Nicotine falls under the stimulant type of drugs that increase transmission between the brain and the body. It is mainly used for recreation purposes as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As an Anxiolytic, it is used as a medication to treat anxiety disorder. In the early ’70s, Nicotine was used as an insecticide to kill insects that invaded large plantations like coffee, tea among many. Being the main ingredient in the tobacco plant, it was extracted by a chemist known as Karl Ludwig Reinmann from Germany (Etter, 2018).
The drug went under a series of lab testing and was declared to be poisonous. Nicotine is first removed from tobacco plants or the nightshade family of plants, and the leaves are dried and folded into a small paper and rolled until it forms a round small tube-like shape. Native Americans first used the drug for primarily medicinal purposes as it eradicated pain, dressed open wounds, and removed toothaches.
It came into misuse when people were looking for solutions to their problems and thought that Nicotine was a good idea, and when they felt that their desire was satisfied, they embraced the habit. The number of people who smoke is not known in precise as it keeps on changing because of new users daily. However, it is estimated that more than one billion people smoke, nearly 20% of the population (Etter, 2018). Many people who use nicotine drugs have different reasons to justify their practice. Some use it for recreational purposes, some because of peer influence and peer pressure, and some claim to relieve themselves from stress.
Smoking Nicotine-related drugs can cause the user of the drug to enter into a lot of fantasy that the person goes out of their mind and starts making the person chaotic or think negatively. Most recent research shows that for those arrested doing crimes, nearly 90% are users of Nicotine (Cerrai et al., 2020). Nicotine can make the user rape the opposite gender, perhaps to satisfy the illusion in their mind. The drug can also cause the user of the drug to steal and engage in all manner of practices just to purchase the drug. This makes the person violent and also can lead to fights as the addict uses forceful means to satisfy their needs.
When one is under the influence of Nicotine, it is most likely that the person will suffer from severe physical and emotional damage. Smoking nicotinic substances can lead to increased salivation, mouth and throat dryness, hallucinations, among others. The consumption rate in the coming days can either decrease or increase if the NACADA continues fighting against the drug and providing knowledge to the community. Soon, there are more chances that the rate of nicotine abuse will be high as the young generation has indulged in many pleasures. The current generation does not offer support and moral guidance about drugs and their effects to the young ones. When someone takes nicotinic-related substances, it undergoes a series of metabolic processes to be fully absorbed in the body.
When Nicotine enters the body through inhalation, it anchors on the lungs and is later metabolized by the liver with some enzymes. At first, it is converted into cotinine and later metabolized. To stop casino genic substances, they have to go through some stages. Still, those who dare leave it without rehabilitation protocols being observed can have some side effects like nausea, mouth dryness, increased blood pressure, and nausea, among others. Smoking nicotine is associated with a lot of damages to the body. The most common adverse effects related to this drug use include lung cancer and liver cirrhosis. The other results are heart diseases and blocking of the bronchioles.
Nicotine causes the rate of message transmission between the sensory organs and brain to be high. It can also make the person undergo some illusions of fantasy that there are no such feelings that the person is experiencing in the real sense. Due to some severe damage caused by the drug, the family of the addict can undergo some financial constraints treating the addict, making the family financially unstable. On the other hand, society can experience some difficulties trying to eradicate the addicts in the community and stop using Nicotine. It can also be challenging to control or eliminate crimes committed by the abusers of Nicotine.
The most probably effective method for treatment is through the use of rehabilitation centers where the addict is supposed to undergo a series of stages to lose the feeling of taking Nicotine. At some point, the method is not effective as later the same people are swept into the drug again, challenging to redeem them entirely from the drug. Some of the withdrawal effect related to the use of the drug includes feeling upset, restlessness, and lack of concentration.
Electronic-Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes)
E-Cigarettes are mostly consumed through inhaling the vapor directly and, in other cases, indirectly. It was first produced by a pharmacist in China in 2003, creating a lot of excitement among people. It was discovered when there was a need to help patients to quit the use of the drug. The development involves some small processes which tend to progress over time (Cerrai et al., 2020). Most have a heating element, a battery, and a place to hold the liquid. In a real sense, e-cigarettes were introduced to help people who were willing to stop smoking and reduce cigarette consumption. People embraced the e-cigarettes with a lot of excitement, and the desire to change the way or method of tobacco leads to increased misuse.
It is estimated that out of thirty people in the world, three are e-cigarettes consumers. Most people started smoking when they were just teenagers, and some research proves that it is because of peer influence. The manufacturers also provide some promotions and offers, making the rate of consumption to be high (Etter, 2018). In addition, people smoke for recreational purposes, and some have the feeling of smoking. There is not much serious crime involved with this drug, but the most common one is robbery. When one is under the influence of the drug, it can lead to lung cancer. The drug contains some harmful substances such as ultrafine that can be inhaled deep down the lungs.
The users of the drug are expected to double soon due to some offers and promotions offered by these manufactures. Immediate withdrawal of e-cigs can have some side effects on the consumers as they have that intense feeling of using the drug again. The long-term effects are not yet known precisely, but the most common one is lung cancer. Taking a large number of e-cigarettes can be poisonous at some point, causing severe vomiting and nausea. The e-cigs affect many people at large due to increased access. Smoking in public makes non-smokers be passive smokers and, on the other hand causing air pollution. It also causes the brain to be stunted, hence interfering with normal development (Cerrai et al., 2020). The family of the addict can suffer financial insecurity as money is wasted to buy e-cigarettes drugs. The most effective way to treat the consumption of e-cigarette is by reducing the supply of the medicines and rehabilitating the consumer, which is not always practical due to corruption.
Vapors
These types of drugs are inhaled using e-vaporizers along with some medicines. Vapors are taken into the body inform to inhalation created by electronic cigarettes or any other vapor devices. A pharmacist first discovered it in China in the early 2000s (Walley et al., 2019). It was first invented to control the smoking habit and later embraced as a drug. The number of people who use vapor drugs is unknown, but statistics show that vaporizers are most commonly used among youths. People use vapors for various reasons, and the most common is for pleasure. It is estimated that people will consume it shortly as it becomes more affordable when the consumer inhales the vapor of the drugs’ particles anchors on the ribs and is transferred to the brain later.
Overdose effects can cause a lot of imagination on the addict, hence overloading the brain with imagination. Withdrawal effects are not much as compared to other drugs that are consumed directly. Using vapors can cause some physical damage to the body depending on which drug one is using. Some common diseases caused by vapors include lung cancer, liver problems, among others. The effects on society can be much significant if the consumption of these vapors continues to be high.
The loss of young people is becoming stressful in the community due to the abuse of vapors by the young generation and some few adults. People consume or use drugs for different reasons depending on need and exposure. In this case, some use them for pleasure and others for medicinal purposes. There are different types of drugs like stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, and dissociative.
References
Cerrai, S., Potente, R., Gorini, G., Gallus, S., & Molinaro, S. (2020). What is the face of new nicotine users? 2012–2018 e-cigarettes and tobacco use among young students in Italy. International Journal of Drug Policy, 86, 102941. Web.
Etter, J. F. (2018). Gateway effects and electronic cigarettes. Addiction, 113(10), 1776-1783. Web..
Walley, S. C., Wilson, K. M., Winickoff, J. P., & Groner, J. (2019). A public health crisis: electronic cigarettes, vape, and JUUL. Pediatrics, 143(6). Web.