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Tobacco
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Get the Facts!
Tobacco products-cigarettes, smokeless
tobacco and snuff- can all causes serious damages to your health.
Smoking, which is the most common cause of lung cancer, is also a
leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, pancreas and
kidneys. Smokeless tobacco products contain ingredients that can cause
cancer in your lips, tongue, cheeks, gums, and mouth.
Tobacco affects your body’s development. Smoking in your teens is
very harmful because your body is still developing. The 200 known
poisons in cigarette smoke affect your normal development and can cause
life-threatening diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, heart disease,
and stroke.
Tobacco is addictive. Tobacco products contain a powerfully
addictive substance called nicotine. The younger a person is when they
start using tobacco products, the more likely they are to become
strongly addicted to nicotine. Addiction can occur after smoking as few
as 100 cigarettes. 80% of adults who use tobacco regularly began using
before age 18.
Tobacco can kill you. Each year in the United States, cigarette
smoking accounts for 440,000 deaths. More deaths are caused each year by
tobacco than by all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use,
motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murder combined.
Before You Risk It . .
.
Know the law. It is illegal for
anyone under 18 to buy cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or tobacco related
products.
Stay informed. Addiction to tobacco is hard to control. Young
people often underestimate the addictiveness of tobacco and the effect
of tobacco use on their health.
Keep your edge. The poisons in cigarettes can affect your
appearance. Tobacco stains teeth and nails, and also dulls skin and
hair. Smoking causes skin to age prematurely-wrinkles!!
Be aware. It can be hard to play sports is you use tobacco
products. Smoking causes shortness of breath and dizziness, and chewing
tobacco causes dehydration.
Think of others. Anyone who smokes puts the health of friends and
family at risk – more than 126 million nonsmoking Americans are exposed
to secondhand smoke. Every year, about 3,000 nonsmokers die from lung
cancer due to secondhand smoke. There is no risk free level of
secondhand smoke exposure, even brief exposures can be dangerous.
Get the facts. Each day, nearly 4,400 young people between the
ages of 12 and 17 start smoking. Many will suffer a long-term health
consequence and roughly one-third of them will eventually die from a
tobacco related disease.
Know the Signs . . .
How can you tell if a friend is using
tobacco?
Sometimes it’s tough to tell. But there are signs you can look for. If
your friend has one or more of the following signs, they may be using
tobacco regularly:
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Bad breath
• Smelly hair and clothes
• Yellow-stained teeth and fingers
• Frequent colds
• Decreased senses of smell and taste
• Difficulty keeping up with sports and athletic activities
• Bleeding gums (smokeless tobacco)
• Frequent mouth sores (smokeless tobacco)
Q & A
Q. Is smokeless tobacco safe?
A. No. Remember, “No smoke” doesn’t mean that smokeless tobacco is safe.
Even a little smokeless tobacco has enough nicotine to get you addicted.
Smokeless tobacco can lead to many types of health problems as we as
cause cancer.
Q. Doesn’t smoking help you relax?
A. No. Smoking can actually increase feelings of stress and nervousness.
Break the cycle: Use drug-free strategies to calm your nerves like
exercise and talking to your friends.
Q. Do most teens smoke?
A. No, out of every 100 teens, 87 do not use a tobacco product.
Currently, the number of girls who smoke cigarettes slightly outnumbers
the boys who smoke.
The bottom line: If you know someone who is using tobacco, urge
him or her to quit. If you are using it – stop! The longer you ignore
the real facts, the more chances you take with your health and
well-being.
It is never too late. Talk to your parents, a doctor, a counselor, a
teacher, or another adult you trust.
Do it today!
To learn more about tobacco, or obtain referrals to programs in your
community, contact:
SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
800-729-6686
TDD 800-487-4889
Web site: http://ncadi.samhsa.gov
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