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Log inWhat is Tobacco?
Tobacco is a broad-leafed plant native to North and South America, whose dried and cured leaves are often smoked in the form of a cigar, cigarette or pipe. Tobacco is also chewed, "dipped" between the cheek and gum, or sniffed into the nose (in the form of finely powdered snuff tobacco). Tobacco has been around since the first settlers came to America. In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that the nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive and that smoking is a major cause of strokes and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing approximately 440,000 premature deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost of more than $75 billion in direct medical costs.
What are the Street Names for Tobacco?
Street or slang names include butts, chew, coffin nails, dip, fags, and sticks.
How Does Nicotine Affect the User?
All forms of tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. Nicotine provides a "kick" because it releases chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system and other glands resulting in the release of glucose, giving the user a pleasant feeling. When the kick fades, depression and fatigue set in, causing the user to seek more nicotine.
What are the Short-Term Effects of Tobacco Use?
Nicotine causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and the flow of blood from the heart. It also causes the arteries to narrow. Carbon monoxide from smoking reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. This, combined with the effects produced by nicotine, creates an imbalance in the demand for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood is able to supply.
What are the Long-Term Effects of Tobacco Use?
It is now well documented that smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke, as well as cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. In addition, smoking is known to contribute to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys. Researchers have identified more than 40 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer in humans and animals. Smokeless tobacco and cigars can also have deadly consequences, including lung, larynx, esophageal, and oral cancer.
The harmful effects of smoking do not end with the smoker. Women who use tobacco during pregnancy are more likely to have low birth-weight babies and an increased risk of infant death. The health of non-smokers is also adversely affected by second-hand smoke. Each year, excessive exposure causes non-smoking Americans to die of lung cancer and children to suffer from lower respiratory-tract infections.
Signs and Symptoms of Tobacco Use
Withdrawal symptoms
When quitting, smokers may experience changes in heart rate, blood pressure, appetite, temperature, and digestion. Withdrawal is also often accompanied by anxiety, insomnia, nausea, irritability and fatigue.
Treatment Options
There are many tools to assist smokers trying to quit. Nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch, nicotine gum, nicotine sprays and inhalers can be effective tools in reducing withdrawal symptoms felt during the first few months after quitting smoking. Another tool is a medication (trade name Zyban) that changes the way the brain responds to nicotine, making it less desirable.
All of the tools mentioned above must be combined with behavioral therapy in order to be effective. Support groups can help former smokers overcome high-risk situations by learning coping skills and getting support from others in the same situation. Groups such as Nicotine Anonymous or Quitnet are good programs to review. Most health insurance companies, employee assistance programs and state alcohol and drug programs now have support systems to help smokers quit.
Tobacco is a broad-leafed plant native to North and South America, whose dried and cured leaves are often smoked in the form of a cigar, cigarette or pipe. Tobacco is also chewed, "dipped" between the cheek and gum, or sniffed into the nose (in the form of finely powdered snuff tobacco). Tobacco has been around since the first settlers came to America. In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that the nicotine in tobacco is highly addictive and that smoking is a major cause of strokes and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing approximately 440,000 premature deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost of more than $75 billion in direct medical costs.
What are the Street Names for Tobacco?
Street or slang names include butts, chew, coffin nails, dip, fags, and sticks.
How Does Nicotine Affect the User?
All forms of tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco contain nicotine, which is highly addictive. Nicotine provides a "kick" because it releases chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system and other glands resulting in the release of glucose, giving the user a pleasant feeling. When the kick fades, depression and fatigue set in, causing the user to seek more nicotine.
What are the Short-Term Effects of Tobacco Use?
Nicotine causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and the flow of blood from the heart. It also causes the arteries to narrow. Carbon monoxide from smoking reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. This, combined with the effects produced by nicotine, creates an imbalance in the demand for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood is able to supply.
What are the Long-Term Effects of Tobacco Use?
It is now well documented that smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke, as well as cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. In addition, smoking is known to contribute to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys. Researchers have identified more than 40 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer in humans and animals. Smokeless tobacco and cigars can also have deadly consequences, including lung, larynx, esophageal, and oral cancer.
The harmful effects of smoking do not end with the smoker. Women who use tobacco during pregnancy are more likely to have low birth-weight babies and an increased risk of infant death. The health of non-smokers is also adversely affected by second-hand smoke. Each year, excessive exposure causes non-smoking Americans to die of lung cancer and children to suffer from lower respiratory-tract infections.
Signs and Symptoms of Tobacco Use
- Wheezing and coughing
- Bad breath, smelly hair and clothes
- Yellow-stained teeth/ fingers
- Frequent colds
- Decreased senses of smell and taste
- Difficulty keeping up with sports and athletic activities
- Mouth sores and bleeding gums (smokeless tobacco)
Withdrawal symptoms
When quitting, smokers may experience changes in heart rate, blood pressure, appetite, temperature, and digestion. Withdrawal is also often accompanied by anxiety, insomnia, nausea, irritability and fatigue.
Treatment Options
There are many tools to assist smokers trying to quit. Nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch, nicotine gum, nicotine sprays and inhalers can be effective tools in reducing withdrawal symptoms felt during the first few months after quitting smoking. Another tool is a medication (trade name Zyban) that changes the way the brain responds to nicotine, making it less desirable.
All of the tools mentioned above must be combined with behavioral therapy in order to be effective. Support groups can help former smokers overcome high-risk situations by learning coping skills and getting support from others in the same situation. Groups such as Nicotine Anonymous or Quitnet are good programs to review. Most health insurance companies, employee assistance programs and state alcohol and drug programs now have support systems to help smokers quit.