Why People Use Tobacco Advertisements appealing Nicotine is addictive For pleasant effects: calms nerves, anxiety Fight off withdrawal effects Take a break, relax Each day 5,000 children begin smoking 350,000 premature deaths per year due to smoking Smoking kills more than all drugs and alcohol combined

What is in Tobacco? More than 4,000 chemicals have been found in smoke Most harmful are the “tars” which are carcinogens (cancer causing) A smoker can accumulate ¼ - 1 ½ pounds of tar in the lungs each year How expensive is it?

Lung Damage Smoking damages the cilia (hair like structures that clean the lungs) Increases mucus Damages the air sacs

Lung Diseases Bronchitis – infection of the bronchi, harsh coughing Emphysema - air sacs damaged, breathing difficult, leads to death Cancer – malignant tumors, destroys lungs COLD – Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

Heart and Circulatory System Speeds up the heart Risk factor for heart disease Raises the BP Reduces amount of oxygen carried Triggers blood clots Carbon monoxide poisoning

Other Effects of Smoking Wrinkles skin Ulcers Interferes with immune system Bad breath Damages teeth and gums And more……

Passive Smoking (Second Hand Smoke) Mainstream smoke – smoke from the cigarette filtered twice by filter and lungs Sidestream smoke – smoke from the burning cigarette 53,000 deaths per year linked to second hand smoke Same lung diseases as smokers More asthma

Smokeless Tobacco As addictive as cigarettes Can cause minor sores Can cause leukoplakia – a precancerous condition Can cause cancer Damages teeth and gums

The Decision to Quit Cold turkey – this is the abrupt quitting method Slowly tapering off method – the use of nicotine gum or nicotine patches

A doctor on his morning walk, noticed the old lady pictured above:, She was sitting on her front step smoking a cigar, so he walked up to her and said, “I couldn’t help but notice how happy you look! What is your secret?” “I smoke ten cigars a day,” she said. “Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food. On weekends, I pop pills, have sex, and I don’t exercise at all. “That is absolutely amazing! How old are you?” “Forty,” she replied