Nicotine (Symptoms)

As any smoker can tell you, nicotine is a remarkably addictive drug; only about seven percent who try to quit smoking on their own last at least one year. Nicotine is among the most heavily used addictive drugs in the country, in spite of the long-known facts regarding smoking's potential to cause lung cancer and many other health problems.

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Inability to stop smoking after one or more serious efforts.
Experiencing strong withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, restlessness, headaches, difficulty concentrating, drowsiness, stomach upset.
Inability to stop, regardless of health problems.
Altering routine or plans in order to smoke. For example, avoiding certain restaurants or certain family or friends because you find it embarrassing or difficult to smoke in these situations.

Duration and amount of smoking habit impacts your degree of addiction.

Side effects

Nicotine is highly addictive. The ingestion of nicotine results in a discharge of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex, causing a sudden release of glucose. Stimulation is followed by depression and fatigue, leading the abuser to seek more nicotine.

In addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke is primarily composed of gases (mainly carbon monoxide) and tar. The tar in a cigarette leads to a high risk of emphysema, lung cancer and bronchial disorders. The carbon monoxide in the smoke increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases.

Next: Causes