Nicotine Perception Plays an Important Role in Addiction

According to a new study, nicotine perception plays an important role in how the brain handles addiction. The experiments showed that the way in which people perceive the amount of nicotine in a cigarette defines their smoking experience.

Researchers conducted a series of tests involving 24 smokers who were addicted to nicotine. In the first instance, the participants were given cigarettes that contained nicotine. The second time, they lied telling them that the cigarettes were nicotine-free. The third time they were offered nicotine-free cigarettes, but were told that they contained the substance, and the fourth time they were given cigarettes without nicotine, and they were told the truth about the ingredients.

The results of the tests were surprising. According to the scientists, when smokers received a placebo that posed as a nicotine-filled cigarette, their craving was satisfied. However, when the researchers gave nicotine-filled cigarettes to the participants and lied to them about being placebo, the addicts did not satisfy their cravings with the smoke.

“These results suggest that for drugs to have an effect on a person, he or she needs to believe that the drug is present,” declared Xiaosi Gu, author of the study and assistant professor at Texas University’s Center for Brain Health.

From what the experiments showed us, it seems that nicotine perception plays the most important part in the way in which we handle an addiction.

The experiments also come to explain why electronic cigarettes are so helpful when it comes to kicking the habit. Due to the fact that users convince themselves that they are getting their much-needed nicotine dose, electronic cigarettes, and other adjuvants work better.

The study only comes to confirm previous papers that showed that the beliefs of a patient could significantly influence his or her drug cravings. This discovery will help researchers find easier methods to combat addiction and the long-term effects of drug use.

What do you think about the new evidence that explains the important role that nicotine perception plays in addiction? Do you think that this new discovery will help researchers find a new, more efficient way to treat addiction?

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