What do you think is the most used addictive drug in the United States? If you answered nicotine you would be correct. It is both physically and psychologically addictive. After a person lights up and inhales it takes nicotine seven seconds to reach the brain. The nicotine level peaks within 30 minutes and then when the nicotine level begins to drop a craving occurs. If a person smokes a pack a day they will get 200 doses of nicotine each day and 73,000 doses of the substance per year. Nicotine accumulates and remains in the bloodstream unless a person quits, when the levels will begin to drop. Nicotine both stimulates and then depresses bodily functions, which is why people that smoke report that smoking keeps them alert and relaxes them. In 1988 C. Everett Koop, the then US surgeon general, announced that nicotine, the drug in tobacco products, was addictive and a major cause of strokes and was the largest cause of preventable death in the county. Since then we have learned more and more about the addiction caused by nicotine and the many ways that smoking harms us and those that are exposed to second hand smoke.
The physical dangers of smoking include:
*A shorter life span. On average, smokers take seven years off their lives
*The quality of life is decreased
*Exposure to 4,000 chemicals with 60 known carcinogens found in cigarette smoke
*Short-term effects of nicotine include sweating, throat irritation, and increased heart rate and
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