Nicotine’s effect on a person is mental and physical. When the nicotine first reaches the brain upon the inhalation of smoke, the effect is typically a relaxed and slightly euphoric feeling. After the nicotine reaches the central nervous system a few minutes later, this calm feeling is often enhanced in a more powerful physical sense. These effects last for several more minutes, but because their decline is slow and steady it is often not realized by the smoker until much more time has elapsed. People who smoke more cigarettes in an average day typically do so because their bodies have become used to the physical effects of the nicotine on their nervous systems.
Aside from the widely publicized dangers caused by smoking cigarettes, there are additional, often unrealized, health risks directly connected to nicotine. Regardless of the manner in which this drug is ingested, it significantly increases a person’s chances of developing cancer. Unlike cigarettes, where the main focus of cancer development is usually in the mouth, lips, throat, and lungs, nicotine ingested in other ways increases the possibility of cancer in a more general sense. People should be aware of this fact and consider the additional dangers associated with smoking cessation products such as patches and gum.