Tobacco (nicotine)

Nicotine stimulates the release of numerous neurotransmitters and hormones, including acetylcholine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, arginine vasopressin, serotonin, dopamine, and β-endorphin, which are responsible for most of its psychoactive effects.

Nicotine has a stimulating effect (and increases concentration), and at higher doses it also has a calming and muscle-relaxing effect; it reduces feelings of hunger, anxiety, and aggression, and can produce mild euphoria.

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Onset of action
Nicotine is released immediately when the cigarette is lit. Nicotine, bound to tar particles, first enters the lungs and from there into the blood. After 7 to 60 seconds, the nicotine molecules reach the brain.

‍Duration of action
10-30 minutes

‍Modesof use
Tobacco is mostly smoked, less frequently snorted or chewed. Nicotine is vaporized in e-cigarettes. Do not eat tobacco / nicotine under any circumstances!

‍Appearances
Tobacco (cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco (snus), tobacco heaters (IQOS)). Synthetic: liquid for e-cigarettes (mostly as cartridge).

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Individual and dependent on the form of consumption; 0.2-2 mg nicotine. The lethal nicotine dose for adults is about 60 mg, for children and adolescents much lower.

Acceleration of the heartbeat, constriction of peripheral blood vessels, reduction of the amount of oxygen in the blood. When smoked as tobacco: headache, impairment of sense of smell and taste. With regular use: increase in blood pressure and heart rate, increased release of adrenaline and increased activity of the gastrointestinal tract, appetite suppression. Most with first or infrequent use: lowered body temperature, nausea and/or vomiting, and dizziness.

Long-term risks
Both the accompanying substances of tobacco smoke and the combustion process are mainly responsible for the known health consequences of smoking - including an increased risk of heart and lung diseases (asthma, chronic bronchitis, COPD, heart attack, stroke, thrombosis, lung cancer), damage to the stomach lining (risk of stomach ulcers).

Nicotine is one of the substances with the highest potential for dependence, with physical and psychological symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include depression, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and (in the long term with abstinence) weight gain.

Taking medication (e.g. birth control pills) in combination with high tobacco consumption impairs blood circulation (risk of thrombosis!).

E-cigarettes
‍Ine-cigarettes, liquid nicotine is vaporized together with other excipients. This is significantly less harmful than cigarette smoking. However, the long-term risks are largely unknown; the vapor of certain e-cigarettes contains carcinogens (aldehydes). Regular consumption of e-cigarettes containing nicotine leads to nicotine dependence, as with cigarettes.

‍Waterpipe, Shisha
Any use of tobacco brings health risks, not only smoking cigarettes. Water pipe smoking can also be addictive and harmful to health.
It has not been clearly proven how harmful smoking a hookah is. The water in a hookah cools and flavors the smoke, but does not filter out the pollutants. As a result, virtually all pollutants remain and are inhaled. Therefore, there are probably the same risks associated with smoking hookahs as there are with smoking cigarettes. Through various additives (flavors, etc.), these can possibly even be amplified.

• Tobacco is a legal, freely available and socially accepted drug. However, this does not mean that this psychoactive substance is low-risk and harmless to health.

• With e-cigarettes or vaporizers (vaporisers), there are ways to consume tobacco with less risk.

• Nicotine is easily absorbed through all mucous membranes of the body. There are therefore lower-risk products such as snuff, chewing tobacco or nicotine gum.

• If you shoot yourself, make sure you use good filtering methods.

• For people with cardiovascular problems, risk of heart attack, lung and respiratory problems (asthma, bronchitis), it is recommended not to consume tobacco or to consume only small amounts.

• Women who use hormonal contraception run an increased risk of circulatory disorders, thromboses, varicose veins and thus heart attacks, strokes or pulmonary embolisms (blockage of blood vessels in the lungs) when they use tobacco. Women over 30 are particularly at risk.

• Smoking during pregnancy is generally not advisable, as the toxins in tobacco smoke enter the bloodstream of the foetus via the placenta.

• Always press out your cigarettes well. There is a risk of fire!

• Do not eat tobacco. If tobacco or tobacco dissolved in water is accidentally swallowed (especially by children), an emergency call should be made immediately. There is a danger to life!