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Smoking and Brain Chemistry


16 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks for the bump! Danielle _____________________ The SSC Support Team
16 years ago 0 1040 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Why we quit. -Bump- [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 3/6/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 33 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 840 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $305.25 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 26 [B]Seconds:[/B] 8
17 years ago 0 394 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
JUST ADDING MORE READING MATERIAL TO THIS THREAD RUSTY STARTED [/u]Nicotine Rewires Brain's Reward System August 28, 2000 Even the first few puffs from a cigarette can have your brain begging for more, because nicotine alters the brain's reward areas, according to scientists at the University of Chicago Medical Center. By uncovering and understanding these cellular mechanisms of nicotine's effects, they believe new drugs can be designed to block the powerful craving that nicotine creates. The brain's reward areas serve to reinforce healthy behavior, such as eating when you're hungry. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasant feelings, is released by these reward areas to encourage the body to repeat these behaviors. However, drugs like nicotine that stimulate the brain can bypass these normal reinforcement pathways, providing the same rewards for harmful behaviors as for beneficial ones. The initial exposure to nicotine can be remembered by the brain, which will amplify the effects of the drug and boost the desire to have another cigarette, according to the study published in the August 2000 issue of Neuron. Nicotine appears to cause addiction by strengthening the excitatory connections between the neurons that make dopamine, which are found in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain reward center. This strengthening excites the neurons, which then release dopamine into the reward center. "This appears to be the crucial first step in the process of addiction," said neurobiologist Daniel McGehee. "Now that we know how this happens, we can begin to search for better ways to intervene." In studies with rats, McGehee and Dr. Huibert Mansvelder demonstrated how nicotine takes control of the brain's reward pathways. Nicotine alters the connections between neurons using a process that is similar to the cellular mechanisms that create memory. "In this way, the brain erroneously learns that the intake of nicotine was good and remembers sensations it caused," said Mansvelder. This reinforcing effect is the primary reason people get hooked on smoking and can't quit, despite knowing the harmful effects the behavior. Nicotine dependence has been estimated to cause 70 times more deaths in the United States than all other types of dr
17 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks for sharing this Rusty & Ann, more proof that quitting really is the best decision you could ever make. Danielle ____________________________ The SSC Support Team
17 years ago 0 1070 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I love this kind of reinforcement! If not for this I may have smoked. I have always known smoking was bad but this kind of information solidifies my quit 100% [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/15/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 49 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 990 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $220.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 12 [B]Mins:[/B] 37 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10
17 years ago 0 962 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
More reinforcement to get your friends and family to quit - surprised to read about the estrogen factor in women's lungs - Wow! I had no idea. Thanks for all this information and ammunition against the nicdemon! Island Girl [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/21/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 133 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,335 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $266 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 14 [B]Mins:[/B] 3 [B]Seconds:[/B] 54
  • Quit Meter

    $742,537.50

    Amount Saved

  • Quit Meter

    Days: 2555 Hours: 0

    Minutes: 4 Seconds: 1

    Life Gained

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    19801

    Smoke Free Days

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    594,030

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

17 years ago 0 1450 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
And when it comes to smoking addiction, women take the biggest hit. [quote][color=blue]The 22.3 million American women who smoke experience more wheezing, coughing, breathlessness and asthma than men who smoke, even if they light up less often, says Jill Siegfried, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh. Among men, lung cancer is decreasing; for women, it's on the rise. Researchers don't know exactly why damage is more severe in women, but estrogen may play a role. Researchers think estrogen releases chemicals in the lungs that cause the cells to divide. That in turn thickens the airways and stimulates cells with mutations to form tumors. Estrogen may also convert chemicals in cigarette smoke to carcinogens. [/quote][/color] I think I'll stay quit. And I expect all of you girls to stay quit with me. ;) [color=blue][font=Tahoma]All the best~[/color] [img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6922/n3us.gif[/img][size=3][color=blue]2[/color][/size][img]http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2344/k6ob.gif[/img][/color] [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/20/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 318 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 7,007 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1590 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 30 [B]Hrs:[/B] 5 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 5
17 years ago 0 586 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
As much as I've read, it's information like this that still amazes me. Just one thing.... [quote] This reinforcing effect is the primary reason people get hooked on smoking and can't quit, despite knowing the harmful effects the behavior. [/quote] There is no such word as "can't" in this neighborhood! We're doing it... Thanks for the interesting info :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 2/2/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 516 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 10,333 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1842.12 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 54 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 59 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52
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    $18,496.95

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    Days: 683 Hours: 1

    Minutes: 51 Seconds: 53

    Life Gained

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    4755

    Smoke Free Days

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    95,100

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

17 years ago 0 1115 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Good to know. Thanks Rusty and Ann. More and more reasons to stay in the "we quit" group. :) Not cravin', never cavin'. Hummy [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 5/5/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 424 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 16,997 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $2756 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 55 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 34 [B]Seconds:[/B] 36
  • Quit Meter

    $205,930.40

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    Days: 2346 Hours: 19

    Minutes: 37 Seconds: 2

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    19801

    Smoke Free Days

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    396,020

    Cigarettes Not Smoked

17 years ago 0 2462 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
bump for Ann [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/13/2004 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 567 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 15,888 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1984.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 78 [B]Hrs:[/B] 1 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 16
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    $54,329.60

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    Days: 641 Hours: 13

    Minutes: 51 Seconds: 12

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    5224

    Smoke Free Days

  • Quit Meter

    208,960

    Cigarettes Not Smoked


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