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6. When a person stops smoking for a while, the levels of nicotine decrease but the levels of acetylcholine remain high. This causes a sudden imbalance that is manifested by a withdrawal syndrome.
7. The withdrawal syndrome is characterized by the following symptoms:
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• Decrease in heart rate
• Decreased blood pressure
• Increased irritability
• Nervousness
• Headaches
• Gastrointestinal disturbances
• Electro-encephalogram changes
• Decreased ability to concentrate.
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It's the perfect trap! You smoke initially in order to get the pleasurable effect, but eventually you smoke just to remain normal.
The good news!
It takes about two weeks to adjust the activity of the cholinergic system. Within these two weeks, a withdrawal will occur, and you will experience some or all symptoms described above. However, after two weeks, the brain activity returns to normal, withdrawal symptoms cease altogether, and the physical dependency is terminated.
By now we trust that you understand how insidious your addiction is. You smoke because your brain needs nicotine to function normally.
The half-life of nicotine is not long. When its effect weakens, you receive a bodily signal - a mild sign of withdrawal. These stimuli are usually completely unnoticed and you just automatically and absentmindedly reach for your cigarettes in your pocket or bag. If you refrain from smoking for a longer period, however, you will sense a greater withdrawal effect. You'll become nervous and start stressing out, but once you light up a cigarette the stress will disappear immediately. You instantly feel a sense of relief - you relax and feel much better. It is in this way that you maintain your addiction.
The trap of nicotine addiction is quite simple yet, in other ways, incredibly sophisticated. The satisfaction of smoking and the sensation of stress relief are absolutely pathetic if you consider that smoking itself caused the dissatisfaction and the stress to begin with. | |
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