Substance Abuse Introduction to Tobacco

Substance Abuse:  Overindulgence in or dependence on an addictive substance, especially alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs

Tobacco  What do we already know?  What do we want to know?

Let’s take a survey:  ResourcesforYou/ucm htm ResourcesforYou/ucm htm

In your group please discuss:  Why do you think young people start using tobacco products?  Have you ever felt pressured to use tobacco? If so, how did you handle it?  Do you think there are health risks associated with tobacco use? if so what do you think they are?

Tobacco

Smokeless Tobacco  Chewing or Spit Tobacco  Dried, ground-up tobacco leaves  Either chewed or held between the gum and lower lip or cheek  Added flavor to improve taste  Tobacco “juice” is spit out or swallowed

Smokeless Tobacco  Users just as likely to become addicted as a smoker  Can permanently damage your senses of smell and taste  Leads to tooth decay and gum disease  Can cause cancers of the mouth

Snuff  Processed wet or dry tobacco powder  Flavored with spices and oils  Wet snuff is placed inside cheek  Dry snuff is usually rubbed on gums or snorted (sniffed up the nose)  Leads to gum disease and cancers of mouth, tongue, and sinuses

Cigarettes and Cigars  Most common form of tobacco use  Contain more than 4,000 chemicals  Contain 200 known poisons including:  Ammonia, insecticides, chemicals found in nail polish remover, embalming fluid, rocket fuel and rat poison

Nicotine  The substance in tobacco that causes its drug like effects.  Nicotine is a stimulant  Speeds up the heart rate, breathing rate, increases blood pressure  As addictive as cocaine and heroin

Nicotine  Users crave more and more over time  Many smokers are “a pack a day”  Many smokers consume more than one pack a day (chain smoking)

Tar  Smoked tobacco produces Tar  A dark, sticky liquid made when tobacco burns  Tar is filled with chemicals that cause breathing difficulties, cancer and other health problems

Carbon Monoxide  Produced when burning a cigar or cigarette  Poisonous gas that cannot be seen or smelled  Once in the lungs and bloodstream, carbon monoxide keeps blood cells from carrying oxygen to the brain

Secondhand smoke  Smoke that you inhale by being near someone who is smoking  Can lead to or worsen ear infections, allergies, breathing problems and lung and heart function  Leads to asthma in children, and pneumonia or bronchitis in infants

Daily Quiz! Take out a piece of paper, put everything else away  What is smokeless tobacco? What are some health risks associated with it?  Define the following:  Nicotine  Tar  Carbon Monoxide  What are some health effects of secondhand smoke?