Effects of Tobacco Use

1. Effects of Tobacco Use

2. Nicotine • Addictive drug – a substance that causes physiological or psychological dependence • Stimulant – a drug that increases the action of the central nervous system, the heart, and other organs • Raises blood pressure • Increases heart rate • Contributes to heart disease and stroke

3. Cigarette Smoke • Cigarette Smoke is a Class A Carcinogen (EPA, 1992) • Carcinogen – cancer-causing substance • Tar • A thick, sticky, dark fluid produced when tobacco burns • Destroys cilia – tiny hairlike structures that line the upper airways and protect against infection • Damages the alveoli (air sacs) – which absorb oxygen and rid the body of carbon dioxide • Destroys lung tissue • More susceptible to diseases like bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, and cancer • Carbon Monoxide • A colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas • It is easier for blood to hold carbon monoxide instead of oxygen

4. Tar Coated Lung

5. Harmful Effects of Pipes and Cigars • Cigars contain more nicotine and produce more tar and carbon monoxide than cigarettes • Nicotine in 1 cigar = nicotine in 1 pack of cigarettes • Increased risk of developing cancers of the lip, mouth, and throat

6. Harmful Effects of Smokeless Tobacco • Smokeless tobacco – tobacco that is sniffed through the nose, held in the mouth, or chewed • NOT safe!!! – contain 28 carcinogens • Delivers nicotine two to three the amount delivered by a single cigarette • Dips/chew 8 to 10 = smoking 2 packs a day • Leukoplakia – thickened, white, leathery-looking spots on the inside of the mouth that can develop into oral cancer • Cancers – throat, larynx, esophagus, stomach, and pancreas

8. Short-Term Effects of Tobacco Use • Changes in brain chemistry • Increased respiration and heart rate • Dulled taste buds and reduced appetite • Bad breath and smelly hair, clothes, and skin

9. Long-term effects of tobacco use • Chronic bronchitis • Emphysema • Lung cancer • Coronary heart disease and stroke • Constrict blood vessels • Cuts down on circulation • Plaque build up - Arteriosclerosis

10. Other consequences • Legal consequences • Social consequences • Financial consequences

11. Reduced Tobacco Use Among Teens • Antismoking campaigns • Tobacco companies fund • Financial cost • Societal pressures • Family influence

12. Benefits of Living Tobacco Free • Lowers risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke • Improves cardiovascular endurance and lung function • Not dependent on an addictive substance • Less stress • Helps a person look and feel better

13. Strategies for Preventing Use of Tobacco • Choose friends who don’t use tobacco • Avoid situations where tobacco products may be used • Practice and use refusal skills – “I statement format skills” • Continue to build Developmental Assets

14. Reasons to give up tobacco use • Begin to have health problems • Have the desire, will, and commitment • It is too expensive • Using tobacco can lead to other risky behaviors • Learn the damaging effects

15. Stopping the Addiction Cycle • Nicotine withdrawal – the process that occurs in the body when nicotine, an addictive drug, is no longer used • Symptoms • Irritability, difficulty, concentrating, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and cravings • Nicotine substitute • A product that delivers small amounts of nicotine into the user’s system while he or she is trying to give up the tobacco habit • Nicotine gum/patch

17. Tips for Quitting • Prepare for the day • Get support • Identify available health-related services • Replace tobacco use with healthier alternatives • Change daily behavior • Engage in healthful behaviors

18. Risks for Smokers and Nonsmokers • Environmental tobacco smoke – 2nd hand smoke – air that has been contaminated by tobacco smoke • Mainstream smoke – exhaled smoke • Sidestream smoke – smoke from the burning end

19. Effects on Smoke on Nonsmokers • Environmental tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 different chemical compounds (43 carcinogens) • Effects • Eye irritation • Headaches • Ear infections • Coughing • Worsens asthma and other respiratory problems • Lung cancer – 3,000 diagnosed/year

20. Effects on Unborn Children • Nicotine passes through the placenta • Constricts blood vessels of fetus • Carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen levels • Impaired fetal growth • Miscarriage • Prenatal death • Premature delivery • Low birth weight • Deformities • Stillbirths • SIDS

21. Effects on Small Children • Tend to have a higher incidence of sore throats, ear infections, and upper respiratory problems • Double the risk of developing lung cancer

22. A Smoke-free society • Taking steps to prohibit smoking in public places • Non-smoking areas

23. Benefits of Quitting • After 24 hours – your chance of a heart attack decreases • After 48 hours – Nerve endings start repairing - your sense of smell and taste will improve • Between 2-3 weeks – circulation improves, walking becomes easier, and lung function increases

24. Benefits of Quitting • 1-9 months – you may notice improvements in these areas – coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath • 1 year smoke-free – excess risk of coronary heart disease is reduced to half of that of a smoker • 5 years – stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked

25. Benefits of Quitting • 10 years – risk of lung cancer drops to ½ of smokers • 10 years – risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases • Risk of ulcers decrease

26. Benefits of Quitting • 15 years - Risk of Coronary Heart disease is the same as those who have never smoked • 15 years - Risk of Death is nearly the level of those who have never smoked