A nicotine addiction can have serious implications for your physical, mental and social wellbeing. Most people are aware of the serious health conditions associated with smoking, yet millions of people around the world continue to smoke. Smoking is directly linked to five million deaths around the world each year.
What is nicotine?
Nicotine, a substance from the tobacco plant, is the addictive component of a cigarette or cigar. Each cigarette contains approximately 10 milligrams of nicotine but the smoker only inhales around 1 or 2 milligrams; even this small amount is enough to get somebody hooked on smoking. Cigarettes are filled with thousands of harmful chemicals, including tar and carbon monoxide, as well as nicotine.
Inhaling nicotine causes changes in the brain and the rest of the body – nicotine increases blood pressure, raises the heart rate and affects breathing.
How does smoking affect health?
Smoking is extremely damaging to the body and prolonged smoking poses serious risks to health. Smoking has been directly linked to the following illnesses and conditions:
- Several forms of cancer, including liver, lung, stomach, cervical, bladder and oral cancer and leukaemia
- Respiratory illnesses, including asthma, chronic bronchitis and asthma
- Pneumonia
- Cataracts
- Gum disease and poor oral health
- Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
- Poor circulation
- Brittle bones
- Decreased fertility
Why should I give up smoking?
Giving up smoking will have instantaneous positive effects on your body. Your lungs will start to clear after a very short period of time and your breathing and circulation will improve. Your chance of having a heart attack will also be halved after a year of going smoke-free.
Giving up smoking will not only benefit your health, but it will also make a difference to your physical appearance. Your skin will look brighter and more youthful and your teeth and nails will look lighter. Giving up will save you a lot of money; if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you could save more than £2000 per year.
Support for giving up smoking and dealing with nicotine addiction
If you have a nicotine addiction you may suffer withdrawal symptoms which are hard to deal with if you give up very quickly. As a consequence you will probably be advised to give up gradually and use nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches, sprays and chewing gum. These products allow the patient to get nicotine without having to take in all the other harmful substances contained in cigarettes and cigars.
If you want to give up smoking and deal with your addiction, arrange to see your GP. They will assess your condition and the nature of your addiction by asking you a series of questions about your smoking habits and then suggest a suitable course of treatment. The NHS holds local support groups to help people give up smoking and nicotine therapy, which includes patches and gum, is also available on the NHS; you can also buy lozenges and chewing gum over the counter.
If you have a serious addiction you may be advised to undergo a course of counselling or behavioural therapy. This will help to determine the reasons behind your addiction and find ways to help you cope in the future without smoking.
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