Pets suffering from second-hand smoke. |

Pets suffering from second-hand smoke. |

Why is nicotine so addictive?

Tobacco contains a substance - nicotine - which keeps the smoker smoking. Experts affirm it may be as addictive as cocaine. Nicotine increases the release of neurotransmitters which regulate behavior and mood.

Nicotine triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter which give people a pleasant feeling. Obtaining that dopamine rush is said to be a major part of the addiction process - smokers crave that neurotransmitter (especially dopamine) rush.

Experts say that when nicotine is inhaled the brain is affected within seconds. After an inhalation the smoker's heart rate increases, levels of the hormones noradrenalin also increase, as well as dopamine - the whole experience is said to enhance mood, as well as the ability to concentrate.

There are other physical as well as psychological factors which influence the addiction process. The following situations, cues or behaviors may be linked to smoking urges:

• Certain moments during the day may be associated with a greater desire to smoke, such as with the first cup of coffee, during work breaks, or after routine tasks.
• Alcohol - most smokers who drink alcohol say that tobacco and alcohol are enjoyed together.
• Some places - smokers often find certain places, such as the toilet, some bars and pubs (if smoking is allowed there), or car parks (after getting down from the car or coming into the car park from a supermarket and walking towards the car) trigger a desire to smoke.
• After eating - most smokers have a stronger desire to smoke immediately after a meal.
• Some people - smokers often find that meeting other people, especially if they are also smokers; make them want to smoke more.

• The telephone - when the telephone rings at home many smokers run for their cigarettes before picking it up.
• Tobacco smell - the smell of other people smoking can be a strong trigger for smokers to want to light up.
• Moments of stress - the majority of smokers will typically have an urge to smoke when faced with a stressful, exciting or emotional situation.

If a smoker does not receive nicotine for an extended period, for example 24 hours, the following signs and symptoms of withdrawal may emerge:

• A drop in mood (depressed mood)
• Agitation
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Greater appetite
• Heart rate (pulse) slows down
• Insomnia
• Problems focusing
• Hostility

Cigarette Ads Reach Children and Teenagers-Especially Teen Girls

Cigarette Ads Reach Children and Teenagers-Especially Teen Girls

Philip Morris Philippines Company and Fortune Tobacco

The Philippine unit of Philip Morris International and unlisted Fortune Tobacco Corp will combine their core businesses in an interesting new company which is going to control 90% of the national cigarette market. Philip Morris and Fortune Tobacco made an agreement to form a new company called PMFTC, affirmed Chris Nelson, president of Philip Morris Philippines.

They said that they won’t say what the financial details are. Nelson said that they both were the initiators of the talks. The new company will command a dominant position in the local tobacco market, with Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. and Fortune Tobacco, that owned by one of the country’s richest men, Lucio Tan, having a combined share of about 90%.

Philip Morris—which is the manufacture of Marlboro cigarettes and is the world’s biggest non-state-owned tobacco firm, with over $2.4 billion earnings in Asia last year—are considering the Philippines its 12th-biggest market. Through the new firm, it gains wider access to the local cigarette market, including the profitable medium- to low-priced segments.

A joint statement said Fortune Tobacco and Philip Morris “each contributed selected assets and liabilities into the new company, with each party holding an equal economic interest.” Philip Morris will retain its export business, shipping cigarettes mostly to Thailand. It declined to give the value of the export business.

Fortune Tobacco will maintain its interest in the distribution of the Winston brand of Japan Tobacco Inc. It also said the new firm would not be affected by pending tax and ownership disputes with local courts involving Fortune.

Quitting Smoking Cigarettes and Recovery Process » Cigarette Brands - Decision Making

Quitting Smoking Cigarettes and Recovery Process

Reynolds American Foundation Help Haiti » Cigarette Brands - Decision Making

Reynolds American Foundation Help Haiti » Cigarette Brands - Decision Making

Is it OK to smoke or is it not right to do it?

Smoking cigarettes and abortion have almost nothing to do with each other, but they still have something in common: According to some surveys that were conducted by researchers, both have rising numbers among teenagers.

A lot of young persons today do not consider it all right for people to smoke, a report affirms from the Girl Scout Research Institute called "Good Intentions: The Beliefs and Values of Teens Today." The report was made on a survey of about 3,200 youths, which updated a similar survey of 5,000 youths taken for the Girl Scouts in 1989.

Both surveys asked whether it was OK to smoke "if a person finds it enjoyable." In 1989, 27 percent of youths said smoking was OK. Two decades later, only 18 percent approved. This rejection of smoking also is seen in the Monitoring the Future surveys, which have tracked substance use by the nation's youths since the mid-1970s.

In 1975, 74 percent of high school seniors told Monitoring the Future that they had smoked at least once in their lifetimes. By 2009, this fell to a record low of 44 percent. Daily smoking among 12th-graders also has tanked, falling from 27 percent in 1975 to 11 percent in 2009.

Anyone with access to a history channel can see that cigarette smoking was once ubiquitous in America. Movie stars puffed away in scene after scene. War movies showed GIs trading cigarettes like they were gold. Millions of children made ashtrays in pottery class. "Smoke-filled rooms" were where business was conducted.

Today, smoking has been banned in movie theaters, restaurants, workplaces, most homes and cars, and even the House of Representatives' Speaker's Lobby, thanks to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.