Effects of Nicotine

When you smoke a cigarette or chew tobacco, how does nicotine affect your body?

• Nicotine (the addictive substance in tobacco) travels through the body in the bloodstream, headed straight for the brain.
• The brain gets a hit of nicotine about 10–15 seconds later.
• The nicotine boosts the “reward center” of the brain, causing a pleasant, happy feeling.
• Adrenaline is released, which makes the heart rate and blood pressure increase and makes breathing rapid and shallow. Over time, these effects can damage your heart, arteries, and lungs, increasing the risk for heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.
• And we’ll be honest with you. Nicotine can increase the amount of calories that you burn, which is why some people say it helps them keep their weight down. But it is a very unhealthy way to burn calories. Any “plus” in terms of weight loss is cancelled out by the damage to the body from smoking or chewing tobacco.

What are the effects of nicotine addiction?

If you’re concerned about gaining weight after you quit smoking or chewing, work out more and try to lose between 8 and 10 pounds before you quit. It will help lower your bad cholesterol, too.

Over time, nicotine changes the way certain brain cells work. When nicotine use is stopped, the changes remain. As a result, the body cannot work in the same way it did when it had a regular supply of nicotine. For about a month, until the brain readjusts, the former nicotine user may crave nicotine or feel irritable, anxious, or depressed. But don’t worry. After some time, these feelings and cravings will go away. Tough it out, use your coping strategies, and you will succeed.