Union County Public Schools One­Hour Tobacco Education Class Recommended Outline Needs will vary depending on the make up of the class. Pick and choose from the points below to make the class meaningful to your students…
· Addictive nature of nicotine – a drug that is as addictive as cocaine or heroin with addiction possible after only 3­4 weeks of experimental use
· Nicotine Addiction Quiz (most teens think they are not addicted and can quit whenever they want) ü Only 5% of teens in high school who smoke daily think they'll definitely be smoking five years later. But if you come back and talk to them 7 years later, guess how many will still be smokers? Almost 75%!! (NIDA, 1993)
· Check the Ingredients: chemicals in tobacco (and other common places these chemicals are found) – see list and use some type of graphic to emphasize Cigarette smoke has more than 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which can cause cancer – many are toxic or poisonous / Spit Tobacco has over 2500 chemicals with 23 known to cause cancer
· The Tobacco Industry markets to TEENS!! They need replacement customers because their customers die. It is about MONEY!! Overall Big Tobacco spends $15.4 billion dollars every year or $42 million dollars per day on advertising their products. Although it is against the law for them to directly advertise to youth, they find ways to reach youth, such as smoking in PG­13 movies and music videos, sponsoring events, product placement at stores etc. They want you to think you will look & feel “grown up” if you use tobacco.
· Not everyone is using tobacco! Only about 28% of NC teens and 25% of NC adults use tobacco.
· How much it costs to use tobacco – do the math and add up how much money you spend on the habit!! What else could you have bought with that money??
· Health effects of smoking ­ tobacco can harm you NOW Go to UCPS website – click on Safe & Drug Free Schools and then Tobacco Free Schools and click on Fact Sheets (Quick Links). Go to Surgeon General’s Report and access interactive website…. Smoking affects nearly every organ of the body, not just the lungs. Smokers are less healthy than non­smokers. Short term effects: ü Nicotine raises heart rate and makes blood vessels constrict or narrow and causes your heart to work harder and blood pressure to go up
1 ü Robs your muscles and other cells of needed oxygen (smokers have more carbon monoxide and less oxygen in their bodies) Contact Tobacco Prevention Coordinators if you’d like to borrow the “Carbon Monoxide Monitor” that is available for check out. This small portable unit measures CO levels within ranges. ü Makes your teeth yellow and gives you bad breath ü Numbs your sense of taste and smell ü Smelly clothes and hair! ü Paralyzes the small hairs (cilia) that line inside of lungs – causes you to get colds more often ­ congestion/ phlegm/ lung infections like bronchitis ü Can cause asthma attacks ü Bones do not heal as fast with injuries ü Slows healing ü Can harm your voice ü Less energy due to less oxygen Long term effects: ü Smoking causes you to get wrinkles faster (premature aging) ü Smoking causes gum disease and dental decay ü Causes lung cancer which is mostly a fatal disease – 87% of people with lung cancer will die from it (hard to treat) ü Causes emphysema and other lung diseases (COPD) ü Causes many types of cancer – mouth, throat, reproductive organs, bladder, kidney stomach and others ü Causes heart disease and stroke ü Causes stomach ulcers ü Causes eye disease such as cataracts, and possibly blindness ü Death – tobacco use is the LEADING cause of death in our country Each year more than 430,000 Americans die from tobacco use ü Shortened life span – you take about 14 years off your life when you continue to smoke
· Spit tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes
· Health effects of spit tobacco ü Bad breath ü Dental problems – tooth decay and loss, bone loss ü Mouth cancer (often resulting in surgical removal of muscle and jaw bone) ü Tongue cancer ü Throat and larynx (vocal cords) cancer ü Stomach cancer ü Heart disease and high blood pressure ü Death
· There is no SAFE form of tobacco. Light cigarettes are just as dangerous as regular cigarettes. The only difference is a few more holes in the filter! There is no form of safe spit tobacco, including the new product REVEL which they call “tobacco packs” – it has the same cancer causing toxins and nicotine.
2 · Dangers of Secondhand Smoke are every real and very serious – when you smoke you are also hurting other people around you who breathe in your smoke. See fact sheet.
· When pregnant women smoke, it can cause premature births, birth defects and even learning problems in the baby. When a pregnant woman smokes, the baby smokes too.
· Even if you feel you are addicted, quitting is possible!! It may take 4­6 attempts to quit before you can be tobacco free – it is a process that requires support. It starts with YOU wanting to quit.
· Benefits of Quitting ü 20 minutes after quitting ­ blood pressure and pulse drop to normal. ü 8 hours after quitting ­ carbon monoxide levels in blood drop to normal and blood oxygen levels increase. ü 24 hours after quitting ­ chance of heart attack decreases. ü 48 hours after quitting ­ nerve endings start regrowing and ability to smell and taste are enhanced. ü 2 to 3 months after quitting ­ circulation improves; walking becomes easier and lung function increases up to 30 percent. ü 1 to 9 months after quitting ­ coughing, congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease; cilia (hairs that move/clean airways) regrow in lungs and body’s overall energy increases. ü 1 year after quitting ­ risk of heart disease is half that of a non­smoker. ü 5 years after quitting ­ stroke risk is reduced to that of a non­smoker (in some cases it takes longer). ü 10 years after quitting ­ lung cancer death rates decrease to that of nonsmokers; risk of other cancers decrease as well.
· Quit Resources: ü 1­800­Quit Now (NC Quit Line) ü www.ncnot.com ü www.quitnet.com ü www.quitsmokeless.com ü www.smokefree.gov
· Nicotine replacement products (gum, patch, lozenge etc.) can be used by youth; however you can not purchase NRT until age 18. Talk to your parents or doctor if you feel this would help you quit.
· Websites to check out Teens and Tobacco: www.StepUpNC.com Or www.realityunfiltered.com Comprehensive Site with Tobacco Facts: www.tobaccofreekids.org Tobacco Free Schools: www.healthwellnc.com Secondhand smoke: www.SmokeFreeNC.org or www.fammed.unc.edu/enter
3
So.... you smoke. Want some reasons to quit? Know someone else who smokes and want to convince them to quit? Well here's a list of good reasons why you should quit smoking now! WHY QUIT SMOKING?
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
You will save money ­ just think of all the cool things you could buy if you weren't sending your money up in smoke.
Your clothes, hair, house, car, and breath will smell better.
Thinking of having kids? Pregnant women who quit smoking are less likely to have miscarriages, stillborns, or premature babies.
You won't feel like a second class citizen.
You won't be exposing others to dangerous second hand smoke.
You'll live longer!
The negative health effects of smoking ­ illness, disease, and death ­ are very painful ­ not only for you, but for your loved ones. Think of your future! And think of theirs, too.
Your health will improve when you quit: o You'll have fewer colds o You'll breathe easier o Your chance of heart attack in the future will decrease o Your smoker's cough will disappear o You'll have more energy o Your sense of smell and taste will improve
Your lungs can repair themselves. You still have time!!
You'll feel proud of yourself after you quit.
Gain self respect.
A lot of nonsmokers don't want to be around smokers ­ this may include people you care about ­ bring those people back into your life!
Set a good example for younger kids (like friends and relatives) who look up to you.
You'll be much more kissable with out stinky smoky breath (they say kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray!)
You can keep your youthful look ­ smokers get more wrinkles as they age
You can enjoy life and be truly independent.
If you're not addicted yet, quit now before you become addicted and depend on cigarettes to make you feel better.
Quit before you become so addicted that you'll keep smoking even if you have to smoke through a hole in your throat!
The longer you smoke, the harder it is to quit, so why not quit as soon as possible?
You don't have to freeze in the winter or burn up in the summer when you have to go outside to smoke.
You won't smudge your lipstick while smoking.
You won't have to look for a smoking area everywhere you go.
4