An Introduction to Nicotine Addiction
Do you know what one of the world’s most poisonous natural substances is? Is it snake venom? Strychnine? No, it is nicotine. In its naturally occurring state it is meant as a defense mechanism to prevent insects from eating and destroying the plant, but when properly prepared and added into the tobacco of a cigarette it becomes one of the most addictive substances too.
This is the reason that someone who is trying to quit smoking is going to have such a tough time in achieving their goals. Not only will they have to manage the urges that are created by any addictive substance, but they will also have to cope with the many side effects and pressures of a stop smoking program too. Consider that irritability, moodiness, fatigue and extremes of hunger are all part of the process too.
It takes around seventy-two hours for the blood to become entirely nicotine-free and to excrete around ninety percent of its metabolites. This means that the first few days of a smoking cessation program will be the most intense, but after the nicotine has left the body the brain is once again in complete control of emotions and responses that will help overcome the urges to smoke again.
Unfortunately, this too is an incredibly crucial time as well because even a single lapse, or the well-known “just one cigarette can’t hurt” approach, will return the brain back to a fifty percent nicotine-locked status. This means that the smoker is forced back almost half the distance that they have already come and will be managing the clearance of nicotine out of the body for the next day or so.
Though there are many nicotine replacement therapies and programs, one of the strongest methods for ensuring that no smoking occurs is to constantly remember the immediate benefits of staying cigarette free. For one thing, the half-life of nicotine declines every two hours, which means that if someone can endure those first three days without any nicotine substitutes or cigarettes they will have completed the worst part of the process and completely weaned themselves off the powerful drug.
The smoker must also remember that their body begins to change for the better with every hour free of tobacco and nicotine use as well. The blood pressure and heart rate drop down within twenty minutes after the last puff on a cigarette, and after only twelve hours the blood is much more oxygenated, meaning that thinking is clearer and stronger too. When the brain is clearer, it is much more likely that nicotine addiction can be overcome and permanently eliminated.
