Smoking is at an all-time low in the US and many other countries, with only 11.5% of Americans regularly smoking cigarettes. Despite this, it remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for almost half a million fatalities each year. There's even evidence to suggest that smoking worsened the symptoms, hospitalizations, and death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic.
With record numbers of people opting to quit smoking, let's look at the bodily changes that take place after you stamp out that last cigarette.
Why Is Nicotine Addictive?
Nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, can reach the brain within ten seconds of taking a drag on a cigarette. It binds to receptors in the brain called nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are numerous in the reward pathway and stimulate the release of the feel-good hormone dopamine.
Long-term nicotine exposure boosts the number of acetylcholine receptors in the brain and requires an increasing amount of nicotine to get the same dopamine release, which is why nicotine is so addictive.
