Perhaps you’ve avoided succumbing to peer pressure when you were younger and are fortunate enough to have never drunk alcohol excessively and are someone who has never smoked? Alternatively, maybe you have no immediate plans to stop smoking, but are interested in the effects that nicotine has on your body?

In either case, here are some important facts about nicotine, and why it can be addictive to the point of being incredibly hard to move away from.

Nicotine: A Brief History

Nicotine as a consumable substance has been around for hundreds of years, with native people in South America being the first people to use the leaves of the plants to smoke and chew, as well as utilising tobacco in spiritual practices, too.

There’s a plethora of negative practices associated with the cigarette and cigar industry, both here in the UK and the USA, including the unethical use of racial profiling to target different types of cigarettes, as well as the promotion of tobacco in general.

Nicotine: Effects on the Brain

Obviously, the primary way that people bring nicotine into their body is by smoking either cigars or cigarettes, or in the form of e-liquid in vape pens and other vaping devices.

Many people report the sensation of feeling calmer and more relaxed after taking in nicotine, and as the substance enters the body, research studies have proven the heightened release of endorphins.

If you’re already a vaper, or else you’re looking to move away from smoking cigarettes, then take a look into the various options in disposable vapes. Elfbar vapes are an excellent example of high-quality, yet affordable, disposable vapes in a huge range of flavours, and are definitely the best place to start.

Nicotine: Side Effects

As in the case of any addictive substance, there are a number of side effects from nicotine, all of which can affect a variety of different bodily systems, including the following:

• Heightened blood pressure
• Diarrhoea
• Dry mouth
• Heartburn and indigestion
• Light-headedness and dizziness
• Changes to heart rate & rhythm

If you’re experiencing some unusual symptoms in your quest to rid your body of nicotine, then it’s always best to make an appointment with your GP, just to be sure.

Nicotine: Withdrawal

As previously touched upon, an addictive substance such as nicotine has a multitude of effects on the human body, some of which are detectable instantly and others that only happen ‘behind the scenes’.

When you quit smoking, reduce the number of cigarettes you have on an average day, or reduce the strength of your e-liquid, you’ll have mild, moderate or even strong urges to smoke, as your body is missing the habit that you’ve developed.

It’s common for those who are reducing their core nicotine intake to also feel irritated or even angry, lashing out at the people around them and generally feeling upset, as well being restless, especially when trying to get to sleep at night.

Other nicotine withdrawal signs and symptoms include an inability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand, insomnia or frequently interrupted sleep, and weight gain, with the latter simply due to many replacing smoking with eating.