Over the last few years of your life you have probably heard a lot of information about
tobacco products and the health risks associated with them. Learning all this information and taking it in can maybe have you feeling like a pro at knowing it all about tobacco products and the consequences that come with them. But, even the great pros continue to learn about specific topics so they can help educate others and that is what I am asking you to do, learn more about this topic, nicotine & tobacco use.
The Products of Tobacco
Thinking about what you have learned in previous health classes, can you name the highly addictive drug that is found in tobacco products like cigarettes, vapes, hookahs, and smokeless tobacco? If your guess was Nicotine then congra
ts you have answered correctly. Nicotine is the drug that is found in all tobacco products (yes, it is also found in JUUL pods and Vape products) and can potentially lead a person to become addicted to the substance.
Below are some of the products that contain nicotine and are also apart of the Other Tobacco Products (OTP) model formed by Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.
Hookah: Just like cigarettes, hookahs are just as damaging to your lungs. Those who use hookahs are exposed to a lot more smoke than a cigarette user and one session is equal to 100 or more cigarettes.
Electronic Cigarettes (Vapes & JUULs): Even tho
ugh these products do not contain tobacco itself it DOES contain nicotine. The aerosol that is produced from e-cigarettes is not just a harmless "vapor" but also contains a number of different chemicals and even some metals like nickel and lead.
Cigars: These products can come in 3 different styles, little cigars, cigarillo, and cigar. Each style is equally harmful to your body. The only difference between a cigar and a cigarette is that a cigar is wrapped in the whole tobacco leaf and a cigarette is wrapped in paper.
Smokeless Tobacco: Just like all the other tobac
co products, smokeless tobacco is still just as addictive, even though it is not smoked. This product actually delivers nicotine in larger quantities and at a shorter time span. A lot of different mouth diseases and cancers have been linked to smokeless tobacco like Leukoplakia which is when white patches appear on the inside of the mouth and are very painful.
Addiction, It's Real
Let me ask you this question, what do you think the harm is in trying a drug just one time, specifically tobacco products? I'll give you a hint, I mentioned the word earlier in the blog. Hopefully that helped a bit and you found that the answe
r is: you can become addicted from that one time. Specifically talking about tobacco products, trying them can lead to the beginning of an addiction. Addiction doesn't happen all at once but most of the time occurs in stages.
Stage one: Experimental Use: This is when a person tries a drug for the first time. The environment is usually in a social setting, like a party and the user will try it without thinking about the negative consequences that can occur to them.
Stage two: Regular Use: At this stage, a user is incorporating the drug into their everyday life. They will start to build a tolerance to the drug and start hanging out with people who engage in the drug and spend less time with friends who don't.
Stage three: Problem Use: The user will go out of their way to make plans that revolve around using the drug and obtaining it. You will start to notice changes in behavior, interests, and relationships.
Stage four: Drug Addiction & Dependency: In the final stage, cravings for the drug are intense and the user can demonstrate agitated behavior if they are made to go without the drug even for a short period of time. They cannot stop thinking about the drug and may deny they even have a substance use problem.
Peer Influence
Even though some teens are well aware of the health risks associated with using tobacco products and how highly addictive nicotine is, they still choose to engage in the risky behavior. As a teen yourself, why do you think some still choose to try it even though they are knowledgeable about the risks? Maybe some of the answers you said were; they feel pressured to do so; they see others doing it; or it will make them seem cool or fit in. All of those are great answers and there are even more you probably could say.
During this time in your life, you may endure different situations where your friends are doing something and you don't want to feel left out so you engage in the activity with them. When we choose to follow in others footsteps we can allow the
m to make decisions for us and that can put us at risk for negative consequences. This is called peer influence. Sometimes this occurs in simple forms like; how you dress or what you wear; if you study or not; or what sports you decide to play. It can also be in the form of trying a drug like tobacco products.
Keep in mind also that peer influence is not always negative and can be positive as well. Some examples of positive influence include:
Having friends who encourage you to study or do homework even though you are not in the classroom right now.
Teammates who challenge you to be a better player on and off the court or field.
Friends who keep you from doing the wrong thing and will be honest with you.
Now that you know a little bit more about peer influence, try your best to recognize what peer influences are apart of your everyday life.
Try it Out!
In life, we all have people, things, goals, etc, that we care a
bout. In this activity I want you to write down the name of your best friend, the names of 2 other people you care a lot about, 2 possessions you couldn't live without, 2 of your favorite activities, 3 qualities you admire most about yourself, and a short term goal you are working toward.
Now take this time to think about how those people, possessio
ns, qualities, goals, and activities could be impacted if you were to start using tobacco products and eventually developed an addiction to them. Would you possibly lose that best friend or become distant to those you care about? Or maybe you stopped playing or got kicked off the sports team you're involved with. How devastated would you be?
A lot of different things can happen and relationships can be jeop
ardized when engaging in the use of tobacco products. It can be really hard to rise above the negative peer influences that may surround you but it is very possible. It is also very possible to quit using tobacco products if you currently do. There is a ton of resources and people to help support you in your journey to quit. Check out our resource page for more information!
Challenge Of The Week
This week we are changing up the challenge. For your chance to win a prize, we want you to submit a slogan/phrase that is no more then 50 characters that talks about being tobacco/vape free. Please use appropriate language and message us your submission on our Facebook or Instagram page.
As always, join the SQUAD and #refusetouse Central Virginia!
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