Know the facts about....


Tobacco
Tobacco is a drug! Be Smart, Don’t Start.

Tobacco contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive drug. Some studies suggest that nicotine is addictive in the same ways as herion and cocaine. That’s because nicotine is metabolized - or absorbed into the body very quickly. The effects wear off after a few hours so, that’s when the typical tobacco user feels the need to get more nicotine into his or her system. When inhaled, nicotine reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body intravenously.



How nicotine works

Nicotine gives the body a kick by arousing the adrenal glands, which pump adrenaline into your system. Adrenaline produces a rush of excitement, think of how you feel when you are riding on a rollercoaster - that’s adrenaline.



Nicotine also causes the body to release dopamine in areas of the brain that control pleasure. After using tobacco a few times, the body becomes used to these new levels of dopamine in the brain and the body craves more intense and pleasurable sensations. Herion and cocain addicts are affected the same way by those narcotics.



If the cravings are not satisfied, the body begins to experience what is known as withdrawl. Some of the effects of withdrawl are:


    

  •  Fatigue

  •  Depression

  •  Increased appetite

  •  Anger

  •  Agression

  •  A drop in blood pressure and pulse rate

  •  Difficulty with concentration




This is why it is physically so difficult to stop smoking.



Nicotine sulfate preparations are used as pesticides most commonly found in fertilizers and gardening products. There are no known medical or therapeutic uses for Nicotine.






In addition to the physical effects of tobacco, there are emotional effects too. Most smokers develop habits that they find difficult to break such as, smoking in a crowd, the feeling that they need to be doing something with their hands, needing to have a cigarette at certain times of the day (first thing in the morning, on their lunch hour, after dinner, etc.). Old habits are hard to break.



Some health officials believe that the use of tobacco products may be the country’s most critical public-health problem. Nicotine addiction is at the root of enormous health, social and financial burdens.



Nearly 72 million people in the United States use some form of tobacco:


    

  •  Cigarettes: 52.5 million smokers

  •  Cigars: 9.7 million

  •  Chewing tobacco: 7.1 million

  •  Pipes: 2 million




What are the short term effects of tobacco?

They’re not pretty. Bad breath, yellow and brown stained teeth and fingers, smelly clothes, car, furniture and homes that reek.



People who chew tobacco are the dentist’s most lucrative clients. Their gums recede, and that gum loss leads to tooth decay. Tobacco chewers often have open sores in their mouth, which often leads to cancer.



Tobacco affects your bank account too. The typical user spends nearly $2,000 every year to satisfy their habit. Tobacco users pay higher health insurance premiums and miss more days of work every year. What could you do with all of that extra money?



Collectively, the United States loses more than $157 billion every year in health-care costs and lost productivity due to tobacco use.



What are the long-term effects of tobacco?
 

    

  •  Heart disease

  •  Emphysema

  •  Cancer of the mouth, lung, esophagus

  •  Chronic lung disease (smokers’ lungs turn black as they become clogged with smoke and the debris inhaled with the incinnerating tobacco)

  •  Decreased levels of physical activity (due to shortness of breath) and consequently obesity

  •  Miscarriages and small, premature babies who often require respiratory machines to help them breathe

  •  Impotence

  •  Wrinkled skin

  •  Weakened immune system

  •  Chronic cough


Studies have proven that second hand smoke causes bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma in those who are constantly around smokers, usually their children and spouses. There are 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. 43 of them are known human carcinogens. There is no level of tobacco use that is safe or healthy.



A few of these chemicals and their comon use are as follows:




formaldehydeembalming fluid


arsenicrat poison


carbon monoxidecar exhaust


ammoniacleanser


acetonenail polish remover


butanelighter fluid


cadmiumcar batteries


hexamineBBQ lighter fluid


hydrogen cyanidegas chamber poison


tarroofing material


touleneindustrial solvent


urethanewood stain sealer


vinyl chloridePVC pipe material






The saddest statistic of all: 440,000 deaths are caused every year in the United States from smoking. Making cigarette smoking the leading cause of preventable death.



Who uses Tobacco?

If tobacco is so bad - who is using it and why do they start? Many smokers get their first taste of tobacco by the time they are 13 years old. Every day 6,000 young people try cigarette smoking; 50 percent of them get hooked almost immediately. At current rates, an estimated 5 million people who were younger than 18 in 1995 will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.
 


Many young people begin smoking because it “looks cool.” Indeed, the tobacco industry spends 5.6 million dollars every year to make young people think that smoking is “cool.” They target young adults with glossy ads in magazines popular with teens and young adults. They use pictures of beautiful, young people in glamorous places doing fun things. Had those models really lit up, they’d need very good make-up and airbrushing to hide the wrinkles and stained teeth.  You wouldn’t be able to see their black lungs in an ad, or hear their coughing and raspy voices. Tobacco companies need young people to take up the smoking habit to replace their older customers who are dying or quit.



Some kids simply start smoking on a dare. They want to try something dangerous, not realizing how addictive and deadly it is.



Many adults wish that they had never started using tobacco. 40% of high school seniors who smoke daily have tried to quit and failed. They spend millions of dollars on therapy, arm patches, gum, hypnosis and other products to stop their smoking addiction. Start smoking and you’ll end up spending thousands of your own money to support a nasty habit that you’ll only try to kick later. 



“Bidis”

“Bidis” are the latest smoking craze among teenagers. These thin, flavored tobacco cigarettes are imported from India. Flavors include chocolate, strawberry, licorice, and vanilla. Many teens think they’re cute, sweeter, and more natural than regular cigarettes. They’re also cheaper. And, of course, younger kids are attracted to themm, too. The truth is, unfiltered bidis are even more dangerous than regular cigarettes. They release at least two to three times more tar and nicotine, according to a scientist from the Centers for Disease Control.


It’s the law

It is illegal in all 50 states for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase or use  tobacco products.




How Smoking Affects Your Body



    

  • BRAIN
    
	
      
		
    •  Pleasure & Then Sedation
      
	Nicotine, the highly addictive chemical in cigarettes and tobacco, stimulates the “pleasure centers” in the brain–creating pleasure and alertness. Nicotine initially stimulates the brain, then acts as a tranquilizer and sedative.
		
    •  Brain Alteration, withdrawl, and addition
      
		Nicotine directly affects, alters, and takes control of specialized receptor cells in the brain responsible for regulating well-being, mood, and memory. The drug remains active 20-40 minutes, then withdrawl symptoms begin. Regular and long-term use leads to addiction.

    

  • THROAT
    
	
      
	
    • Cancer of larynx and esophagus, irritates membranes of the throat.
    

  • HEART
    
	
      
		
    •  Nicotine raises heart rate, increases blood pressure, and constricts blood vessles
		
    •  Carbon monoxide increases risk of heart attack and stroke
		
    •  Cause weakening of the heart muscle’s ability to pump blood, leading to death
    


  • LIVER
    

      

    •  Cirrhosis of the liver
    

  • ADRENAL GLANDS
    

      

    •  Stimulates adrenaline
    

  • VERTEBRAE
    

      

    •  Increased risk of vertebral cancer
    

  • REPORDUCTIVE ORGANS
    

      

    •  MALE & FEMALE
      
Reduces sex drive and increases risk of impotence in males. In females, increased chance of cervical cancer, and brings on menopause earlier.

    •  PREGNANCY AND UNBORN BABIES
      
Smoking increases chances of complications during pregnancy.
      
Smoking during pregnancy may cause impairment of baby’s growth, intellect, and emotional development.
    


  • CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
    

      

    •  Heart rate goes up 15-20 beats per minute

    •  Increases blood pressure

    •  Reduces sex drive

    •  Irritates mouth and throat

    •  Major cause of heart attack, lung diseases, stroke, and death
    

  • MOUTH
    

      

    •  Dulls taste buds, irritates membranes of the mouth, bleeding and receding gums, foul breath, and numbness.

    •  Staining of teeth, tooth decay and tooth loss

    •  Cancer of the mouth

    

  • LUNGS
    

      

    •  Asthma

    •  Emphysema

    •  Chronic bronchitis

    •  Lung cancer

    

  • STOMACH & DUODENUM
    

       

    •  Stomach and duodenal ulcers develop, creating burning pain
    

  • KIDNEYS
    

      

    •  Reduces kidneys’ ability to process fluids and waste, inhibiting formation of urine

    •  Cancer
    

  • BLOOD VESSELS
    

      

    •  Nicotine causes the blood vessels to constrict, increasing blood pressure, and risk of heart attack
    

  • BLADDER
    

      

    •  Cancer of the bladder
    

  • BONES
    

      

    •  Increases the risk of early onset of Osteoporosis
    












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