Smoke and Mirrors: Effects of Tobacco

What is in a cigarette? Cigarettes contain upwards of 4,000 chemicals, 400 toxins, and at least forty-three carcinogens. Carcinogens are cancer-causing substances in the body. Nicotine, formaldehyde, ammonia, arsenic, and DDT are only some of the toxins found in cigarettes.

One such substance, nicotine, is an addictive drug that is found in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco. Nicotine stimulates areas in the brain that generate feelings of pleasure and happiness. Because nicotine causes feelings of pleasure, it makes smoking easy to start and hard to quit.

People who start smoking before the age of 21 have the hardest time quitting. As few as 10% of the people in this group succeed in quitting. That means if you know ten people under the age 21 who smoke, maybe just one of them will eventually quit.

In the Numbers: Smoking Facts

There are countless reasons to quit or avoid smoking. In this interactivity, you will explore some important statistics regarding smoking. Click the player button to begin.

View a printable version of the interactivity.

Other Forms of Smoking Tobacco

Maybe you know someone who "dips" or "chews" tobacco. Did you know they are getting the same harmful substances as a person who smokes? Smokeless tobacco is usually sniffed through the nose or chewed in the mouth. It is referred to as dip, chew, snuff, and pinch. In addition, smokeless tobacco causes brown-stained teeth and mouth sores, damage to the teeth and gums, and damage to the digestive system. In some cases, it produces mouth sores, or leukoplakia, which you can see in the image on the right. Leukoplakia occurs when thick, white, leathery spots form on the inside of a smokeless tobacco user’s mouth. These lesions are pre-cancerous.

Some people think menthol cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are not as unhealthy as cigarettes. This is not so. Menthol cigarettes have higher amounts of nicotine and carbon monoxide. Smoking tobacco from a pipe or cigar is just as dangerous and addictive as smoking cigarettes. There is more tar and additional chemicals in pipe and cigar tobacco, particularly because there are no filters. Clove cigarettes are specialty cigarettes that are prepared with ingredients that make them smell sweet. They are likely to cause more health problems than regular cigarettes because they have a higher tar and nicotine content.

Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoke that is in the environment when someone is smoking. It is the smoke that comes from burning tobacco as well as smoke that is exhaled by the person who is smoking. Passive smoke is another word that is used for secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke can cause headaches, eye irritation, and coughing. As many as 3,000 people die every year from lung cancer that is caused by exposure to other people’s smoke. The lungs of a person who has been exposed to secondhand smoke for a prolonged period of time can look similar to a smoker's lungs.

Smoking and Pregnancy

When a mother smokes during pregnancy, her baby can have a low birth weight that in some cases leads to death. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with small fetal growth, increased chance of spontaneous abortion, and stillbirths. Smoking may also cause intellectual and developmental problems in early childhood. Babies who are born to mothers who smoke are twice as likely to be in poor health than babies who are born to mothers who do not smoke.

Strategies for Quitting

Nicotine Replacement Therapies

Nicotine replacements are used to help people quit smoking. They are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and relieve symptoms of withdrawal caused from not having nicotine. Examples of nicotine replacement therapies include:

• nicotine gum;
• nicotine patches;
• nasal sprays;
• lozenges;
• inhalers; and
• prescribed medications.

Non-Medical/Non-Nicotine Strategies

These methods are alternatives to prescriptions and other nicotine-containing replacement therapies. The goal is to help smokers forget about their need for nicotine. Some of these alternative strategies include:

• Focusing on exercise or some other physical goal for health;
• Reading or participating in a hobby;
• Hypnosis;
• Occupying the mouth with gum or toothpicks; and
• Munching on a crunchy, healthy food such as carrots or celery.

When someone is addicted to smoking or other tobacco products, it is often extremely difficult to quit. In fact, it usually takes several attempts and assistance to fully be free of addiction. Some people may need a combination of behavioral treatments and nicotine replacement therapies to help them quit for good. If you or someone you know is ready to quit smoking or using tobacco, here are some ways to ensure success. Quitting is usually a very difficult thing to do, and having a plan will relieve some of the stress that goes along with it.

The Impact of Tobacco Use and How to Resist

Tobacco use not only affects your physical health, but it also affects your family and community. You can become addicted to tobacco through use, and that addiction can lead to other drug and alcohol abuse. If people see you smoking and using tobacco, it could lead others to pick up the habit.

While not starting to smoke is the best way to resist tobacco use, if you encounter peer pressure, consider using the refusal methods you learned in a previous topic:

• Say no in a firm voice;
• Explain why you are refusing;
• Suggest alternatives to the proposed activity that are unrelated to drugs or alcohol;
• Back up your words with body language to let people know you are serious;
• Leave if necessary.

 

Effects of Tobacco Review

Now that you have learned about the effects of tobacco use, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Click the player button to get started.