Cigarettes
No one digs the cigs!
Category: Stimulant (nicotine)
Statistics About Cigarette Use
- Use of tobacco is the biggest cause of preventable death in the United States
- About 20% of deaths in the United States each year are due to cigarette smoking
- Almost 9 million people suffer illness due to cigarette smoke each year
- Nearly 50,000 people who don't smoke die each year due to secondhand smoke
Don't be a pig – don't smoke that cig!
Short Term Effects
- Immediately increases heart rate, blood pressure, and speed of breathing
- Causes the body to release adrenaline
- Increases stress in the short term
- Causes coughing and respiratory problems
- Makes physical activity difficult and painful
- Immediate increased risk of pneumonia
Long Term Effects
- Long-term smokers lose about 13 years of their lives due to the drug
- About 1/3 of all cancer is caused by cigarette smoking, including 90% of lung cancer
- Carbon monoxide in the smoke increases the chance of heart disease
- Men who smoke are more likely to be impotent
- Smoking while pregnant can cause miscarriage, learning disabilities for the child, and increased chance of addiction for the child
- Increases the risk of influenza
What's in a Cigarette?
Social Consequences
- Secondhand smoke in the home can physically hurt family members and make them ill
- Cigarettes are expensive and the cost trades off with more important things like food
- The addictive nature of cigarette smoking means you can't enjoy life without constantly smoking a cigarette
- Bad breath and yellowing skin is socially unacceptable – you'll lose friends!
- It is illegal in most states for teens under 18 to smoke or buy cigarettes
- It is nearly impossible to compete well in sports while being a smoker due to the effects on the respiratory system