How to Quit Smoking – Affects of Nicotine
How to quit smoking? This is a difficult answer for most. Quitting smoking is a step by step process and you need to start from the basics. Tobacco contains an addictive substance called nicotine. When you smoke for a long amount of time, your body gets accustomed to a certain amount of nicotine in your bloodstream. Once this level drops below your threshold, your body goes into a “craving mode” and you will want to smoke another cigarette.
Nicotine affects the body in many ways and will fulfill many of your bodies needs. Smoking will calm you down when you feel angry. People can relieve chronic stress from work by smoking. Smoking also can relieve physical and emotional pain.
This is why some people gain weight when they quit smoking. When you feel angry, smoking can soothe you and calm you down. Smoking has even been known to relieve physical pain. Some people use food as a reward and some people use smoking to reward themselves for an achievement. From what we’ve talked about, smoking sounds like some sort of miracle cure.
The reason why you might feel all of these feeling are because nicotine can travel to your brain at a rapid rate. Even from one puff of smoke, you chemicals that are released into your blood stream will activate your brain to give you the effect that you want. However, there are harmful effects to smoking. Your heart is working harder, your blood pressure increase and your arteries constrict. Once you become dependent on this drug, you will smoke more and more to get the feeling that you desire.
Nicotine is so powerful that it controls lives. If you doubt that control, think about how you may have gone out in a snowstorm or torrential rain to get cigarettes because you were running out. Or maybe you continued to smoke when you had bronchitis so bad, you thought you would choke. Have you planned activities or travel around smoking? Maybe you chose a gambling vacation over a trip to visit museums and historical sites where smoking is not allowed.
Once you know how powerful nicotine is, your resolve to quit smoking can be just as powerful. If you decide to quit “cold turkey”, you may experience nicotine withdrawal. Research has shown that if you quit smoking completely and do not use nicotine replacement therapy, the nicotine will be excreted from your body within 72 hours. Many people deal with the nicotine withdrawal by keeping themselves busy, taking a drink of water, doing deep breathing – finding healthy alternatives to smoking.
Tags: health, How To Quit Smoking, Nicotine, quit smoking, Smoking, Smoking Addiction, Smoking Cessation, stop smoking, Stop Smoking Articles
