Monday, April 29, 2013

How Nicotine Works

How Nicotine Works


The Basics


Nicotine is a naturally occurring chemical most commonly associated with various forms of tobacco. Nicotine is similar in both chemical makeup and effect to caffeine in that it can both positively and negatively affect a person's body. A standard cigarette can contain anywhere from eight milligrams to twenty milligrams of nicotine, though while smoking an entire cigarette a person only actually absorbs about one milligram into their body at a given time.


Entering the Body


The vast majority of people get nicotine into their bodies by smoking cigarettes. Once cigarette smoke containing nicotine is inhaled into a person's lungs, it enters their bloodstream and travels to their brain. Once in the brain it is processed out to various other parts of the body, where it has different effects. The whole process takes about ten to fifteen seconds to complete. Nicotine also leaves the body after around an hour. This explains why certain people smoke so often--the positive effects yielded by nicotine entering the body wear off rather quickly.


Effects


When nicotine enters a person's body it literally changes the way both the body and the brain operate. Nicotine can cause a person to become relaxed and calm, but it also causes the body to release adrenaline. These two distinct reactions are contradictory to the way the body normally works and can cause a person to feel anxiety as well as other effects. This can cause you to experience shortness of breath, high blood pressure and even an increased heart beat.









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