Nicotine, derived from the tobacco plant, has about the same toxicity as cyanide.

Dependence on nicotine happens extremely quickly, with people under the age of 20 being the most susceptible to forming an addiction. The younger someone is when he or she starts smoking, the harder it is to quit.

According to a National Survey of Drug Use & Health, between 1990 and 2001, there was a 14 per cent increase in the rate of smoking initiation among people under the age of 18. One study showed that teens’ brains are more sensitive to the rewarding effects of nicotine than are the brains of older individuals, which indicates why smoking often begins in adolescence. As people grow older, they become more tolerant to the effects of nicotine – forcing them to increase their dosage in order to obtain the same effects. 

Biological effects of smoking

Why do people feel a certain way when they light up? The bodily effects that nicotine causes are part of the reason so many people become addicted. When people smoke:

Adrenaline is released into the body, causing a “rush”

Heart rate increases

Dopamine and serotonin (two hormones that give a sense of reward and happiness) are released in the brain

It affects the central nervous system functions such as arousal, mood and attention

Why do people feel the need to smoke so often?

Of all the drugs out there, nicotine is one of the fastest absorbed into the system and most quickly faded from the system. Just as it affects the brain quickly, levels of nicotine also decline very rapidly, therefore people reach for the pack often, in order to keep levels of nicotine up and avoid symptoms of withdrawal such as headache or irritability. 

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