How does Tobacco work?

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals of which nicotine is the best known. Nicotine is an addictive substance that encourages smokers to smoke more.

Tobacco is most often used in the form of cigarettes. By inhaling the tobacco smoke from a cigarette the average smoker takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. This is the quickest way to get a "hit" of nicotine. Smokeless alternatives include chewing tobacco and snuff. These products contain nicotine as well as many other toxic chemicals which are absorbed through the mucosal membranes.

Nicotine causes an immediate "kick" in by stimulating the adrenal glands which results in a discharge of epinephrine. This results in stimulation and causes a sudden release of glucose, increased blood pressure, increased breathing rate, and a quicker pulse.

Nicotine has an effect on the pancreas and leaves smokers with a slightly elevated blood sugar level.

There are definite symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal such as depression, fatigue, hostility and reduced social cooperation. Smokers who report feeling calmer after smoking a cigarette are usually just dealing with these withdrawal symptoms - nicotine does not have a calming effect.

Health Risks of Nicotine

For the last fifty years it has been believed that tobacco use is a significant health risk. Nicotine was implicated as the drug in tobacco that causes addiction in 1988.

Female smokers usually have an earlier onset of menopause. Pregnant smokers place their unborn babies at risk of death, premature birth, or being born underweight. The children who are born to mothers who smoked are predisposed to developing a conduct disorder.

Cigarette smoke has a number of gases and tar which exposes the smoker to an increased risk of emphysema, bronchial disorders, and lung cancer. The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke places the smoker at risk for cardiovascular disease. This risk is compounded by the stress placed on the heart by the increased blood pressure and elevated heart rate.

Inhaling the smoke from somebody elses cigarette causes lung cancer in adults. Children are at risk of developing respiratory illnesses and infants are at risk of dying.

Treatment

Some people are able to deal with the withdrawals and cravings and simply stop smoking. People who are not able to do so may need to employ pharmocological support (e.g.: nicotine patches or chewing gum) and behavioural treatment. The rate of relapse for smokers is quite high for the first 3 months after which it drops considerably.

Zyban is a medication that has been shown to be effective in helping people manage the craving for nicotine. Unlike nicotine patches or gum it is not a nicotine replacement.

How does Tobacco work?

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals of which nicotine is the best known. Nicotine is an addictive substance that encourages smokers to smoke more.

Tobacco is most often used in the form of cigarettes. By inhaling the tobacco smoke from a cigarette the average smoker takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. This is the quickest way to get a "hit" of nicotine. Smokeless alternatives include chewing tobacco and snuff. These products contain nicotine as well as many other toxic chemicals which are absorbed through the mucosal membranes.

Nicotine causes an immediate "kick" in by stimulating the adrenal glands which results in a discharge of epinephrine. This results in stimulation and causes a sudden release of glucose, increased blood pressure, increased breathing rate, and a quicker pulse.

Nicotine has an effect on the pancreas and leaves smokers with a slightly elevated blood sugar level.

There are definite symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal such as depression, fatigue, hostility and reduced social cooperation. Smokers who report feeling calmer after smoking a cigarette are usually just dealing with these withdrawal symptoms - nicotine does not have a calming effect.

Health Risks of Nicotine

For the last fifty years it has been believed that tobacco use is a significant health risk. Nicotine was implicated as the drug in tobacco that causes addiction in 1988.

Female smokers usually have an earlier onset of menopause. Pregnant smokers place their unborn babies at risk of death, premature birth, or being born underweight. The children who are born to mothers who smoked are predisposed to developing a conduct disorder.

Cigarette smoke has a number of gases and tar which exposes the smoker to an increased risk of emphysema, bronchial disorders, and lung cancer. The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke places the smoker at risk for cardiovascular disease. This risk is compounded by the stress placed on the heart by the increased blood pressure and elevated heart rate.

Inhaling the smoke from somebody elses cigarette causes lung cancer in adults. Children are at risk of developing respiratory illnesses and infants are at risk of dying.

Treatment

Some people are able to deal with the withdrawals and cravings and simply stop smoking. People who are not able to do so may need to employ pharmocological support (e.g.: nicotine patches or chewing gum) and behavioural treatment. The rate of relapse for smokers is quite high for the first 3 months after which it drops considerably.

Zyban is a medication that has been shown to be effective in helping people manage the craving for nicotine. Unlike nicotine patches or gum it is not a nicotine replacement.

Additional Resources

How does Tobacco work?

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals of which nicotine is the best known. Nicotine is an addictive substance that encourages smokers to smoke more.

Tobacco is most often used in the form of cigarettes. By inhaling the tobacco smoke from a cigarette the average smoker takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette. This is the quickest way to get a "hit" of nicotine. Smokeless alternatives include chewing tobacco and snuff. These products contain nicotine as well as many other toxic chemicals which are absorbed through the mucosal membranes.

Nicotine causes an immediate "kick" in by stimulating the adrenal glands which results in a discharge of epinephrine. This results in stimulation and causes a sudden release of glucose, increased blood pressure, increased breathing rate, and a quicker pulse.

Nicotine has an effect on the pancreas and leaves smokers with a slightly elevated blood sugar level.

There are definite symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal such as depression, fatigue, hostility and reduced social cooperation. Smokers who report feeling calmer after smoking a cigarette are usually just dealing with these withdrawal symptoms - nicotine does not have a calming effect.

Health Risks of Nicotine

For the last fifty years it has been believed that tobacco use is a significant health risk. Nicotine was implicated as the drug in tobacco that causes addiction in 1988.

Female smokers usually have an earlier onset of menopause. Pregnant smokers place their unborn babies at risk of death, premature birth, or being born underweight. The children who are born to mothers who smoked are predisposed to developing a conduct disorder.

Cigarette smoke has a number of gases and tar which exposes the smoker to an increased risk of emphysema, bronchial disorders, and lung cancer. The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke places the smoker at risk for cardiovascular disease. This risk is compounded by the stress placed on the heart by the increased blood pressure and elevated heart rate.

Inhaling the smoke from somebody elses cigarette causes lung cancer in adults. Children are at risk of developing respiratory illnesses and infants are at risk of dying.

Treatment

Some people are able to deal with the withdrawals and cravings and simply stop smoking. People who are not able to do so may need to employ pharmocological support (e.g.: nicotine patches or chewing gum) and behavioural treatment. The rate of relapse for smokers is quite high for the first 3 months after which it drops considerably.

Zyban is a medication that has been shown to be effective in helping people manage the craving for nicotine. Unlike nicotine patches or gum it is not a nicotine replacement.

• State Tobacco Information Center is a list of lawsuits brought against tobacco companies in America
• Notables Who Died from Smoking is a list of famous people who died as a result of nicotine use
• Quit Smoking Support another resource to help you stop smoking. It has a large amount of information and provides user forums
• Reducing Tobacco Use is a report by the American Surgeon General on strategies to stop smoking
• Roswell Park Tobacco Documents examines advertising by the tobacco industry.
• 60 Minutes: Jeffrey Wigand is an interview with a man who blew the whistle on the tobacco industry.
• Smoker's Body presents very unpleasant pictures of the effects of tobacco on the body
• Smoking Among Minorities is a statistical survey of tobacco use by American minority groups
• Smoking and Health Database is offered by the CDC. It contains reports, statistics, and a variety of educational materials.
• The American Lung Association offers a number of tips to help you stop smoking.
• Cigarette Papers An online book written by Stanton Glantz et al.
• Cigars: Health Effects and Trends. Prepared by the American National Cancer Institute
• Florida Tobacco Control Clearinghouse. An example in public health intiatives
• Tobacco and Women's Health is a report showing that little attention is given in the popular press to the health risks to women.
• ABCs of TobaccoA site for children that shows graphic images of the effects of tobacco on a variety of organ systems.
• QuitNet is another resource to help you stop smoking.
• Tobacco Resolution is a resource to help you find companies that sell tobacco.
• Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students is a report by the CDC about tobacco use among adolescents
• The American Cancer Society offers a number of tips to help you stop smoking.
• National Cancer Institute: Cigars Monograph. A research report on cigars
• Addicted to Profit: Big Tobacco's Expanding Global ReachThis report takes an international perspective on the prevalance of Tobacco usage
• Ontario Tobacco Research Unit Home Page is a public health initiative in the American state of Ontario
• NIDA Research Report: Nicotine Addiction. A review of current studies on tobacco use
• Public Citizen's Tobacco Legislation Page is a resource for legislators
• Question It is a website that encourages activism through letter campaigns
• Committed Quitters. A collection of resources and tools to help you stop smoking. Includes a dependency quiz.
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke is a resource page produced by the EPA.
• Tobacco Control Gallery is a graphically rich site that documents the danger of smoking, as well as the advertising used by the industry.
• Public Citizen: Burning Down the Houses is an expose of how the tobacco industry influences the American political system
• Blair's Quitting Smoking Resource Pages. This site has a large collection of strategies to help you quit smoking
• CDC's TIPS were prepared by the Center for Disease Control
• Clearing the Smoke: The Science Base for Tobacco Harm Reduction. A review of studies into filters that supposedly make smoking safer.
• CSAP Resource Guide: Tobacco This is a compendium of resources designed to help the researcher
• Dying to Quit: Why We Smoke and How We Stop. A book examining why somebody would smoke despite the known health risks.
• Tobacco Freedom is an educational site that shows how the tobacco companies manipulate information.
• Bidi Fact Sheet. The Bidi is an cigarette imported from India.
• Action on Smoking and HealthA resource site offering a great amount of news and information on tobacco.
• Frontline: Smoke in the Eye: An expose about the tobacco industries influence on the media
• Get Outraged is an educational site about tobacco
• Growing Up Tobacco-Free is another book examining the influence of tobacco on the youth
• Active and Passive Tobacco ExposureThis is a summary prepared by the American Heart Association of the literature surrounding the consequences of tobacco exposure on young people.
• Arizona's Tobacco Quitline A great amount of educational resources and advice on stopping smoking
• Smoking Healthline provides expert feedback on your questions about stopping smoking.
• Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco is an academic fellowship focused on nicotine research and advocacy
• Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco. This is a research report about secondhand smoke
• Irreversible Health Effects of Smoking. Some of the consequences of smoking cannot be undone.
• Quit and Stay Quit is another resource to help you stop smoking.
• The Truth is designed for young people. It educates with the aim of discouraging smoking.
• Tobacco Archives is an archive of civil lawsuits brought against American tobacco companies.
• Tobacco and the Clinician: Interventions for Medical and Dental Practice is a resource for doctors.
• Tobacco Bulletin Board Service: is a daily news resource.
• Tobacco Control is an international publication concerning public health initiatives to control tobacco use.
• Tobacco Control Archives is an archive of documents concerning public health initiatives to control tobacco use.
• Tobacco Week is a news site about tobacco.
• Jeffrey Wigand blew the whistle on the tobacco industry.