Reducing Teenage Tobacco Use
Tobacco Facts
Illicit Drugs
Drug Facts
Reducing Underage Drinking
Alcohol Facts

Reducing Teenage Tobacco Use

What is tobacco?

It is a plant. Its leaves are dried, packed into cigarettes or cigars and smoked or it can be processed into chewing tobacco

What does smoking do?

People claim it tastes good, feels good and looks cool.

On the downside, tobacco has over 4,000 harmful chemicals in it that can cause things such as--colds, coughing, loss of sense of taste and smell, premature wrinkles, problems with sleeping, mouth sores and smelly clothes and hair. NCADI

Is chewing or smokeless tobacco safer?

No. It's true that many people think smokeless tobacco (also known as chewing or spit tobacco, or snuff) isn't as bad as cigarettes. One study quoted in the Surgeon General's Report said that 77 percent of kids thought cigarette smoking was very harmful, but only 40 percent thought smokeless tobacco was very harmful. Very wrong! The truth is that smokeless tobacco use is connected with all sorts of problems.

Smokeless tobacco can cause bleeding gums and sores of the mouth that never heal. Eventually you could end up with cancer. CDC

What about the long-term effects?

Nicotine, a major component of tobacco, is highly addictive. Some former smokers and chewers say they never lose the craving, even years after they quit. If they do quit, they (and everyone around them) have to deal with things like anxiety, irritable behavior, fatigue, headaches, weight gain, high blood pressure and other unpleasant effects.

Who smokes?

Approximately 60,000,000 Americans smoke...including 18 percent of adolescents age 12-17. In fact, most new smokers are teenagers, particularly girls.

Tobacco use causes more deaths each yearin the United States than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroine, homicide, suicide and motor vehicle crashes combined?

Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, lung cancer and chronic lung diseases-all leading causes of death?

Each day, 6,000 persons younger than age 18 try their first cigarette, and more than 3,000 of them become daily smokers?  One thousand of these young people will die of smoking-related causes.

Direct medical care costs from smoking total at least $50 billion each year?

Know the Facts

• Cigarette smoking is perhaps the most devastating preventable cause of disease and premature death.

• Nearly 450,000 smokers die each year.

• People say that kissing a smoker is like kissing an ashtray.

• Nearly one in five high school males use spit tobacco.

• Continuous intake of spit tobacco (smokeless tobacco) leads to various oral cancers and a host of other diseases, in addition to bad breath.

• Cigarettes are highly addictive. One-third of young people who are just "experimenting" end up being addicted by the time they are 20.

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention Office on Smoking and Health, Feb. 2001)

Tobacco Facts (back to top)

Readiness Quiz

It is possible to talk yourself out of quitting by believing that your tobacco use is not a serious addiction. Here's a quick quiz to help gauge the seriousness of your tobacco use. If you answer "yes" to three or more of the following questions, your smoking may be more than just a compulsion.

• Do I smoke everyday?
• Has a doctor or dentist ever suggested that I stop smoking?
• Do I find it difficult to imagine life without smoking?
• Do I smoke to escape from boredom and worries while under stress or pressure?
• Have I felt physical or emotional discomfort when trying to quit?
• Do I buy extra tobacco supplies to assure that I will not run out?
• Do I prefer activities and places that allow me to smoke?
• Do I inwardly feel ashamed of myself because of my smoking?
• Has my smoking caused a problem at home or in a relationship?
• Do I ever find myself lighting another cigarette without consciously deciding to have another?
• Do I feel that my life would be better if I did not use tobacco?
• Do I continue to smoke even though I am aware of the health hazards associated with smoking?

PA Quit Line 1-877-724-1090

Quick Facts:

• 434,000 Americans die each year from tobacco related illness.
• Lung cancer is not the only cancer linked with smoking.
• There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke.
• Tobacco related illnesses are the #1 cause of preventable death in the US.

Effects:

• Addiction
• Heart and cardiovascular disease
• Cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, kidney, and mouth
• Emphysema and chronic bronchitis
• Spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and low birth weight
• Diminished or extinguished sense of smell and taste
• Frequent colds
• Smoker's cough
• Gastric ulcers
• Premature and more abundant face wrinkles
• Stroke

Tobacco Causes Illness and Death... Tobacco uses is a factor in more deaths than all other drugs combined. Smokers have ten times the risk of lung cancer and two times the risk of heart disease of nonsmokers. Chew, dip, or snuff users are four times more likely to develop oral cancer than are nonusers. Eighty percent of deaths from lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis can be attributed to smoking.

Using Smokeless Tobacco is not Safer Than Smoking... An average portion of dip chew in the mouth for 30 minutes provides as much or more nicotine to the body as smoking a cigarette. Nitrosamines, a cancer- causing agent, is found in far greater quantities in smokeless tobacco than in other forms of tobacco.

Secondhand Smoke is Hazardous to Health... In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that environmental tobacco smoke (smoke from a burning cigarette or exhaled by smokers) is a cancer-causing agent, with no safe level of exposure. Prolonged exposure contributes to impaired lung function, lung cancer, heart disease, and other cancers. Children exposed to secondhand smoke have a greater risk of reduced growth, respiratory problems, middle ear infection, and asthma.

Quitting Tobacco Use Decreases Your Risk for Disease... A few days after quitting, the former smoker can notice benefits such as easier breathing and enhanced sense of taste and smell. Only one-third of quitters gain weight. The risk of heart disease, stroke, emphysema and cancer declines with decreased tobacco use. Ten years after quitting, a former smoker can expect to live just as long as someone who has never smoked.

Women and Tobacco... A woman who smokes increases her risk of lung cancer two to three times. Lung cancer has become the leading cancer-caused death among women. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives have higher risks of strokes, heart attacks and blood clots in their legs. Women who smoke have babies smaller than normal in weight and size. Quitting smoking before or during pregnancy greatly increases the chance of a healthier baby.

Want to Quit?
PA Quit Line 1-877-724-1090

Illicit Drugs (back to top)

Why do people--even smart
people--try drugs?

One reason often heard from people using drugs is that they do them to feel good. This can be considered recreational use. Some might light up a cigarette at a party. They might not consider themselves a "smoker," but they do it to feel good. Someone might smoke pot at their friend's house because they think it could be fun. The problem? Drugs don't care what the reason is. The same effects can occur whether you're drinking to have fun or drinking to forget a problem, whether you're doing drugs to see how they feel or doing them to fit in.

People often want to change their situation. If they're depressed, they want to become happy. If they are stressed or nervous, they want to relax, and so on. By taking drugs, people often think they can be the person they want to be. The problem? It isn't real. You haven't changed the situation, you've only distorted it for a little while.

Drug Facts (back to top)

Cannabis, marijuana or hashish, is the most widely used illicit drug. Its main active chemical is a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Today, much of the marijuana tested has THC levels over 20 times higher than in the 1960’s. Marijuana is psychologically addictive and long-germ use leads to Amotivational Syndrome.

Depressants show down the central nervous system and all body functions. Depressants cause euphoria and calm, and they decrease inhibitions. Some depressants are used medically as tranquilizers and anticonvulsants. Depressants can cause addiction and painful withdrawal.

Stimulants speed up the brain and the body. Stimulants cause temporary excess energy, a false sense of power and erratic behavior. They are rapidly addicting. Stimulants include cocaine, (both powder and crack), prescription amphetamines and methamphetamine. Ecstasy, (MDMA), is a stimulant with hallucinogenic properties.

Narcotics, also called opioids, are derived from the opium poppy. This group includes heroin, morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and codeine. Except heroin, narcotics are used medically as pain killers. Narcotics block pain, produce euphoria, and are highly addictive. Heroin is now found in snortable and smokable forms. Heroin-related emergency room visits have increased over 50% in the last few years.

Hallucinogens, or psychedelic drugs, cause users to see, hear and sense things that do not exist. The most common hallucinogen is LSD or “Acid.” Others include psilocybin mushrooms, peyote/mescaline, Ketamine and PCP.

Inhalants include hundreds of ordinary household products and medical gases. Abusers concentrate their fumes and inhale them to feel intoxicated. Abusers tend to believe that the products are safe. Actually, they cause major organ and tissue damage are responsible for Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, which can kill on the first use.

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids are related to the male hormone testosterone. The anabolic effects enhance muscle repair, endurance and strength. The androgenic effects make females more masculine and make males more feminine. Steroids are addictive, cause major organ damage and lead to emotional disturbances.

Reducing Underage Drinking (back to top)

What is it?

Alcohol is a depressant that comes from organic sources including grapes, grains and berries. These ferment or are distilled into a liquid.

Alcohol affects the central nervous system and brain. It can make users loosen up, relax, and feel more comfortable or can make them more aggressive. Unfortunately, it also lowers their inhibitions, which can set them up for dangerous or embarrassing behavior. Alcohol is a drug and is only legal if you're 21 or older. NCADI

Who uses it?

Alcohol is the most-used drug in the country. Among teens, it is the number one abused substance. Over 50 percent of seniors in high school reported drinking in the past month. Monitoring the Future, 1975-1999

What does it do?

Alcohol can make you feel silly, uninhibited and buzzed. You may feel more confident, comfortable or relaxed, and then as the alcohol leaves your system you feel drowsy and sleepy. This can lead to drinking more alcohol to keep your "buzz" going.

The problem is alcohol messes with your ability to control your muscles, mind, and mouth. It blocks the messages going through your brain, and changes your perceptions and emotions. It affects your eyesight, hearing, coordination and reactions, making it difficult to act normally. A number of people also experience nasty hangovers afterwards, which can result from your body being dehydrated by the alcohol. Alcohol also has a high calorie content.

How does alcohol work?

Alcohol affects every part of the body--it is carried through the bloodstream to the brain, stomach, internal organs, liver, kidneys, muscles--everywhere. It is absorbed very quickly (as short as 5-10 minutes) and can stay in the body for several hours.

Overdose occurs among younger drinkers because they try to drink too much, too fast. This can result in alcohol poisoning. When alcohol poisoning occurs, the person may pass out and can end up choking on their vomit.

Alcohol can also decrease guys' sperm count and increase their chance of impotence. In the long term, alcohol use can lead to vitamin deficiencies, stomach problems, major liver damage, heart problems, kidney damage, and brain problems such as memory loss.

What about alcohol and sex?

Because it gets in the way of your ability to make smart decisions, you're much more likely to participate in risky sexual behavior when you're drunk-and less likely to worry about using protection or getting pregnant.

What about alcohol and driving?

Eight young people a day die in alcohol-related crashes. Alcohol makes it difficult to drive a car with any intelligence or coordination at all. Do not drink and drive. MADD

What is alcoholism?

Alcoholism is a disease, kind of like diabetes or high blood pressure. And although many people see it in a very negative light, it is not something to be ashamed of. It is a treatable disease, and thousands of teens are finding help for it through Alcoholics Anonymous.

How do i know if I have a drinking problem?

The signs of a serious problem include:

• Being unable to control your drinking...no matter what you plan on doing, you always end up drinking a lot.

• Using alcohol to escape your day-to-day reality.

• Using alcohol to change your personality--either into a total party animal or anything else that's different from the normal you.

• Being able to drink way more than anyone you know, or having a high tolerance.

• Having blackouts, or periods where you don't remember what happened.

• Letting alcohol get in the way of your schoolwork, or your friendships or family relationships.

Quick Facts

• Know the law. Alcohol is illegal to buy or possess if you are under 21.

• Get the facts right. One 12-ounce beer has as much alcohol as a 1.5-ounce shot of whiskey or a 5-ounce glass of wine. And it affects each person differently. For instance, women's bodies react more quickly to alcohol.

• Stay informed. Wine coolers look like juice sparklers but they have just as much alcohol as a 12-ounce beer. One glass of clear malt can give a teenager a .02 on a Breathalyzer test. In some states, that amount is enough for anyone under the age of 21 to lose his/her driver's license and be subject to a fine.

• Be aware of the risks. Drinking increases the risk of injury. Car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and other dangerous behaviors are all linked to alcohol and other drug use. When you're not thinking straight, you're more likely to get pulled into bad situations.

• Keep your edge. Alcohol can ruin your looks, give you bad breath, and make you gain weight.

• Play it safe. Drinking can lead to intoxication and even death from alcohol poisoning.

• Do the smart thing. Drinking puts your health, education, family ties, and social life at risk.

• Be a real friend. If you know someone with a drinking problem, be part of the solution. Urge your friend to get help.

• Remain alert. Stay clear on claims that alcohol means glamour and adventure. Stay clear on what's real and what's illusion.

• Sweep away the myths. Having a designated driver is no excuse to drink. Drinking only at home or sticking only to beer does not make drinking any "safer."

Alcohol Facts (back to top)

Alcohol is a Drug...

Alcohol is a depressant, which slows down thinking and actions. It acts on the brain and affects all parts of the body. An average-size person's liver can break down about one drink per hour; the rest of the alcohol circulates throughout the body, affecting behavior, judgment, perception, and motor skills - such as driving and operating machinery.

Alcohol Affects Each Individual Differently...

Smaller-size people, women, younger or older people, and those who are ill will feel stronger effects from the same amount of alcohol than larger people, middle-aged adults, or people who are in good physical health. People with a history of alcoholism in their family may also be affected differently than people who have no history of alcoholism in their family.

Alcohol Abuse is a Health Risk...

Abuse of alcohol can cause damage to many of the body's organs. Researchers report damage to brain tissue, heart muscle, and reproductive organs in both males and females. Alcohol may cause the drinker's blood pressure to rise, putting him or her at risk for heart attack and stroke. Stomach ulcers, poor nutrition and sexual dysfunction have all been related to alcohol abuse.

Alcohol Affects Driving Skills...

Alcohol is involved in over half of the fatal car crashes in the U.S. Although many states consider a driver legally intoxicated when their Blood Alcohol Content reaches .10%, driving skills are affected at levels as low as .03%. This is especially true of younger drivers, who may be less experienced. Alcohol affects crucial driving skills like quick reflexes and vision.

Alcohol is Harmful to Unborn Babies...

Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman enters the bloodstream of the fetus she is carrying. Alcohol can affect the fetus in many ways: slowing both physical and mental growth before and after birth; causing severe physical malformations of the face and brain; creating learning disabilities or retardation. The safe choice is not to drink during pregnancy.

Alcohol Reacts with Other Drugs...

Combining alcohol with certain over-the-counter or prescription drugs is dangerous. Drinking while taking medication may cause impairment of coordination, a sharp change in blood pressure, seizures, convulsions, and even death. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about how a certain medications reacts with alcohol before combining these two drugs.

Alcohol Abuse May Lead to Alcoholism...

Drinking large enough amounts of alcohol over a period of time can produce alcoholism, a physical dependence on alcohol. People with a history of alcoholism in their family are at much greater risk of developing alcoholism themselves. Alcoholism is a treatable illness; family members and friends may need to obtain help, too.

More Facts

• Alcoholism is one of the most serious public health problems in the US today. Among the 18.3 million adult "heavier drinkers," 12.1 million have one or more symptoms of alcoholism, an increase of 8.2 percent since 1980.
• One out of three American adults -56 million Americans- says that alcohol abuse has brought trouble to his or her family.
• Chronic brain injury caused by alcohol is second only to Alzheimer's disease as known cause of mental deterioration in adults.
• About 65 out of every 100 persons in the US will be in an alcohol-related crash at sometime in their life.
• Fifty-four percent of jail inmates convicted of violent crimes were drinking before they committed the offense.
• Over 80 percent of college presidents identify alcohol abuse as the biggest problem on campus.
• If a man and a woman of similar weight drink the same amount of alcohol, 30% more alcohol will enter the woman's bloodstream, because women have less of a certain stomach enzyme that digests alcohol.

THE SIZE IS DIFFERENT... THE ALCOHOL IS THE SAME.

One Standard Drink is equal to:

12 oz. beer (5% alcohol)
5 oz. wine (12-17% alcohol) or 3 oz. fortified wine
1.5 oz. hard liquor (80-proof)