Smoking is addictive because of its main component, nicotine. Nicotine is a drug derived from the nightshade family of plants that acts as a stimulant, but also creates a quick addiction.
Effects of Nicotine
According to the National Health Service, nicotine alters the chemicals in a person's brain. Nicotine increases the production of the chemicals dopamine and noradrenaline by stimulating the brain areas that produce them. This produces a "nicotine rush," which happens soon after the first inhalation. Increased smoking habits increase the brain's dependence on the nicotine rush, which is why the addiction happens.
Science
Addiction affects the brain from the very first cigarette. The nicotine stimulates the brain's receptors and saturates them. According to Why Quit, after the first puff, "50 percent of our brain's dopamine pathway acetylcholine receptors would become occupied by nicotine...prior to finishing that first cigarette nicotine [saturates] almost all of them." These receptors then become desensitized and produce less dopamine, leading the brain to create more receptors. The smoker then smokes more to stimulate these new receptors and keep getting that nicotine rush.
Genetics
Genetics can increase the likelihood of a person's reliance on nicotine and smoking. A study by Nature Genetics looked over the DNA of over 140,000 smokers and non-smokers, and found that variations on a few specific genes made some people more likely to start smoking, and more likely to be addicted to nicotine for longer. These genes also contribute to a higher risk of lung cancer.
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