Smoking Stinks!
15 Comments You probably know that smoking is NOT cool—and that it’s really dangerous, too. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and kills nearly a half a million people each year. The chemicals found in cigarette smoke have been linked to serious long-term side effects, including cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and even death. People who smoke may become infertile, and pregnant women who smoke are more at risk for stillbirths, having babies with low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it will require prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. Check out the new warning labels here: http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/CigaretteWarningLabels/default.htm.
But cigarette smoking doesn’t just affect the smoker—“secondhand” smoke also affects families and friends and many thousands of others. Secondhand smoke is exactly what it sounds like: nonsmokers inhale the smoke that “firsthand” smokers exhale from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that each year, secondhand smoke causes as many as 3,400 lung cancer-related deaths in the United States.
So, if you want a longer, healthier life, better to indulge in activities like sports, yoga, running, and spending time with friends and family.
First Get Drug Smart, Then Think Twice
The Shoutout is gathering volume and the message is coming through loud and clear: JUST THINK TWICE!
- Myth: If I smoke cigarettes now and then, I won’t get addicted.
- Think twice: Each puff of a cigarette gives a smoker about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine. Although that may not seem like much, it is enough to make someone addicted. bit.ly/cvgZvd
- Myth: Huffing – like sniffing Sharpies or household cleaners – really doesn’t do anything bad; just gives me a quick high.
- Think twice: In the short term, these chemicals can cause dizziness, loss of consciousness, bad mood swings, and headaches. In the long term, toxic fumes can take the place of oxygen in the blood, which can damage your brain and other organs. bit.ly/b8ry8k
- Myth: Prescription drugs can’t be dangerous if a doctor prescribes them.
- Think twice ADHD medications like Adderall can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure, psychosis, and seizures if they’re abused; pain medications like Vicodin can cause respiratory depression and arrest, and even death, particularly when combined with alcohol. http://bit.ly/djfjGi
Throughout the day on November 8, watch our Sara Bellum Blog, where we will showcase as many shoutouts as we find. Follow us on Twitter (#drugfacts2010) and check out NIDA’s National Drug Facts Week Facebook page. On November 9, check out Chat Day as we shout it out for teens everywhere –
First, get the facts on drugs. Then choose health.
The Price of Smoking
Image Courtesy of PeterGerdes
You’ve already heard plenty about what smoking can do to your looks and your life. But have you ever stopped to really think about how much money gets burned up with each pack of cigarettes?
The average price for a pack of cigarettes (PDF, 57.91 KB) nationwide is around $5.50—more or less depending on the State you live in. The spending calculator lets you enter the number of packs smoked per week as well as the price per pack. Then, it calculates the monthly and yearly cost.
Let’s say you smoke one pack a week at the average price of $5.50 per pack—that’s $22 a month and $264 a year. If you smoke two packs a week, the numbers double—$44 a month and more than $500 a year! I’m sure you can think of better things to do with $500….
According to NIDA research, nicotine in cigarettes is addictive, and most people smoke tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Once people get addicted, they need more and more of the drug to get the same effect. That means smoking leads to more smoking, which leads to more money for the cigarette companies and less for you—not to mention the hit on your health.
When you quit, treat yourself to a reward, and pay for it with the money you used to spend on cigarettes.
To talk to someone about quitting, call the national toll-free number, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
New Rules for Cigarette Companies
Image Courtesy of Ferminius
As the 1-year anniversary of the signing of the Tobacco Control Act approaches, new rules that let the Government regulate tobacco products are going into effect. Starting on June 22, cigarette packs may no longer use labels that say “light,” “low” and “mild.” This is because research shows that “light” cigarettes are no safer than regular ones. Also, tobacco companies will no longer be allowed to sponsor cultural and sporting events, distribute logo clothing, give away free samples or sell cigarettes in packages of less than 20—what’s known as “kiddy packs.”
Another new law will prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 18, and vending machine sales of tobacco products will be banned except in adults-only places. We did an earlier blog about the ban on candy and fruit-flavored tobacco products, but these new laws will go even further.
This is great news for the public health and for teens, since tobacco products still account for 20 percent of all deaths in the United States each year, and tobacco companies keep trying to recruit new smokers. Every day 1,000 children become addicted to tobacco, and almost 4,000 try their first cigarette, according to John R. Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society, who says the tobacco industry spends $34 million every day to try and hook new young smokers.
So, show the tobacco companies you can think for yourself. Smoking is very addictive, so the best advice is (yeah, you’ve heard it before): Don’t start!
Word of the Day: Carcinogen
Carcinogen: Any substance that causes cancer.
Cigarette smoking can lead to cancer. How many times have you heard that before? But it’s true: the smoke from cigarettes has chemicals in it—like nicotine, and around 3,999 others—that have been found to be carcinogenic (cancer causing).
Not only are carcinogens in cigarettes, but they are also in second-hand smoke—raising cancer risks for people exposed to smoke from other people’s cigarettes. And, thanks to a study conducted with fruit flies by a high school student, there is new evidence supporting the danger of third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is “leftover” smoke that gets in clothes, rugs, and furniture, where it can stay for years.
“A horrible thing to see.”
The impact of carcinogens affects not just smokers, but their families and friends as well. Take Ashley, a 14-year-old from Ocean City, New Jersey, who watched her grandfather die from lung cancer. Ashley’s grandfather began smoking as a teenager in the Navy before people really understood how bad it was for you. But now—with all the information out there about smoking and deadly diseases—Ashley wonders why people, especially teens, would keep doing it. “You know that if you put that cigarette in your mouth, it might kill you. But you do it anyway. That just doesn’t make sense.”
“Carcinogens” and other SAT-worthy words can be found in NIDA’s Teen glossary.
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National Institute on Drug Abuse | National Institutes of Health | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
