We have seen that cigarettes are a killer and teens, adults and college goers commonly develop a nicotine addiction.
Smoking cigarettes is used to show how cool and relaxed a person you are. Cigarettes have a high amount of nicotine. Nicotine addiction is very common with those going to college, young adults and even teens. Many smoke cigarettes to ward off tension and emotional stress. They feel it is the only long-term solution to fight tension and stress.
Nicotine is derived from the tobacco leaves and is very poisonous. Very small doses of concentrated nicotine can kill a person instantly. It only takes seconds to travel to the brain. Smoking cigarettes is the easiest way to develop a nicotine addiction. When a smoker inhales the nicotine in the cigarettes, they release dopamine and they get an amazing feeling of being on top of the world. Dopamine increases the mood, soothes the mind and gives a very pleasing effect.
It is very difficult to give up nicotine addiction. Only 6% of people are successful. Because of the pleasure nicotine gives, it makes people crave it more and more.
Nicotine addiction can be given up through rehabilitation but it does not work unless the addict really puts in hard effort, and is determined. It is a very challenging process and affects the person emotionally.
Getting out from nicotine addiction can be made easier by diverting the mind to other activities like meditation and yoga. It takes a lot of patience to get rid of the changes that nicotine has made within the brain. Withdrawals can be harsh for the initial three or four days. To help get out from Nicotine addiction one needs strong support from their family and loved ones.
One has to make a strong commitment even before looking at rehabilitation because without a strong will it is impossible to quit smoking. Some of the bad effects of cigarette smoking are heart attacks, cancers and other problems related to the respiratory system. People who smoke cigarettes have darkened lips, and get skin problems.
Are you or a loved one struggling with nicotine addiction?
Call 424.229.4179 to speak with an admissions counselor.
A Student on Nicotine Addiction and Cigarette Smoking
The story below was written by one Sober College student about their experience with cigarette and nicotine addiction and it’s consequences.
“Cigarette smoking is very common for young adults. About 40 percent of young adults and college students smoke and cigarette addiction is thriving for these young adults. Every day almost 3000 teens become regular smokers and have to face nicotine addiction. Teen smoking can seem like a good thing to do when you are an adolescent to fit in at school or to try to look cool but in reality, it causes many health risks and is not cool when you get older. Packs of cigarettes share with the smoker on the side of the box a few of the dangers of smoking but there many other dangerous facts about smoking.
“Smoking cigarettes is clearly bad for you but here are some things that you may not have known about smoking. It is not pure tobacco that you are smoking. There are 4000 different chemicals in a cigarette and some of them are extremely toxic. There are 43 carcinogenic chemicals in cigarettes that are known to cause cancer and 400 other chemicals that can be found in rat poison, nail polish remover, and different types of wood furnish. Smoking causes 90 percent of lung cancer, and 30 percent of death from cancer are due to smoking. Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer caused by smoking but you can also get cancer of the mouth, bladder, kidney, stomach, esophagus, larynx, and pancreas. Some other diseases that can be caused by smoking are emphysema, and bronchitis and 75 percent of fatalities from these diseases are due to smoking. The average smoker lives fifteen to twenty years less than the average non-smoker, which is unbelievably upsetting if you care at all about your life!
“Smoking facts include that second hand smoke is also bad for the people around you. Your spouse and especially your children can be affected by the chemicals in cigarette smoke and are at risk of the same diseases of emphysema and bronchitis. There are some effective ways to get out of your smoking addiction though. Quitting cold turkey is one of the most common ways to stop but it can be very hard. Some smokers can stop by cutting down the amount of cigarettes per day. A lot of people these days use stop smoking medicine like Chantix or Champix. Another great way to quit is by doing nicotine replacement therapy like nicotine gum, the patch, or similar products. Sel
f help books work for some people and therapy works for others. I have been a smoker since I was twelve years old and have struggled with this addiction. I don’t enjoy smoking anymore and it is annoying to have to go out for a smoke break every hour. I have been able to successfully quit before by cutting down the amount of cigarettes I smoked per day and then using the patch to wean off of the nicotine. This has been the best solution for me to stop smoking. I hope you now understand how people get addicted to cigarettes, some more facts about smoking, and some good ways to help you quit.”
By Zach P.