Tobacco

TOBACCO

Illustration of man smoking and coughing. The smoke forms little skulls

Tobacco products contain nicotine, which activates the brain’s reward system and reinforces the use of tobacco products through increased ‘feel good’ brain chemicals. It is important to remember that no form or amount of tobacco is considered safe.

TIPS FROM FORMER SMOKERS

Buerger’s Disease Tracheostomy Terrie H.

TOBACCO PRODUCTS INCLUDE:

Image of Tobacco Products. Mixtures of photo background and illustrations in the foreground. Cigarettes, Smokeless, Cigars, Hookah, Cigarellos and E-Cigarettes

SMOKING AND CHRONIC ILLNESS

Over 16 million Americans are living with a condition caused by smoking. Exposure to smoke, or secondhand smoke, can also cause health conditions.

Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Stroke
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Type 2 diabetes

Eye diseases and conditions
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Cataracts
Tuberculosis
Immunodeficiency conditions (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis)

On top of causing various health conditions, smoking can worsen other conditions, such as COVID-19, asthma, pregnancy and increased blood pressure

SMOKING AND CANCER

Smoking tobacco harms nearly every organ in the body and negatively impacts your immune system. It can also cause cancer in almost any part of your body. In the U.S., one in every three cancer deaths is linked to smoking.

Mouth and Throat

Voice Box

Esophagus

Lung, bronchus and trachea

Acute myeloid leukemia

Liver

Pancreas

Stomach

Kidney and renal pelvis

Colon and rectum

Urinary bladder

Uterine cervix

simple silohuette of a person with numbers placed on the body

E-CIGARETTES

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or e-vaporizers (i.e. vape pens), are battery-operated or chargeable devices that deliver nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco, with multiple flavor options and other chemicals to the lungs in the form of vapor instead of smoke. E-cigarettes are often advertised as being safer than cigarettes, but less is known about their long-term effects. It is important to remember that products that containing nicotine are highly addictive, and e-cigarettes still contain many carcinogenic, or cancer-causing, chemicals.

Most e-cigarettes operate using four components: a cartridge, reservoir or pod that holds a liquid solution of the nicotine, flavoring and chemicals, heating element, power source and mouthpiece for inhalation. There are currently over 460 different e-cigarette brands on the market. E-cigarettes can look like cigarettes or everyday items (e.g. USB memory sticks and pens).

What’s The Deal With Vaping?

We know quitting tobacco is hard. But the more you prepare yourself, the more likely you are to quit for good. Learn how to make and stick to a quit plan and how medications and other options can help you on your journey. Let’s get started!

TOBACCO AND PREGNANCY

Risks for the mother include:

Ectopic pregnancy (i.e. pregnancy outside of the uterus)
Problems with the placenta
Problems with your thyroid
Water breaking too early

Risks for the fetus:

Delayed growth
Higher risk of premature birth
Permanent brain and lung damage
Higher risk of stillbirth

Risks for the newborn:

Smaller size at birth or underweight
Colic with uncontrollable crying, irritable
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Higher risk of developing obesity and asthma during childhood

COMMON MYTHS

Myth 1
Smoking is a choice Myth 2
Filters make cigarettes safer Myth 3
Smoking socially or occasionally is not harmful Myth 4
Its too late to quit Myth 5
Secondhand smoke is not dangerous Myth 6
Small amounts of tobacco smoke exposure is not dangerous to children

Hand with a cigarette chained onto the palm

Smoking is a choice

For your first time, yes, it is most likely a choice, but after a few cigarettes, no, it is not a choice
Nicotine is an addictive substance and addition can happen quickly
Most people who use tobacco products are addicted
Quitting tobacco products is difficult and it can take several attempts before you find success

Man pulling a cigarette out of a pack, focus on filters

Filters make cigarettes safer

Filters are designed to make smoke particles smaller and easier to absorb, which increases addiction
Cigarettes are designed in a way to get nicotine to your brain quickly
Light and low-tar cigarette marketing is no longer allowed because these products still contain nicotine and are addictive
No cigarette is deemed ‘safe’ because tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals and over 25

Smoking socially or occasionally is not harmful

Smoking any amount of cigarettes has negative health effects
Even breathing tobacco smoke secondhand can cause immediate harm
Tobacco smoke can trigger heart attacks and even death in non-smokers, and the risk is higher for those that smoke
Your lungs, blood vessels, and cells are all immediately affected by smoking cigarettes
Smoking a few cigarettes a week can cause a heart attack
Only smoking socially or infrequently is not enough to protect you against the long list of negative health effects of cigarette use

It is too late to quit

The longer you use tobacco products, the longer you damage your body, but stopping at any point has benefits
Within 20 minutes after quitting smoking, the body begins to heal
After 2 to 5 years of quitting smoking, the risk of stroke is similar to that of a non-smoker
After 10 years of quitting smoking, the risk of lung cancer is cut in half

Woman in background covers her mouth and nose while woman in the foreground smokes

Secondhand smoke is not dangerous.

Over 40,000 people exposed to secondhand smoke die as a result of exposure
Breathing in the chemicals of tobacco smoke changes the body’s blood chemistry immediately
Blood clots can form and block arteries to your heart or brain when exposed to secondhand smoke
Rolling down the window in a car does not protect passengers from the dangers of tobacco smoke
There is no amount of secondhand smoke that is considered a healthy amount to be exposed to

Little girl holding her nose and closing her eyes stting in the passenger seat while a male driving the car smokes

Small amounts of tobacco smoke exposure is not dangerous to children

Children exposed to tobacco smoke are at risk for developing bronchitis, pneumonia, and ear infections
Smoking by an open window does not reduce the amount of smoke that stays with in the building or home, which can impact a child’s health
Children with asthma can have serious and fatal reactions to secondhand smoke
The best way to protect children from secondhand smoke exposure is to quit smoking and making sure your home and car are 100% smoke-free

SECONDHAND SMOKE

Exposure to secondhand smoke can negatively impact a person’s health. Around 41,000 nonsmoking U.S. adults and 400 infants die each year from secondhand smoke. Exposure can lead to similar health outcomes as those who do smoke including stroke, lung cancer and heart disease. Children who are exposed are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear conditions, asthma, respiratory symptoms and slowed lung growth.

Young girl is standing in a cloud of cigarette smoke

MAINTAINING MISSION READINESS

THINKING ABOUT QUITTING?

How to Quit - Resources to help you quit smoking.

Smokefree.gov - Resources, tools, tips, articles and resources to help you quit tobacco use

YouCanQuit2 (DoD) - YouCanQuit2 Resources to help you quit smoking, vaping and dipping.

Call a Quitline Speak with a counselor/coach.

Text Messaging Programs - Check out these free mobile text programs

Live Chat - You may chat with a specialist at the National Cancer institute

Practice Quitting Programs - Options for tobacco users who want to quit, but aren’t ready to set a quit date yet.

Want to quit Vaping?

Tips from Former Smokers - Get the history of real smokers and how smoking has affected their lives and quality of life.

Talk to your Medical/Dental Provider about quitting options

Mobile phone with the Mindfulness Coach App on the screen

QuitGuide

QuitGuide is a free smartphone app that can help you quit smoking. You can track your cigarette cravings and moods, monitor your progress toward achieving smokefree milestones, discover your reasons for quitting smoking, identify smoking triggers and develop strategies to deal with them, get expert guidance on how to quit smoking and address nicotine withdrawal, and access a variety of other strategies to help you successfully become and stay smokefree.

YouCanQuit2 is a Defense Department (DOD) educational campaign, aligned to the Defense Health Agency, for the U.S. military. Originally launched in February of 2007, the mission of the campaign is to help Service members quit tobacco—for themselves and their loved ones

Visit YouCanQuit2 for more information - https://www.ycq2.org