How Nicotine Impacts Your Brain You’re probably aware that nicotine is addictive, but did you know nicotine’s impact your brain? Just like drinking alcohol can make you feel more euphoric through dopamine release, nicotine can do the same. When using nicotine products, you may feel more relaxed, alert and happy. But it’s not all rainbows and butterflies – nicotine use, especially long-term, can have negative health impacts. Nicotine Products Cigarettes Cigars Smokeless tobacco Electronic cigarettes Hookahs Pouches What Happens When I Use Nicotine? There are many things that occur inside your body when you use nicotine. Both dopamine and adrenaline are released when nicotine hits your system. Dopamine, also known as the ‘happiness hormone’, gives you feelings of pleasure and joy when released. It also activates the reward system in your brain. Adrenaline, also known as the ‘fight, flight, freeze or fawn’ hormone, helps you stay alert and respond to stressors. Between the two, your brain is getting the message that nicotine is good and helpful, but there are consequences to changing your brain’s balance. When your brain associates nicotine with receiving a reward and staying vigilant, it can be addictive. Emotional and Physiological Impacts Joy/happiness Increased concentration Stress release Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure Shortness of breath Decreased appetite Nausea, dizziness and headaches Impact on Mission Readiness Warfighters have higher nicotine use than the general population. Long work hours, high stress duties, easy access to nicotine products and a culture of tobacco and nicotine use all play into this increased use. You may be exposed to more nicotine products than civilians because of the group nature of your work, as well. This puts you at increased risk of starting nicotine products as a Warfighter, too. Be mindful of peer pressure and designated areas where people are using nicotine products such as designated smoking areas. Nicotine use impacts your mission readiness. Since nicotine is addictive, continued and long-term use can negatively impact both your service and health. Nicotine use, especially cigarette use, can lead to poorer performance on physical tests and operations. It may also negatively affect your weight, fertility and increase lost duty days due to illness. Smoking reduces your immune response too, so you’re more likely to catch colds and may take longer to heal from wounds. When you use nicotine, you may develop a tolerance, meaning your body gets used to it. When you develop a tolerance, you need more nicotine to have the same effect it used to have. This means you’ll continue to need more. Once you’ve built a tolerance to nicotine, you are more likely to experience addiction. Thinking of Quitting? Since nicotine is addictive, it can be difficult to quit. Deciding to quit is a big step. If you’re there, congratulations! If you’re still exploring what quitting would look like, check out the Thinking About Quitting webpage. There are many avenues you could take toward quitting. It can be helpful to build a quit plan and set yourself up for success. Talk to your health care provider about quitting, as well. They will likely talk to you about options such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). FDA- approved forms of NRT include nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and nasal spray. To explore these options, click here. Additional ResourcesYouCanQuit2 - “YouCanQuit2”ReferencesAmerican Cancer Society - “Why People Start Smoking and Why It’s Hard to Stop”Benowitz, N. L. - “Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - “Quit Smoking Medicines”Truth Initiative - “Tobacco use in the military”
