characterized by chronic anxiety about many situations and daily activities. The relationship between GAD and substances such as nicotine and caffeine is a complex one. Researchers...
The popularity of smoking tobacco through a hookah has increased, particularly on college campuses. Up to 28 percent of college freshman in the United States have tried a hookah pipe, reports "U.S. News and World Report." One reason for hookah's...
Even if you still smoke, decreasing the number of cigarettes will benefit your health. For each cigarette you cut back, you do not inhale the tar, nicotine and other carcinogens it contains. According to the British Medical Journal, every...
The text "The Neurobiology of Addiction" explains that tobacco is obtained from the plant Nicotiana tabacum. The leaves are dried and smoked, snuffed or chewed. The addictive substance in tobacco is a drug called nicotine. Nicotine has a...
If you've tried to quit smoking multiple times and haven't found the willpower to succeed, smoking cessation aids can help. Nicotine patches and nicotine gum can be addictive and cause dependence in some individuals. Instead, try a holistic...
Quitting smoking begins with something very simple: a decision to stop and the commitment to follow through on your plan. If you're a smoker, you're probably already aware of the withdrawal symptoms you can expect--irritability, food cravings,...
Nicotine is the addictive substance found in tobacco. Many people who wish to stop smoking turn to alternative sources of nicotine such as patches or gum. In some cases, dependency on the new source of nicotine develops. Nicotine gum dependency...
Nicotine, as well as thousands of other chemicals, is found in tobacco products and creates dependence and cravings. Nicotine dependence is the craving a person experiences from nicotine and the inability to control urges related to tobacco...
While tobacco use is declining among teenage smokers, as per the National Institute on Drug Abuse, kids continue to experiment with cigarette smoking. At an age in which trying new things comes naturally, the possibility of addiction is a very...
Nicotine is a substance found in tobacco. When consumed, typically through smoking cigarettes, it can trigger an addiction that makes it difficult for a patient to stop smoking. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, nicotine...
Stopping smoking can reduce your chances of developing heart disease, stroke and cancer. You may experience symptoms of withdrawals when you've stopped smoking that may produce physical and psychological discomfort, making it more difficult to...
The first year of a tobacco use habit holds risks for immediate health problems and the likelihood of an early death. Many people begin smoking or return to smoking with the aim of quitting before too much damage is done. Their plans may be...
Epidemiologic evidence supports that there is an association between smoking cigarettes and mood disorders like depression. Less clear is the direction of this relationship: whether depression causes people to smoke or whether smoking causes...
A primary cause of preventable death in the United States, smoking is one of the most hazardous activities that people pursue. For example, smoking causes about 85 percent of the annual deaths due to lung cancer in the United States, according to...
Nicotine is an addictive substance found in products that may be smoked or chewed. Nicotine increases the release of dopamine within the brain, producing temporary pleasure. Nicotine gum is commonly used for smoking cessation to reduce withdrawal...
For some people, smoking cigarettes is more than just a bad habit, it is an addiction. A sudden reduction in dosage produces withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, anxiety and insomnia. Aculaser applies a bio-stimulation laser to certain...
Smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancies, low birth weight and preterm labor, so it is important to quit smoking if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant. Learn how to quit smoking during pregnancy in this...
