When you smoke, your body produces a steroid to reduce the effects of the nicotine. Then, you have to smoke more to get the same high. Your tolerance goes up and you become dependent on the drug. Addiction to nicotine results in withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop smoking. A study found that when chronic smokers were deprived of cigarettes for 24 hours, they had increased anger, hostility, and aggression, and loss of social cooperation.
Persons suffering from withdrawal also take longer to regain emotional equilibrium following stress.
The effects of nicotine escalate lung and heart disorders. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema are common diseases among cigarette smokers, and are 10 times more likely to occur in smokers than in nonsmokers. The most serious effects of smoking are lung cancer and stroke . Cancer of the esophagus, mouth, lips, and larynx are also associated with cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking. Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes increase their risk of having a miscarriage, a stillborn or premature infant, or an infant with low birth weight.