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Another British researcher, Dr. C.
D. Frith of the Institute of Psychiatry
at the University of London, reported
similar findings in 1971. On days
smokers were given cigarettes with
less nicotine tban they were accus–
tomed to, they putfed more frequently
and smoked more cigarettes than on
days when they were given moderate
or high nicotine cigarettes.
In 1974, yet another British study
found smokers leave a shorter butt
upon switching to a cigarette with
less nicotine. The reason: the ciga–
rette itself acts as a filter, holding
back tar and nicotine in early putfs,
but delivers them at higher levels as
the butt shortens.
I n
Drug Metabolism Reviews
(1978) , Dr. Michael A.
H.
Russell of
Mauldsley Hospital's Institute of
Psychiatry in London presented his
"bolus model" of nicotine addiction.
In this model, each putf of cigarette
smoke represents a unit dose of nico–
tine. The nicotine in the puff passes
through the lungs into the blood
supply that reaches the brain in
about seven seconds.
Dr. Russell reported that, without
conscious effort, the smoker adjusts
his puffing pattern (time between
putfs, length of puff, amount inhaled
into lungs, time between cigarettes)
to satisfy a certain leve! of nicotine
need built up by the smoker.
Dr. Russell says that although
smokers may convince themselves
smoking calms them, helps them
work, etc., they are not gaining any
real positive advantage over non–
smokers; it is just that in order to
function without discomfort smokers
must smoke to fulfill their bodies'
need for a certain leve! of nicotine at
a particular moment.
"At 1
O
puffs a cigarette, a pack–
a-day smoker gets more than 70,000
nicotine shots in the brain a year,"
says Dr. Russell. He also points out
that nicotine addiction is apparently
more rapidly established than heroin
addiction.
Unlike the adolescent who shoots
heroin once or twice a week at first,
he reports, an adolescent smoker ex–
periences around 200 successive ni–
cotine "fixes" by the time he finishes
his first pack of cigarettes.
Studies show four times as much
18
nicotine is excreted when urine is
acid than when it is alkaline. This
means most smokers must smoke
more on days when their urine leve! is
acid to maintain nicotine levels.
R esearchers have found that
stress- whether at work, borne or in
social situations- and drinking alco–
hol increases urine acidity. This helps
explain why heavy drinkers and those
engaged in stressful occupations so
often have serious smoking problems.
Wlthdrawal Symptoms
and Tolerance
While there are also social or peer
pressures involved, addiction to nico-
For millions of people,
smoking is as much
a classic drug addiction
problem as heroin
addiction.
' '
tine explains, in a great part, why so
many smokers find it difficult to give
up the practice.
In its 1977 report,
Smoking and
Health,
the Royal College of Physi–
cians of London says the "nicotine–
withdrawal syndrome" is often com–
posed of "intense craving, tension, ir–
ritabi lity, restlessness, depression,
difficulties with concentration," plus
sucb physical effects as a fall in the
pulse rate and blood pressure, consti–
pation, sleep disturbance and im-
paired work performance.
·
The Royal College reports that
most people first starting to smoke
often suffer such reactions as palpita–
tions, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.
But as they continue smoking they
acquire a tolerance for nicotine and
after a few years not only can take
but require a high input of nicotine to
prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Smoking, then, is essentially a
willingly-or willfully- self-admin–
istered disorder.
Researchers note that smoking
does not automatically Jead to anti–
social behavior-as long as·cigarettes
are easily and cheaply available.
However, the willingness of many
smokers to forgo sorne of life's basic
necessities in order to sustain their
habit, even if poverty-stricken or, as
history shows, even in prisoner-of–
war camps, dcmonstrates the poten–
tia! for antisocial behavior under im–
posed conditions of deprivation.
Sorne authorities feel that if ciga–
rette prices were raised to heroin lev–
els, many cigarette junkies would be–
have in the same antisocial manner
as do most heroin junkies.
What Difference Does lt Make?
One may respond, "Why shouldn't
1
smoke, since it's
my
body?" Perhaps
even a Christian may ask, "Is ita sin
to smoke?"
The Bible does not specifically say,
"You shall not smoke!" (Smoking
wasn't a common practice until it
was copied from the New World I n–
dians around the time of Colum–
bus.)
But Scripture does adjure:
"What? Know ye not that
your body
is the temple of the Holy (Spir–
it) ... and ye are not your own? For
ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body,
and in your
spirit, which are God's [not yours!)"
(I Corinthians 6: 19-20).
Does it glorify God to pollute your
body, ruin your health, court lung
cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, car–
diovascular disease, force others to
breathe your pollution, become a fire
hazard to your borne and personal
property, and others' property?
Hardly. That's not loving your neigh–
bor or yourself!
" There's no such thing as a safe
cigarette.
lf
it burns, it's dangerous,"
say health officials.
Nicotine not only is an addictive
substance-it is also a poison. Sixty
milligrams is actually lethal when
administered in a single dose. The
average filter cigarette contains 20 to
30 milligrams of tars and nicotine (of
which the smoker inhales one or
two). A persistent smoker is poison–
ing himself in proportion to how
much he smokes and how well his
body disposes of the poisons.
Even if cigarette manufacturers
The
PLAIN TRUTH August 1979