Alcohol | Tobacco
Tobacco
Why do people use Tobacco?
Knowing why a person uses tobacco helps identify what method will help them
quit. Some of the reasons are:
- Peer pressure- This seems to be one of the first reasons that gets people to start using tobacco. They usually first get it from a friend in order to be accepted with their peers. In others, using tobacco becomes a coming-of-age or emancipation symbol, marking the passage to adulthood and "independent thinking".
- Social pressure and Association- Being in an environment that condones tobacco use (sports, bars, outings or any place they are around others who use it) can be a great motivator. Users are often able to quit for a significant length of time but begin again when they're around others who dip or smoke.
- Behavior- Miss the ritual of opening the pack of cigarettes or can of chewing tobacco. The most common statement heard from these users is "I just miss something in my mouth" (i.e. oral gratification). Here they have a choice of either quitting "cold turkey" and dealing with the loss of the behavior or using an oral alternative while they cut down.
- Nicotine Addiction- There is a significant amount of nicotine in all tobacco based products. Although many young users might not be addicted yet others get that way rather quickly. You might ask a user how long they have been smoking or using smokeless tobacco and how many packs of cigarettes or cans a week they use to get an idea of possible levels of addiction
- Salt Cravings- A typical can of smokeless tobacco contains over 1100 mg of salt. Some people not only suffer from nicotine withdrawal but also from salt cravings once they have quit using smokeless tobacco. These cravings might be confused with nicotine withdrawal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I quit smoking with all the stress I am under?
So, you feel smoking soothes you, makes you feel better, and reduces your stress? Actually, its creating stress for you - addiction. Dont believe it? Keep reading. If you smoke to calm yourself before or after an exam or other stressful event, you probably feel immediate gratification. But its not gratification from stress reduction, its gratification for your bodys chemical need for nicotine. Youre like a puppet being controlled by nicotine and answering to its every demand. In studies, smokers indicate they feel "relaxed" when they smoke, but these same smokers also report a higher incidence of mood fluctuations, with "normal moods during smoke inhalation followed by periods of increased stress between cigarettes." Smokers also report patterns of irritability and stress around the time that they abstain from nicotine.
So if cigarettes are so great at reducing stress, why are you still anxious? Apparently, the mood "benefits" of smoking amount to only the relief of withdrawal symptoms, not stress reduction. It is for this reason that people usually become anxious and agitated the first few days after they quit smoking, but by Day 14 withdrawal symptoms have often dissipated and if you feel anxious its probably because of the mid-term, and not because of nicotine withdrawal. With all the stress of college, isnt it logical not to add one more item to the list? Addiction is stressful; nicotine is a stress inducer. Think about quitting.
Source: Parrott, Andy (1999). Does Cigarette Smoking Cause Stress? American Psychologist, 54, 817820.
What are some little known facts about cigarettes/nicotine?
- There are 4,700 chemicals in cigarettes, including acetone (in fingernail polish), cyanide formaldehyde, methanol, ammonia, and tar.
- More than half of current smokers have tried to quit.
- Nearly 90% of current smokers want to quit.
- Less than 25% of smokers quit the first time so keep trying. It takes time and practice.
- Approximately 82% of GMU students don't smoke.
- Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society.
- Tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the U.S.
- Daily smokers lose an average of 15 years of life.
- Smokers (one pack a day) spend approximately $1,000 a year on cigarettes.
Source: American Cancer Society & New Smoking Cessation Strategies: Update, 1998, Inova Fairfax Hospital.
What are some tips to help me quit smoking?
- Avoid high-risk situations (triggers) that you associate with smoking.
- Talk to your friends/partner about how you want them to support you.
- If friends and/or partner smokes ask them to not smoke around you for first 3 months.
- Drink a lot of water.
- Repeat your reasons for quitting 10 times every time you get a craving.
- Take deep breaths.
- Do something else to get your mind off the craving (i.e. take a walk, talk with friends, etc.).
- Chew on gum, candy, or carrot sticks.
- Change your habits so that there are less cigarette-associations.
- Eat your food slowly and enjoy every flavor. Your taste buds are going to come to life again after you quit smoking.
You smoke a cigarette now and then, when you're on a date or hanging out with friends. You have no intention of becoming a "smoker;" it's just for fun, right? Well, you'd be surprised at how an addiction to nicotine, the ingredient in cigarettes that gives a stimulating effect, can creep up on you. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you smoke every day or almost every day?
- If you don't smoke for a day, do you feel a craving for a cigarette?
- Did you start out by smoking with your friends but now smoke alone?
- Are you gradually smoking more and more cigarettes?
- Are you spending more money than you'd like on cigarettes?
- Do you ever feel like you "need" a cigarette?
- Do you feel anxious if you run out of cigarettes?
- Have you tried to quit smoking and failed?
- Do you ever find yourself lighting up a cigarette almost unconsciously, without really thinking about it?
- Have you ever been surprised at how fast you went through a pack of cigarettes?
- Do you need to have a cigarette first thing in the morning?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you are may already be addicted to nicotine. Talk to a health care professional about strategies for quitting. But whether you're addicted or not, you should try to quit.
- Teen Health: Alcohol, Cigarette & Drugs