Tobacco menace is one of the biggest problems in Paradeep, our locality. It spreads like an infectious disease and is one of the things among many that adolescents are anxious to try out at least once and this once becomes a habit forever. It pollutes the environment due to the dumping of its packets, when consumed in form of Guthka or pollutes the air in form of the fumes caused by smoking. It pollutes the mind of teenagers and also affects the economy of the family. It makes many people addicts and also affects their efficiency and indirectly the human resources of a nation. We believe that even if we can change one person’s mentality and persuade him not to consume this ominous stuff, it is victory in itself.

FACTORS THAT INSTIGATE PEOPLE TO TAKE GUTKA-

# Anxiety to try the thing at least once.

#Peer pressure- students try the stuff because they thing it might bring a significant change (improvement) in the image they have in the eyes of their friends. People who are mentally weak and are a victim of hypertension find it to provide temporary relief.

#In case of economically weaker sections it acts as a substitute to more expensive drugs and narcotics like cocaine, heroine, marijuana etc.

#Most people who are predisposed to its abuse have few mental or emotional resources against stress, an overdependence on others, and a low tolerance for frustration.

#Some people take very high amounts of tobacco at a single time allowing them to achieve a temporarily peaceful or euphoric state, or simply relieving boredom.

In India, many people consume tobacco in form of guthka ( an indegenous candy that has tobacco as its main ingredient). Many kids in the town are addicts of gutka and hence tobacco too. We thus considered this as an issue of prime importance as the tobacco catch-22 has destroyed many lives so far. We decided to survey and with the help of our science teacher, Madam Jashovanti Pattnaik we managed to convert it into a project involving the whole class. We were thus able to survey a panoramic public with people belonging to different sections of the society.Our detailed survey is mentioned in the next section.

1)Sample areas- Madhuban and Nuabazaar (Both places in Paradeep),

sample units- teenagers, adults

Strength-100people

2) Collection of data- family wise, according to educational status and economic condition. Collecting tobacco wrappers, studying their composition etc.

3) Discussion with doctors about the effects of tobacco on general health

4) Interviews of victims and their families. The victims were asked what persuaded them to take tobacco.

5) Making graphs both locality and sample wise.

6) Interview with tobacco sellers and buyers.

7) Taking photographs

8) Dramatization

We carried out surveys of the following people-

1)Regular tobacco consumers

We took an interview of about 100 adults and 100 teenagers who were addicts. Most of them did not know about the composition of tobacco. Many knew that tobacco is bad for health but had no idea why. When we said that it caused mouth cancer along with various other lung ailments and showed them a video featuring our interview with the doctor, many were frightened and wowed to leave it at once. For detailed analysis refer to the data analysis section mentioned later.

2) Tobacco sellers

We interviewed 6 vendors from various places and tested their knowledge about the thing that they sold. A few of them were aware of the consequences of eating the thing but said that they were helpless in this case. They said that many people were already addicts before they had stepped into the business. People threatened them to keep a stock. Three of them said that they were destitute and had no way to earn a living than this business. When we asked them about how many packets were sold daily. The figures were astounding.

Shyamlal behra- 300-350 packets

Ashirbad Mohanty- 270-300 packets

Kuna Mallick- 350-370 packets

Others were minor vendors with sales varying from 50- 60 packets each. By this we can say how high the is the number of tobacco addicts in Paradeep.

3) Doctor. B.P. Adhikari Doctor gave us a lot of information on ill effects of tobacco consumption. All this information has been mentioned in a later section of the project. He even told us a a simple way to check whether a tobacco consumer is a hardcore addict or not.

4) Master Tarun Mohapatra who is one of the few people who have managed to leave tobacco after consuming it for about three months. He said that peer pressure had compelled him to try tobacco and soon it became like something required daily. However when he later heard about the ill effects of tobacco, he made a resolution never to touch it again and persuaded his mind to leave the ominous stuff. And he was a successful. He says that no one can ask an addict to leave what he is addicted to. Its all in one’s mind. Strong will power did the trick in his case.

	TEENAGERS	ADULTS
NO OF PACKETS CONSUMED PER DAY	4 Sachets (Average)	6 Sachets (Average)
MONEY SPENT MONTHLY BEHIND TOBACCO	Rs 180/- (Average)	Rs 270/- (Average)
CAUSE MENTIONED BY THE MAJORITY	1) Peer pressure, 2)high expectations of parents 3)examination  stress 4) Out of curiosity.	1)Addiction since chichildhood, 2)work pressure, 3) dealing with boredom 4) Problems in family affairs.

This table shows a comparative account of consumption and expenditure of tobacco between adults and teenagers. A total of 100 teens and 100 adults were surveyed to draw the conclusions. The same also applies to the other table mentioned below.

	ECONOMICALLY WELLOFF	ECONOMICALLY WEAKER	POOR
INCOME	>Rs 12000 (PER MONTH)	< Rs 12000 (PER MONTH)	<Rs 5000
NO OF PACKS CONSUMED PER DAY	6-7 (Average)	4-5 (average)	4-5 (average)
MONEY SPENT (MONTHLY)	Rs 300	Rs 250	Rs 250
CAUSES MENTIONED BY MAJORITY	1)Childhood addiction 2)For fun 3)Dealing with pressure	1) Childhood addiction 2) For fun 3) Dealing boredom	1)Childhood addiction 2) For fun 3) Dealing with financial stress.

Tobacco addiction, the second-leading cause of death in the world, is a culprit for approximately 5 million deaths each year or 1 in 10 adult deaths. As guthka is also a form of tobacco it shares the same effects though in a bit milder form that that of tobacco. The effects of Nicotine present in it include-

1)Symptoms include difficulty in concentrating,

2)Nervousness,

3)Headaches,

4)Weight loss due to decreased appetite,

5)Decreased heart rate,

6)Insomnia,

7)Irritability and depression.

These symptoms peak in the first few days but eventually disappear within a month.

Symptoms of nicotine toxicity, otherwise known as acute nicotine poisoning, include nausea, vomiting, salivation, pallor, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and cold sweat. This symptom is usually seen in people who are long-term addicts of tobacco.

Nicotine alters the bioavailability of dopamine and serotonin and causes a sharp increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Its most harmful effect is that it causes mouth as well as lung cancer. People who smoke tobacco cause harm not only to themselves but also to others in their surroundings. Nonsmokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke have a significantly higher risk of developing cancers and pulmonary diseases. Concentrations of toxins and carcinogens are higher in side stream smoke. Children exposed to secondhand smoke develop a variety of respiratory disorders and morbidity.

SOURCES-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco

Other information was provided to us by Dr B.P.Adhikari and madam Jashovanti Pattnaik.

 

1) Seeing the results obtained from the survey, we can say that people of all age groups, educational levels and all economic standards are addicted to tobacco. Indeed the survey went against our imaginations. Where we expected to find more addicts amongst people belonging to the economically poor classes, our finding showed the people who were economically well off were more addicted to it.Reason-

A) The probable reason is higher buying capacity.

B) They face higher stress regarding managing their money

2) People who were poor also spent a very high proportion of their income after tobacco. Reasons-

A) They found it as a good way to tackle financial stress.

B) Many uneducated people found it to be a better and comparatively harmless, substitution to opium.

3) Though doctors say that addiction prevails mostly among adults, our findings in the region showed that the number of addicts among students were almost the same as that of adults. Out of 200 children asked in Paradeep, 126 were found to be addicts, a few of whom had become addicts newly. This is very close to our survey taking adults which stood at 100 out of 320 adults if their ages are taken into consideration.

4) Not many people who were addicts cooperated in the survey. It was through indirect sources that we came to know of their cases. This can be easily be understood by the fact that a total of 40 students were able to enquire only 200 other people.

5) It was astonishing to know that many people were not aware of the consequences of tobacco consumption. Indeed many people who took the stuff regularly did not even know the composition of it. 68/100 kids & 49/100 adults did not have the slightest idea of what is nicotine. We told them the composition of Punjabi- the leading brand of Gutka

1) Nuts

2) Tobacco (33.5%)

3) Spices

4) Sweet supari

One can’t change the mentality of a person completely but can try at his level best to make the other person aware of the consequences of his act. As students we can do the following in order to bring about a difference-

1)The victims can be shown videos featuring the ill effects of tobacco consumption using laptops, projectors etc.

2)Victims should be shown sympathy and not be treated harshly. They should be motivated by activities like dramatization, games etc.

3)Programs like NAEP (National adolescent education program) should be promoted.

4)Doctors should be consulted in order to rehabilate.

6)Yoga camps and other such efforts prove to be beneficial in such cases.

7)People who are addicts need something to give them the pleasure of tobacco. They should be encouraged to take other harmless thing like chewing gums, cumin or other spices for that matter that aren’t habit forming or addictive substances.

8)Addicts should be taken to a councellor or a psychiatrist as most people become addicts due to hypertension or depression.

The most important thing required to quit any form of addiction is strong will power. As it is said- “It’s all in your mind”. Thus, if you want a better life, always say no to Guthka.