Can I Get Addicted To Nicotine Pouches?

Nicotine is a funny thing. It’s a chemical that has not been proven to cause any harmful effects to a person, but people can get addicted to it easily and once an addiction to Nicotine sets in, it can be hard to overcome…but not impossible!

When a person smokes, the more likely reason that they will continue to do so is because it has been a habit and something they’ve done for a while, and also they will have an addiction to Nicotine, which could even be bordering on the lines of a dependency.

Nicotine Pouches have been designed to be a “quitting tool” to help people quit smoking for good, by replacing the nicotine they’ve previously been getting from smoking cigarettes but eliminating the consistent ingestion of toxic chemicals which are found in cigarette smoke.

In this blog, I’m going to explore one of the frequently asked questions on whether you can get addicted to using Nicotine Pouches, and why they are designed to be more of a help than a hinderance, despite what some sceptics say.

Can I Get Addicted To Nicotine Pouches?

Let’s start off by getting to the answer of the question in title of this blog. As mentioned, Nicotine Pouches have been designed to act as a Nicotine Replacement option for people who have quit smoking and require some form of nicotine delivery to accommodate the addiction to Nicotine that they likely have.

Nicotine Pouches are a safer and healthier alternative for Nicotine, due to the fact that they do not contain any toxic chemicals like what cigarettes do, only Nicotine which is not one of these harmful chemicals and has not been proven to be the cause of any smoking related diseases or deaths globally.

If you’re using Nicotine Pouches, chances are then you already have an addiction to Nicotine, and they will not further enhance this addiction, but instead they are designed to help overcome it. This is done by them being available in different nicotine strengths, so the ideal plan would be to start off on a nicotine strength suited to your current needs, and gradually over time start reducing down the nicotine strength to begin the process of beating your addiction to Nicotine.

The only way a person could potentially get addicted to Nicotine Pouches is if they were to use them having previously not been a user of Nicotine. Due to the highly addictive properties of Nicotine, an addiction can be formed relatively easy from just minimal use, so it’s always recommended that you only use Nicotine Pouches IF you have previously been using a different Nicotine based product, whether that be cigarettes or E-Cigarettes.

Is Nicotine Addictive?

As I mentioned, when people smoke cigarettes, the most likely reason that they continue to do so is because they are addicted to the Nicotine which is ingested from the cigarettes. I certainly didn’t smoke for the taste/flavour before I gave up, and I doubt many other people smoke for that enjoyment factor because it actually isn’t that enjoyable.

Nicotine is a very highly addictive chemical, and once the addiction to it really sets in, it can be hard to overcome. People become addicted to Nicotine because of the effects it has on the brain and what it can give off in relation to the release of chemicals and getting that satisfaction from it.

What Effects Does Nicotine Have?

When you inhale on a cigarette, e-cigarette or use a nicotine pouch, basically thing that contains Nicotine, the Nicotine is then absorbed into your body and bloodstream and this is when things start happening!

I won’t get too technical with things as it could be confusing and I’ll explain it as simply as possible as it took me a while to understand everything when researching for this blog. The brain acts as a “neurotransmitter” which means it can send signals from the brain around the body when stimulated.

Nicotine increases the levels of Dopamine located within the brain, and when Nicotine is ingested, it releases small doses which gives off a level of satisfaction and relaxation as well. It makes you feel really good, satisfied and lasts for around 10 seconds from the point of inhalation.

Repeated exposure to Nicotine can then have various different effects as well, and can alter your brain to help cope with different factors such as stress levels, can help focus and concentration as well as exhibiting self-control.

It’s suggested that the release of dopamine and satisfaction when ingesting Nicotine is of similar levels to what’s released when you eat food that’s quite delicious. Which is why when a person quits smoking, and if they do not use some form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, they may seek to replace this Dopamine release and food is the common thing which could in turn see a rise in weight from over-eating, it’s fascinating how it all links!

Why Is Nicotine Replacement Therapy Important When Quitting Smoking?

Nicotine addiction is a pretty serious thing if you haven’t already gathered from what’s been said in this blog already, but overcoming it is still a doable task, providing you have the right tools to help you overcome it.

The tools I speak of which can help are that which fall under the category of “Nicotine Replacement Therapy” Various different options have been around on the market for a long time now, such as Nicotine patches which give off a slow release of Nicotine absorbed through the skin, Nicotine gum, lozenges or nicotine sprays all of which provide a more instant Nicotine hit when you need it and the cravings are starting to creep in.

The newer kids on the block for nicotine replacement are things like E-Cigarettes that have nicotine containing vape juice in, or the thing in topic here…Nicotine Pouches!

The reason using a form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy is so important when quitting smoking is because if you do not replace the nicotine your body had been used to getting from smoking, you stand a high chance of suffering from nicotine withdrawals, and the side effects from this is not pleasant.

These can range from headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, increased appetite, insomnia or disturbed sleep patterns. Like I said, not pleasant and all of these can be avoided if you used NRT!

Remember, Nicotine is not harmful despite what a lot say, so choosing to quit smoking and using nicotine replacement therapy is actually beneficial as you’re reducing your risk of contracting smoking related diseases by not continuing to smoke cigarettes!