9781422272299

cocaine.) A person who takes nicotine into their body, whether it is through smoking, chewing, vaping, or other means, will experience a very brief “high” that often includes increased focus, higher energy, and a momentary feeling of pleasure. However, nicotine has a very short half-life , which means that its effects typically disappear a few seconds after a person ingests the drug. As a result, the nicotine user must take another hit to bring more nicotine into their body. This short reaction time also makes many smokers light another cigarette minutes after their last, or draw on their electronic vapor devices to continually receive a nicotine jolt throughout their day. Nicotine effectively hijacks the brain, making a person crave more of the drug and creating an addiction. Nicotine works by activating various hormone receptors in the brain and triggering a brief burst of endorphins in the bloodstream. The body produces these chemicals naturally for pain management or to produce pleasurable feelings in the body. However, drugs like nicotine artificially increase the level of endorphins released, which can make the brain quickly come to depend on that substance. Studies have found that there are specific areas of the brain that are more heavily affected by nicotine, resulting in addiction when exposure is persistent or high enough. In one study of laboratory mice, Patrick Zickler reported, “The results with knock-out mice suggested that α 4 sites on brain cells are necessary for development of nicotine addiction, but didn’t address the question of whether the sites are sufficient by themselves to initiate the behaviors associated with addiction.” The study found that the rate at which addiction occurred varied. Some mice never became addicted to nicotine, while others developed very quick dependencies that resulted in rapid and severe withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal often occurs when a person stops taking any addictive substance. The symptoms are the body’s physical reaction to the lack of a substance that it has become dependent upon. Nicotine

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How Nicotine Impacts the Body and Mind