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HomeTopicsThe Tobacco Habit
The Tobacco Habit: Facts About TobaccoWhether you smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco, you are ingesting a powerfully addictive drug known as nicotine. In fact, smoking pipes and cigars is just as habit-forming as smoking cigarettes. While some people insist that they are not addicted to tobacco, the simple fact is that ingesting any form of tobacco for a certain period of time can cause a variety of negative health effects.
Chemicals in TobaccoAlong with nicotine, cigarettes and other tobacco products contain over 4,000 chemicals that are harmful to our health. In fact, over 200 of them (about 5 percent) are known to cause cancer. Here is a list of some of the dangerous chemicals tobacco contains, along with notes on where these chemicals are typically found:
The more you use tobacco, the more chemicals you ingest. This, in turn, stimulates a physical addiction as your body becomes used to ingesting so many toxic chemicals on a regular basis.
Negative Health Effects of TobaccoOver time, as a person continues to use tobacco, he will likely start to experience negative health effects, which may include any combination of the following:
As a result, quitting smoking and use of tobacco is essential to preventing the development of dangerous and potentially fatal health problems.
Why People Use TobaccoAlthough tobacco is highly addictive once a person starts ingesting it, the initial reasons that people being using tobacco can vary. For example, people may start using tobacco due to:
Ironically, the underlying emotional trigger that first brings a person to start using tobacco also tends to be a reason that they keep using it, creating the vicious cycle of habit that many people associated with cigarettes and other tobacco products. Similarly, some people start associating tobacco and nicotine with specific situations, which causes them to crave tobacco when they are in them. Some examples of situations tied to smoking, chewing or otherwise using tobacco include:
Identifying what your specific emotional and situational triggers are for using tobacco is key to helping you quit.
Resources Healthy Heart Club (n.d.). Cigarette Smoking Health Effects. Retrieved January 2, 2008 from the HHC Website: http://www.healthy-heart-guide.com/cigarette-smoking-health-effects.html. Tooele County Health Department (n.d.). Dangerous Chemicals in Tobacco. Retrieved January 2, 2008 from the Tooele County Health Department Website: http://health.utah.gov/lhd/tooele/
Community_Health/Tobacco_Prevention/Chemicals.html.
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