2.  Nicotine is a stimulant. Stimulants speed up the body’s nervous system  Short term effects: increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and changes in the brain that lead to addiction

3.  May experience mild signs of nicotine poisoning which include: rapid pulse, clammy skin, nausea, and dizziness.  In regular users, nicotine stimulates an area of the brain that produces a feeling of pleasure and reward. This lasts approximately 30 minutes.

4.  Psychological Dependence: May become habit in routines or to deal with stressful situations.  Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms: Head ache, irritability, difficulty sleeping, inability to concentrate, and intense nicotine cravings.  Withdrawal effects may occur in as short as 30 minutes.

5.  Tar: Brown stains on fingers and teeth, smelly hair and clothes, bad breath, paralysis of cilia, increase in respiratory infections, impaired lung function.  Tar also contains carcinogens and may cause cancer with long term use.

6.  Carbon Monoxide: odorless, poisonous gas that occurs when tobacco is burned.  Other Chemicals: Acetone, ammonia, arsenic, benzene, butane, cadmium, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, methanol, naphthalene, nickel, propane, stearic acid, uranium, vinyl chloride

7.  With each dose of smokeless tobacco, the user absorbs about 2.5X the amount of nicotine as a person who smokes one cigarette.  May lead to stained teeth, bad breath, drooling, gum and tooth decay.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgdG1ObWO Dw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgdG1ObWO Dw

8.  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD): Gradual loss of lung function over time. People with COPD find it difficult to fill their lungs with air. Simple activities leave them gasping for breath.  Chronic bronchitis (airways are constantly inflamed) and emphysema (alveoli in the lungs no longer function properly) are two forms of COPD

9.  Cigarette smoking is responsible for 90% of COPD deaths.  There is NO cure for COPD, but if a person quits smoking they can prevent symptoms from getting worse.

10.  Cardiovascular Diseases are diseases of the heart and blood vessels.  Fact 1: A smoker is 2-3X more likely to have a heart attack then a nonsmoker.  Fact 2: Cigarette smoking doubles a person’s chance for a stroke.  Fact 3: Smokers are 10X more likely to develop circulation problems in blood vessels that bring blood to the kidneys, stomach, legs and feet.

11.  Lung cancer: Leading cause of death. 85% of lung cancer cases are smoking related. By the time lung cancer is diagnosed successful treatment is unlikely.  Oral Cancer: 90% of oral cancers that are diagnosed are tobacco related. Surgery to remove cancer is disfiguring. Users mat develop white patches on the tongue or lining of the mouth called leukoplakia.

12.  Mainstream: Exhaled from the smokers lungs  Sidestream: Comes off the end of the cigarette.  Exposure to second hand smoke increases risk of sudden heart attack by 30%.  Second hand smoke causes 50,000 deaths a year.  Children are especially sensitive to second hand smoke.

13.  Ask smokers to move  Ask guests to not smoke in your home  Avoid smokers

14.  Risk factors for cerebral palsy, sight impairment, hearing problems, and learning difficulties.  Also increases risk for miscarriage, premature births, still births and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).