Young Booze Busters

Nicotine

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. It is more addictive than cocaine or heroin, and it is nicotine that gets people hooked on smoking.

Nicotine gives people a ‘hit’, but this feeling doesn’t last long. Soon people crave their next cigarette. They are likely to get into the habit of smoking and put themselves at risk of many smoking-related diseases. People can become irritable until they get their next cigarette.

Like many drugs, it is difficult to give up nicotine once you are addicted. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), support groups and willpower are just some of the ways people try to stop smoking.

More recently, many people use Electronic Cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to help them cut down or stop smoking. At the moment, there is very little research to show how well these work.

Did you know it takes only 7 seconds for nicotine to reach the brain?