Most tobacco products contain a substance called nicotine as their main psychoactive ingredient. Nicotine causes addiction as it releases chemicals like dopamine which stimulates the brain in ways where a person feels happy. This leaves us wondering, Is nicotine a depressant? Let us find out.
Chewing tobacco and Cigarette smoking is not illegal yet and that is why so many American citizens and people across the world have easy access to nicotine addiction. It is considered one of the most addictive drugs in the US.
1. Is Nicotine a Depressant?
Nicotine can be both a stimulant and a depressant depending upon the level of intake by different people. Stimulant provides short-term energy, boosting awareness and alert behavior like cocaine and coffee, and smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco results in the release of beta-endorphin or pain-inhibiting hormone that gives a feeling of being high temporarily. Upon consumption of smoke, it gets rapidly dissolved in the bloodstream and affects the brain in less than a minute.
2. Where Does Nicotine Originate From?
Tobacco is derived from the tobacco plant Genus Nicotiana. Hence the word “Nicotine”. It is mostly produced in South Asian countries where the leaves are collected and fermented before manufacturing. Some of the common forms where tobacco is available are
- Hookah (water pipe)
- Chillam (Clay pipe)
- Cigarettes
- Gutkha, Kheni
- Wet and dry snuff
3. Short-Term Effects of Nicotine
As nicotine intake directly affects the central nervous system, it can give you a short-term feeling of euphoria suppressing logical thinking and attentiveness. It helps in elevating mood and suppressing appetite temporarily by releasing dopamine.
Cigarettes mostly are popular among high school students who choose to smoke their first cigarette as soon as they turn adults or even before at times. The main reason is the production of happy hormones. However, they remarkably increase stress among individuals as well.
Ingesting nicotine in various forms like e-cigarettes and joints can lead to the abrupt destruction of brain receptors. As dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain, overuse of tobacco products leads to fewer brain receptors among teens.
The airway of the lungs gets blocked and causes a cough. Especially in a person with asthma, it can restrict the airway causing an asthma attack. Long-term consequences affect the respiratory system.
Nicotine can lead to increased phlegm production in the lungs which is a thick viscous substance produced by the mucus lining of the lungs during a cough or cold. Each time you smoke cigarettes, it blocks the toxin-eliminating part of the body and leads to more mucus production
4. What Causes Nicotine Addiction?
Cigarettes often come with packaging that has warning signs on them. We have also seen these small clips of smoking being injurious to health displayed before a cinema. Despite all the warnings, people still continue to smoke cigarettes. This is because of a strong nicotine dependence without which smokers find it difficult to function throughout the day. Without nicotine, they feel unpleasant physical changes along with symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Have a look at the few common symptoms below:
- The intense urge to take nicotine products to feel a sense of satisfaction. Being unable to quit smoking even after a few serious attempts.
- A day without smoking leads to irritation, anxiety, stronger hunger pangs, restlessness, anger, insomnia, depression, and difficulty concentrating. These are also referred to as nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
- You neglect your health problems prioritize smoking on a daily basis and have turned into a chain smoker.
- You consume multiple forms of tobacco products like e-cigarettes or vapes, pipe smoking, gutkha, and hookah.
- You try to avoid social events that don’t approve of cigarette smokers like family events.
5. Long-Term Effects of Nicotine Addiction
Excessive tobacco use and nicotine dependence can have long-term health effects like damaging the cardiovascular system, and soot deposition in the lungs affecting alveoli which leads to chronic bronchitis. Long-term tobacco use deliver nicotine to the brain which affects neuroreceptors and decreases memory. You might feel lethargic throughout the day and tend to forget things due to slow reaction time.
A regular tobacco consumer has a high chance of acquiring cancer and early death compared to a rare consumer according to the National Institute of Health(NIH). Some common types of cancers include laryngeal, esophageal, kidney, and liver cancer. He or she may also acquire long-term mental health problems like anxiety and strongly depend on nicotine addiction to stay calm and happy. Not only that but cigarette smoke can also lead to pulmonary failure, heart stroke, increase in cholesterol levels.
6. Withdrawal Symptoms and How to Cope with It
Nicotine can act as both a stimulant and a depressant depending on the amount of intake.
- If you feel a sense of alertness or activeness after smoking, you can replace your routine with drinking caffeine or tea which basically produces the same effect without harming you.
- Insomnia can also be cured in a similar way by avoiding smoking and trying to replace it with healthy foods like drinking milk instead. Turn off your phone and electronic devices an hour prior to sleep to avoid triggers of anxiety related to work or overusing social networking apps.
- If you feel depressed you can overcome that by planning your day, exercising regularly, and trying to eat healthy throughout the day. You can also reward yourself with nicotine gums or snacks which will help you gain strength over your own disability.
6.1. Symptoms in Women
Smoking cigarettes leads to rapid aging and greying in women by the age of 40 or even before. Women are at increased risk of contracting breast cancer as well. You might see wrinkles all over your face and have bad breath (halitosis). Women with anxiety and depression are found to smoke more often ultimately worsening their memory and anxiety. As a menstruating woman, you might often experience sudden shifts or delays in your cycles or not bleeding enough during your menses. This might lead to polycystic ovarian syndrome in worse cases.
- It increases the risk of infertility among women or leads to ectopic pregnancy later. Preterm delivery, Low birth weight, and SIDS infant death syndrome are some of the reproductive effects.
- Women who smoke have postmenopausal symptoms way earlier than nonsmokers. Not only that but it also makes your bones weak increasing the risk of hip fracture and lower bone density once you get old.
- If any of your family members are into smoking tobacco products, you might unknowingly become a secondhand or passive smoker in such case which is as worse as being an active smoker.
Conclusion
Seeking nicotine replacement therapy is the best way one can possibly save themselves from this vicious cycle of death. Nicotine gums, sprays, and inhalers provide enough nicotine to a person throughout the course to prevent him from relapse and withdrawal symptoms, therefore, helping them to break the cycle and increasing the chances of them quitting smoking.
Another drug that helps overcome this addictive nature of smokers is the antidepressant bupropion (Zyban), approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These medications are potentially proven to cure the physical dependence on nicotine among smokers.
Cognitive behavioral therapy helps with the identification of triggers leading to cigarette use. For example, you may prefer to smoke in stressful situations to help you calm down. If all these treatments don’t help you break your cycle and you’re falling sick, you must visit a health counselor or doctor who will carefully plan your treatment regime and increase your chances of success
FAQs
1. What are smokeless tobacco products?
These products require you to place the non-combusted tobacco between your cheek, gum, or lip. The two most popular smokeless tobacco marketed in the United States include dry snuff and chewing tobacco in the form of leaves or twigs. Smokeless doesn’t mean that it is less addictive or less harmful than smoked ones.
2. Why do depressed people smoke?
Nicotine has some antidepressant properties which help them to cope with depression temporarily making them think they can self-medicate or treat their condition. In most cases, nicotine addiction worsens depression
3. Can smoking cause grey hair in young women?
Yes, tobacco and nicotine present in cigarettes tend to constrict the blood vessels resulting in lesser blood flow to the hair follicles causing hair fall and premature greying of hair.
4. What is the best medication to help nicotine addicts?
A team of trained professionals crafts at Phoenix Rising offers a long-lasting treatment plan specially designed according to individual needs. Treatment for nicotine addiction involves one or more of the following programs: Cognitive behavioral therapy, Dialectical behavior therapy, Family therapy, Group therapy, and Partial hospitalization programs targeting addicts of vapes, drugs, and nicotine who find it impossible to quit smoking.
Lastly, I would like to mention that if you don’t feel like quitting for yourself, you should think of your future generations, the people around you, or your loved ones whom you care about. Giving up tobacco can be the best favor you can do for yourself and your friends as it will help you lead a better, happy, and healthy disease-free life.
