How does smoking become addictive?
When people smoke, the nicotine from the cigarette causes receptors in the brain to release several chemicals such as dopamine, generating positive feelings, we get when we smoke. Quitting smoking all of a sudden, lowers the level of dopamine, and is the cause of miserable signs and symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. A few of the prompt withdrawal symptoms include irritability, insomnia and difficulty concentrating, beginning four to six hours after your last cigarette, and can usually last for a month or more, once we quit smoking.