That nicotine is a serious drug, is accepted by most people rather unfaithful. Since it is a legal drug, the substance is lost the danger.
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- What is nicotine?
- Psychic dependence
- Physical dependence
- Symptoms of dependency
- Who is affected?
- death rate
- Why does nicotine matter so quickly?
- Criteria for a nicotine addiction
- therapy
For this very reason, this addictive substance should be explained in more detail.
What is nicotine?
Nicotine or nicotine is a natural alkaloid found in the tobacco plant with a content of 5%. It is a herbal nitrogen compound that affects the nerves and brain .
Dependence can occur through any form of consumption (cigarette, cigar, pipe, snuffing tobacco). Most of humanity develops an addiction to smoking.
The active ingredient can make both mentally and physically dependent.
Psychic dependence
A psychological dependence arises when the consumer associates positive events with the intake of nicotine. Here, the reward system plays a major role in the brain. It provides an inner peace and contentment that always wants to be evoked.
Physical dependence
In the case of physical dependence, symptoms often appear only during withdrawal. This can result from moodiness, sweats and anxiety attacks .
Symptoms of a dependence
If one withdraws the nicotine from an addict, the symptoms of withdrawal can appear after a short time, which are usually noticeable by inner restlessness, irritability, mood swings, difficulty concentrating, anxiety and insomnia .
Who is affected?
In Germany, nearly 20 million people smoke regularly. A large part of this depends. The percentage of male addicts (33%) is higher than that of females (27%). The highest proportion of nicotine addicts is in the age group of 18-29.
death rate
In Germany alone , around 120, 000 people die each year as a result of smoking, of which approximately 30% are cancer patients.
Why does nicotine make you dependent so quickly?
Above all, nicotine is characterized by the fact that it can overcome the so-called blood-brain barrier. As a result, the substance from the lungs very quickly into the bloodstream and thus reaches the brain. Once there, it can, because of its very similar structure of a body's messenger substance, simply dock to certain areas and thereby causes the release of dopamine (happiness hormone), serotonin (responsible for emotional processes) and endorphin (analgesic).
This in turn causes the blood pressure to rise, the heart beats faster, the body temperature drops and the blood circulation is reduced.
After a relatively short time, the content of nicotine in the brain decreases and the reward center wants more of this substance. This leads to a search cycle.
When does the danger of addiction increase?
Starting from a quantity of 6 cigarettes a day the danger of developing an addiction is given.
Criteria for a nicotine addiction
Increasingly more nicotine is needed to achieve the effect, in the absence of the substance occur withdrawal symptoms, the urge to smoke is enormous, by smoking other activities are neglected.
therapy
A nicotine addiction can be treated in different ways. To relieve the symptoms of withdrawal, nicotine patches can be used to outsmart your head, you can use e-cigarettes, go to hypnotherapy or buy herbal cigarettes.
