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Smokefree South | Southern | Te Whatu Ora
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Why can it be so Hard to Stop Smoking?
Cigarettes contain nicotine and around 4,000 toxic chemicals. People continue to smoke because they become dependent on, or addicted to, nicotine.
Nicotine is present in the leaves of tobacco plants. When tobacco is smoked the nicotine is carried down into the lungs, then into the blood and then the heart. The nicotine then travels to the brain and around to the rest of the body. This process happens very quickly.
Nicotine, like other drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines, acts on a particular part of the brain called the reward centre. With the continued use of nicotine or drugs over time, the brain actually changes and comes to rely on these substances.