What is nicotine?
Nicotine is a drug that makes cigarettes addictive. It can be made synthetically, but traditionally it comes from the tobacco plant.
What does nicotine do to your body?
Nicotine is the least harmful part of a cigarette when compared to the other substances found in them – like tar and carbon monoxide. Unlike other chemicals found in tobacco, nicotine itself hasn’t been linked to cancer.
However, nicotine will raise your blood pressure and heart rate, and can contribute to the hardening of arteries, which give you a higher risk of heart-related issues.
The main danger of nicotine is how addictive it is. It reaches the brain quickly, and releases dopamine, the chemical that is responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure.
When you smoke, you get used to this nice feeling and crave it when the nicotine wears off, leading to a cycle of smoking to get the ‘hit’.
How nicotine can help you quit
It might sound strange, but nicotine can actually help you quit. The reason you get cravings is because nicotine is highly addictive, and addictions are hard to break.
Using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a common way of quitting smoking. There are several different types, such as patches, gum, lozenges and sprays. They all contain nicotine, but none of the other dangerous components of cigarettes, so it’s a safer way to get your nicotine fix.
As you get used to life without cigarettes, NRT will help reduce your cravings, so you’ll be more able to resist the urge to smoke – and with the support of our expert Quit Coaches, you’ll soon find that you’re totally nicotine-free.
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