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  Quit Programme 1 A Hole in my Neck   Background Information: Is nicotine really very addictive? Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. It is found in all tobacco products such as cigarettes, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and cigars. When a user is addicted to nicotine they feel as if they need the substance to function normally. Nicotine reaches the brain in about 10 seconds. Immediate effects of nicotine The effect of nicotine on the brain and central nervous system immediately causes the following: increase in blood pressure; increase in heart rate; thickening of blood; narrowing of arteries; decrease in skin temperature; increase in respiration; stimulation of the central nervous system; vomiting and diarrhoea. Long-term effects of smoking As well as nicotine, smoke from tobacco also contains tar which is damaging to the mouth, throat and lungs, a range of harmful chemicals and several carcinogens. The long-term effects of smoking are: high blood pressure; blockage of blood vessels; depletion of the body’s stores of vitamin C; reduction in effectiveness of the immune system; cancer of the mouth, throat and lungs; cancer of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis and/or emphysema; stomach ulcers; weight loss; dryness and wrinkling of the skin; production of abnormal sperm in males. What are the immediate health effects on young smokers? Young people who smoke are from two to six times more susceptible to coughs and increased phlegm, wheeziness and shortness of breath than those who do not smoke. The earlier they start to smoke and the longer they persist in the habit the more likely they are to die prematurely as a result. A recent US survey found that smoking during teenage years causes permanent genetic changes in the lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer even if the smoker subsequently stops. Trends in smoking-related cancers
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