Why Is Nicotine So Addictive?
The latest research into nicotine addiction is leading to an improved understanding of the effects and working mechanism of the drug on the body, even indicating a genetic predisposition to becoming addicted to cigarettes.
Advanced neuro- imaging techniques assist researchers by allowing them to observe specific changes in the brain.
The hope is that these findings will allow the development of new and effective smoking cessation treatments.
When a person smokes a cigarette they ingest around 1 to 2mg of nicotine, after inhalation the smoker receives an initial “high” due to stimulation of the adrenal glands. This causes a rush of adrenaline which stimulates the body, this in turn causes a release of glucose, an increase in blood pressure as well as breathing rate and heart rate.
The calming effect of nicotine that smokers report is a response to the loss of withdrawal symptoms rather than the drug itself.
It seem that the effect of nicotine on the brain is to activate parts of the brain that regulate feelings of pleasure, increasing the levels of the chemical, dopamine, also associated with sensations of physical reward.
Research also indicates that certain other chemicals in tobacco smoke reinforce the nicotine effect.
An enzyme called monoamine oxidase which helps break down dopamine is less effective when smoking causing the dopamine effect to last longer.
Another chemical acetaldehyde seem to chemically enhance the effect of nicotine
The addictive nature of nicotine comes from the fact that these pleasurable effects are short lived, causing the smoker to desire more of the drug to obtain the pleasure reward, so driving them back to tobacco use.
The other addictive aspect of smoking for some people is the “ritual” of smoking. The purchase, the handling, the lighting and smoking of a cigarette all add to its habit forming nature.
An improved understanding of nicotine addiction, as well as how it works, will lead to advanced treatments in the future. These will add to existing forms of treatment such as behavioural techniques (changing thoughts and attitudes to smoking) and existing nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gum. A combination of these strategies can help prevent cravings and the urge to smoke.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Peter Ward
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