Tobacco Myths Up in Smoke

Posted: June 1, 2005

Don’t get trapped. Nicotine in cigarettes, cigars, and spit tobacco is addictive. Here are more facts that you should know about tobacco.

• Smoking slows lung growth, decreases lung function, and reduces the oxygen available for your muscles.
• Smokers suffer from shortness of breath almost three times more often than non-smokers.
• Nicotine is addictive in ways like heroin and cocaine.
• Spit tobacco and cigars are NOT safe alternatives to cigarettes; low-tar and additive-free tobacco products are not safe either.
• Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States, causing heart and lung diseases, cancers, and strokes.
• Know the truth. Despite all the tobacco use on TV and in movies, music videos, billboards and magazines – most teens, adults, and athletes DON’T use tobacco.

Parents — help keep your kids tobacco-free
Talk directly to children about the risks of tobacco use; if friends or relatives died from tobacco-related illnesses, let your kids know.

If you use tobacco, you can still make a difference. Your best move, of course, is to try to quit. Meanwhile, don’t use tobacco in your children’s presence, don’t offer it to them, and don’t leave it where they can easily get it.

Start the dialog about tobacco use at age 5 or 6 and continue through their high school years. Many kids start using tobacco by age 11, and many are addicted by age 14. Discuss with kids the false glamorization of tobacco on billboards, and other media, such as movies, TV, and magazines.

Know if your kids’ friends use tobacco. Talk about ways to refuse tobacco.

• Young people who do not start using tobacco by age 18 will most likely never start.
• Young people who use tobacco may be more likely to use alcohol and other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

We Have Answers Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St. Mary's and Advanced Healthcare can help. Click here.