Smokers get hooked on the taste, smell and feel of cigarettes. Also, they link smoking with many activities. Some people like to smoke when they are talking on the telephone with friends or when they are having a cup of coffee after dinner. Other people like to smoke at parties or when they are relaxing at home. The combination of nicotine addiction and these kinds of strong mental links makes smoking a tough habit to break.
Nicotine works on the brain and other parts of the nervous system.
While a person is smoking, nicotine reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body directly through the veins. When smokers breathe in smoke, they draw nicotine into their lungs. Then, their bloodstream picks it up and it is quickly pumped by the heart right to the brain. Within just seven seconds the nicotine reaches the brain. Some nicotine goes to other parts of the body.