Surveys indicate that 1.3 million nicotine users manage to quit each year. With our recovery program of mutual support, we have found a way to live nicotine-free, one day at a time. When inhaled, nicotine gets to a person s brain in seven seconds, twice as fast as intravenous drugs. Nicotine affects the brain and central nervous system. It changes the level of neurotransmitters and chemicals that regulate mood, learning, alertness, and ability to concentrate.
Nicotine increases the heart rate, but it constricts the blood vessels, which reduces circulation.
Nicotine can act like a stimulant or a sedative, depending on the level of nicotine in the body and time of day. Smoking also causes the release of endorphins, which create a tranquilizing effect. A tolerance for nicotine begins to develop with the first dose. Therefore, the level of use must increase to maintain its effects and to prevent withdrawal symptoms. However, one of nicotine s baffling qualities is that its grip is not the same on everyone.