The lure of second-hand smoke

Scientists are telling us that simply smelling cigarette smoke opens more nicotine receptors in the brain. The affected receptors are the "pleasure receptors" that deliver a sense of pleasure and reward.

If you smoke you probably have at least a million more of these nicotine receptors than an average non-smoker. If you don't smoke but breathe smoke from other people in the same room, your brain automatically pops in a few nicotine receptors. These few receptors help you become drawn toward the idea, and then the practice, and finally the addiction, of nicotine in your body.

Find out what scientists at the California Institute of Technology have learned about second-hand smoke.

A well-organized source of information about the devastation of second-hand smoke is the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This is an inside link.