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Nicotine is the key ingredient in cigarettes that keeps us hooked, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Another key additive are the ammonia compounds additives, which are added during the manufacturing process in order to mask the harshness of tobacco, or so we are told. Because it creates a smoother feeling when we inhale. But they also create a chemical reaction with nicotine, creating free-based nicotine. Free-based nicotine is delivered to the brain at a much faster rate than normal nicotine, resulting in a more immediate and more intense reaction, which intensifies the addiction.
Big tobacco also adds sugars into cigarettes to make them taste better, removing the bitter flavor of cigarette smoke. Adding sugar also reduces the pH of cigarette smoke, which makes the smoke less harsh and less irritating and makes smoking more appealing, especially to those who are new to smoking. However, when these added sugars burn after one light up a cigarette, they create additional toxic compounds called aldehydes, which increase the potency of nicotine, making cigarettes more addictive, because the brain is more receptive to nicotine, so it absorbs nicotine at a much faster rate.
Menthol is another biggie. It’s added to some cigarettes to give a cooling sensation when a smoker inhales. Since menthol makes cigarette smoke feel less irritating in the throat, it’s logically believed that big tobacco uses this additive to attract younger people to pick up the habit. Now that our nieces have picked up the habit, all 12 of us in our combined families are smokers. My daughter is the sole menthol smoker. As a Newport 100’s smoker (a very strong brand), she is obviously the most hooked of all of us.
Levulnic acid is another additive, an organic salt that also masks the harsh quality of smoking, and prevents the smoker’s throat from feeling irritated while smoking. It desensitizes the upper respiratory tract, allowing cigarette smoke to be inhaled more deeply. It also makes the brain more receptive to nicotine, increasing addiction.
Girls and younger women who are contemplating smoking should understand, they’re not deciding to just smoke, they’re deciding to become smokers, a lifetime decision and commitment.
Stacy, congratulations on your quit! I hope you can keep it. Quitting is probably the most difficult thing that we as smokers ever do, and most of us either never manage to do it, or they do manage to do it but have a relapse later.
I started seeing a gynecologist when I was 12, when I first started menstruating. I have also always insisted that my gynecologist (and my urologist and general practitioner) be a woman. My visits have always been annual, with a few exceptions. The years when I had my IUD inserted or reinserted, I would see her a second time a few weeks later, to have the strings trimmed. And last year, since I had a vaginoplasty, I saw her four times.
I briefly considered a diaphragm, but opted for a Paragard instead. 90% effectiveness provided by a diaphragm wasn’t enough, where the Paragard offers 99% effectiveness. I thought the idea of having to mess with spermicides and insertions, as well as leaving it in place for the recommended six to eight hours after intercourse to be a nuisance.
I remember the pain of having them growing in, and the pain of having them removed, which I did when I was 18. I just did two at a time, so I could still eat using the other side of my mouth.
Good news indeed for women on the pill!
The pill didn’t work for me at all, which is why, at 20, I had two babies, and started wearing an IUD (Paragard). At 40, I asked my gynecologist to switch me to Mirena, since it can curtail menstruation. But knowing that I am a smoker, she talked me out of it, citing that smoking while on hormonal birth control of any kind increases the risk of cardiovascular side effects, such as strokes or blood clots.
Cigarette addiction? I have one of those!
(Actually, I prefer the term “cigarette habit”; “cigarette addiction” and “cigarette vice” have a bit of a negative stigma.)
Almost all smokers pick up the habit in their teens, as I did, when they’re not yet mature enough to understand the consequences, as well as the powerful addiction that would come with. I grew up being infatuated with my mother’s smoking. She was (and still is) a non-repentant and regular smoker; I was always exposed to it when I was growing up. I got the nerve one day, when I was 8, to ask her why she smoked. Her answer was that smoking was something that many adults choose to do, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. At that moment, I just knew I too would be a smoker one day. That day came on my 12th birthday, when I asked to try it. It agreed with me immediately! The taste wasn’t the best at first, but I quickly became accustomed to it. The big difference was that stray cigarette smoke no longer bothered me. Not only did it feel so good to actually smoke, but it felt so ADULT!!! I’d stand in front of the mirror, and watch myself smoke. I looked forward to going out to dinner with Mom, so I could smoke in public. I had to deal with the addiction when I started back to school; I couldn’t smoke at school, it would be two years before I was in high school and they had student smoking areas. But I got through it. Since that 1987 summer, smoking has become a permanent part of my life, as well as who and what I am.
Being a smoker is a chain of cycles, that I go through about 20 times a day. About 45 minutes after my last cigarette, the urge hits me to light up again. After an hour, the urge turns into cravings. If I ignore those cravings, and I’m not wearing a nicotine patch, after three or four hours, then come the withdrawal symptoms kick in. These symptoms include anxiety, irritability, and nervousness. And these symptoms are quite intense and unforgiving. BUT, once I have that cigarette, everything’s pure bliss. For another hour or so, anyway.
I must confess that I enjoy being a smoker! The one time I regret it is when I have to abstain from smoking for prolonged periods, and cravings shift into withdrawal symptoms. It’s the most satisfying thing I do. I do worry about the health risks, and hope that my 35 years of being a smoker don’t catch up with me in a bad way. But I accept those risks, and try to live as healthy a lifestyle as otherwise possible. Another note, I’m 5’3″ in flats, I weigh only 120#, and I’m quite certain that my pack-a-day Misty 120’s habit has a lot to do with that.
By the time I was 20, I had two babies, despite the pill, and was wearing a Paragard. I would wear one until I was 46, which was last year. I too found the initial insertion and the 10-year reinsertions to be painful, but the pain was brief. Afterwards, my periods drastically increased in intensity, and was wearing Kotex Super Security Plus Tampons, which felt like I was wearing a dildo! My periods would remain intense until I had the IUD removed. I too had a problem with my husband’s size, he too was BIG. Trimming the strings a few months afterwards did the trick. To get us through those few months, he wore spacer rings, to limit his penetration. 54, this is when I had the Paragard removed. It was reassuring, being there for the removal, and knowing that it would not be followed by another painful insertion this time. Until early last year, I was wondering if menopause was going to kick in, or if I was going to endure another reinsertion. But my Coming-Out took care of that question. Last year during my annual gynecologist visit, I asked her to go ahead and remove it. Not only did my partner take this as a sign of commitment to her, but my periods got significantly lighter, meaning I could wear mini-tampons, but also they went from seven days to five days.