The dangers of tobacco use & why people use it
- Studies show that 9 out of 10 tobacco users started using tobacco as a teenager.
- The most common reasons people start using tobacco is because they think it looks "cool", their friends or relatives use it, peer pressure, or they think it will help relieve stress.
1. There's nothing "cool" about stinky breath & clothes or yellow teeth & fingernails and there's especially nothing "cool" about lung/throat/mouth/bladder/stomach cancer, heart disease, emphysema, rapid heartbeat, gum disease, decreased circulation, weak immune system, wrinkles, brittle bones, difficulty breathing, pneumonia, bronchitis, or stroke.
2. As the saying goes- If your friends/relatives jumped off a bridge- would you do it too? Nope..I didn't think so.....
3. If someone would pressure you into doing something you don't want to do, they are not really your friend anyways. See the peer pressure page for more info.
4. There are tons of ways to relieve stress, none of which include tobacco. If you need help with this, just ask us for ideas!
- If you are smoking because "everyone's doing it"- you should know that studies now show that only 20% of high school students smoke. Those numbers used to be MUCH higher! You guys are obviously making a smart choice by not smoking, and I am SO proud of you for that!
- Tobacco contains a very addictive drug called nicotine, it is just as addictive as heroine or cocaine. No one who starts using tobacco thinks they will become addicted but unfortunately, they usually do. That is why it is MUCH easier to just resist the urge to start than to stop after you've already started. Think about it.
- Second-hand smoke (the smoke that is exhaled by smokers out into the air) is just as harmful to bystanders as smoking is to the smoker him/herself. If you don't care about yourself enough to stop smoking, at least care enough about your friends/relatives to stop for their sake. If you won't do that, please at least go off by yourself to have a smoke- don't do it when you're with someone who doesn't smoke themselves.
- For all you smokeless tobacco users reading this (those who "chew" it instead of smoking it)- don't think for a second that you're off the hook! Roughly 8,000 people die per year from chewing- tobacco related diseases such as mouth and throat cancer.