Why
is it so hard to quit smoking?
Be
sure to check the most recent addition to our web site featuring
excellent photographs
and X-rays of
Healthy and Diseased Lungs
(Advertising)
Our #1 Most Recommended Hypnosis
Smoking Cessation Program
Click on icon above for printable version!
Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done
it a thousand times." Maybe you've tried to quit too. Why is quitting and staying
quit hard for so many people? The answer is nicotine.
Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. Over time,
the body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. Studies have shown
that smokers must overcome both of these to be successful at quitting and staying quit.
When smoke is inhaled, nicotine is carried deep into the
lungs where it is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and carried to the heart, brain,
liver, and spleen. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including the heart and blood
vessels, the hormonal system, the body's metabolism, and the brain. Nicotine can be found
in breast milk and in cervix mucous secretions of smokers. During pregnancy, nicotine
freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord
blood of newborn infants. Nicotine is metabolized mainly by the liver and lungs, but a
small amount is excreted by the kidneys. Nicotine is broken down by the body into the
by-products cotinine and nicotine-N'-oxide.
Several different factors can affect the rate of metabolism
and excretion of nicotine. Measurements of nicotine or its by-products will vary depending
on the fluid being measured (blood, urine, or saliva). In general, a regular smoker will
have nicotine or cotinine present in the body for about 3 to 4 days.
Nicotine produces pleasurable feelings that make the smoker
want to smoke more and also acts as a depressant by interfering with the flow of
information between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to nicotine, smokers tend to
increase the number of cigarettes they smoke, and hence the amount of nicotine in their
blood. After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance to the drug, which leads to an
increase in smoking over time. Eventually, the smoker reaches a certain nicotine level and
then smokes to maintain this level of nicotine.
More Excellent Quitting Smoking
Information
The Benefits of Quitting
| The Risks of Smoking
| Common Withdrawal
Symptoms | 599
Ingredients Found in Cigarettes
Excellent Lung Photographs
| Questions Answered About
Smoking | Quit
Smoking Articles | Effect
of Smoking on the Skin
|
