How long does nicotine stay in your system after smoking?

Answer 1

I'm not really sure, but I do know that after I smoke a cigarette, I need another one in like an hour, so it can't stay in your system too long.

Answer 2

Nicotine is a short-acting drug that can be eliminated from the body relatively quickly. Usually nicotine can be eliminated from the body within a day or so, however, acute nicotine withdrawal can be experienced for up to two weeks or more. According to Selfhelp Magazine, “the by-products of nicotine can be detected in the blood for up to a month after you stop using”. The amount of time in which nicotine stays in your system is also dependent upon the quantity, duration, and intensity of what you have been smoking. However, the effects of nicotine never leave your body completely. Nicotine is a toxin that may affect your body for many years or even for the rest of your life. Such effects include lung and throat cancer, premature wrinkling of the skin, cataracts, depression, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and numerous other serious side effects of nicotine use.

It is important to understand that cessation of nicotine can increase your chances of living a healthy life. Each year tobacco and its 4,000 different chemicals kill approximately 400,000 people. The average smoker also spends $3,500 per year to support their addiction to nicotine. Many people believe switching to lower-nicotine cigarettes will aid them in cessation of smoking, but for most, they simply inhale more deeply and more often, causing them to receive the same amount of nicotine as they would from a regular cigarette. If you are looking for assistance to quit using tobacco, you can contact Student Health Service/Health Iowa at 335-8394 to make an appointment with a smoking cessation counselor. These services are free of charge to registered University of Iowa students.

Sara Burden B.A.
Graduate Assistant
Health Iowa/Student Health Service

Written 8/29/02
Updated 3/18/04

Answer 3

too long !