Smoking

Each year 438,000 people die from tobacco use Most people begin as teenagers

Smoking and respiration People cough to get rid of irritants from the respiratory tract

Emphysema Most common of lower respiratory diseases Caused by –Scar tissue –Mucus obstruction of the respiratory tract –Bronchioles become less elastic –Destroys alveoli which exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide

Bronchiols and alveoli

Tobacco smoke 4,000 compounds –60 of these can cause cancer

Nicotine Can be found in the brain 7 seconds after smoking Twice as fast an an IV injection

Choosing to smoke Voluntary Smokers are poorer than nonsmokers Smokers are less educated than nonsmokers

Why do people start to smoke? Optimistic bias –Smoking problems do not apply to me Social pressure –Friends, parents, siblings smoke –Movies Tobacco promotional items –Wall poster –Three times more likely to smoke

Why do people continue to smoke? Positive reinforcement –Relaxation Negative reinforcement –Eliminates effects of withdrawal Feeling tense, anxious, depressed Optimistic bias

Effects of smoking Three leading causes of death in US are all smoking related causes of death About 1/2 of smokers die from the habit

Other effects of smoking Related to psychiatric disorders Women –2X risk of cardiovascular disease –10X risk of dying from respiratory disease –Infertility –Preterm delivery –Stillbirth (dead baby) –Low birth-weight babies

Other effects of smoking Men –Look older & less attractive –Erectile dysfunction

Social costs of smoking $167 billion each year Passive smoking kills people Increased insurance premiums Lost worker productivity Additional cost over the cost to the smoker –Text says $3 - $4 (Exam says $7) Either is ok

Quitting smoking Smoking is very addictive Most who quit, do so on their own Best results with: –Practitioner support –Counseling –Nicotine replacement therapy More effective than a placebo

The abstinence violation effect One slip = full relapse

Effects of quitting Weight gain –Physical activity helps reduce this Reduced all-cause deaths by 36% –Smokers must quit, not just cut back