1. Are menthol cigarettes safer than other brands?
Menthol cigarettes are not safer than other brands and may even be more dangerous. About 28% of all cigarettes sold in the United States are menthol. About 76% of African American cigarette smokers smoke menthol cigarettes as compared to 23% of whites. These brands contain enough menthol to produce a cool sensation in the throat when smoke is inhaled. People who smoke menthol cigarettes can inhale more deeply or hold the smoke inside longer than smokers of non-menthol cigarettes. This may explain why African Americans, who statistically smoke fewer cigarettes a day (but more menthol cigarettes), are more likely than whites to die from smoking-related diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
2. Is there a safe way to smoke?
No. All cigarettes can cause damage to the human body and even a small amount is dangerous. Cigarettes are perhaps the only legal product whose advertised and intended use is harmful to the body and is a proven cause of cancer.
3. Is cigarette smoking really addictive?
Yes. The nicotine in cigarette smoke is what causes an addiction to smoking. First, when taken in small amounts, nicotine produces pleasurable feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. Second, smokers usually become dependent on nicotine and suffer both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms when they stop smoking. These symptoms include nervousness, headaches, irritability, and difficulty in sleeping. Third, because nicotine affects the chemistry of the brain and central nervous system, it can affect the mood and temperament of the smoker.
4. Who is most likely to become addicted?
Anyone who starts smoking is at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine. Studies show that among addictive behaviors such as the use of alcohol and other drugs, cigarette smoking is most likely to become an established habit during adolescence. Therefore, when young people become cigarette smokers they are more likely to become addicted and more likely to suffer from the variety of health problems caused by cigarette smoking.
5. What does nicotine do?
Nicotine is a poison and taken in large doses could kill a person by paralyzing breathing muscles. Smokers usually take it in small amounts that the body can quickly break down and get rid of, which is why the nicotine does not kill instantly. The first dose of nicotine causes a person to feel awake and alert, while later doses result in a calm, relaxed feeling. Nicotine can make new smokers, and regular smokers who get too much of it, feel dizzy or nauseous. The resting heart rate for young smokers increases 2 to 3 beats per minute. It also lowers skin temperature and reduces blood flow in the legs and feet. Evidence shows that nicotine plays an important role in increasing smokers' risk of heart disease and stroke.
6. Does smoking cause cancer?
Yes. Tobacco smoke contains at least 43 carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances. Smoking causes many kinds of cancer, not just lung cancer. Tobacco use accounts for 30%, or one in three, of all cancer deaths in the United States. Smoking is responsible for almost 90% of lung cancers among men and more than 70% among women, about 83% overall. Cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, bladder, pancreas, and uterine cervix also have in common cigarette smoking as a major cause.
7. How does cigarette smoke affect the lungs?
Cigarette smoking causes several lung diseases that can be just as dangerous as lung cancer. Chronic bronchitis - a disease where the airways produce excess mucus, which forces the smoker to cough frequently - is a common ailment for smokers. Cigarette smoking is also the major cause of emphysema - a disease that slowly destroys a person's ability to breathe.
8. What in cigarette smoke is harmful?
Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds generated by the combustion (burning) of tobacco and additives. Cigarette smoke contains tar, which is made up of over 4,000 chemicals, including the 43 known to cause cancer. Some of these substances cause heart and respiratory diseases, all of which are disabling and can cause death. You might be surprised to know some of the chemicals found in cigarette smoke. They include: cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde, methanol (wood alcohol), acetylene (the fuel used in torches), and ammonia. It also contains the poisonous gases nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. Its main active ingredient is nicotine, an addictive drug.
9. Does cigarette smoking affect the heart?
Yes. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of heart disease, which is America's number one killer. Almost 180,000 Americans die each year from cardiovascular disease caused by smoking. Smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and lack of exercise are all risk factors for heart disease, but smoking alone doubles the risk of heart disease. Among those who have previously had a heart attack, smokers are more likely than non-smokers to have another.
10. Why do people begin to smoke?
Most people begin smoking between the ages of 10 and 18. Peer pressure and curiosity are the major influences that encourage them to experiment with smoking. Also, people with parents who smoke are more likely to begin smoking than those who have nonsmoking parents. Those who begin to smoke at a younger age are more likely than late starters to develop long-term nicotine addiction.
Another prevalent influence in our society is the tobacco industry's advertisements for its products. The tobacco industry spends nearly $6 billion annually to develop and market ads that depict smoking as an exciting, glamorous, healthy adult activity.
11. Can quitting really help a lifelong smoker?
Yes. It is never too late to quit. The sooner smokers quit, the more they can reduce their chances of getting cancer and other diseases. Within 20 minutes of smoking the last cigarette, the body begins a series of regenerating changes. After 20 minutes, blood pressure drops to normal. After 8 hours, the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal. After 24 hours, the chance of heart attack decreases. After one year, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker. In 1 to 9 months, coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease and cilia regrow in the lungs. After 10 years, the lung cancer death rate decreases by almost half. After 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker. It is important to note that the extent to which these risks fall depends on the total amount the person smoked, the age the person started smoking, and the amount of inhalation.
12. How do people successfully quit?
There is no one right way to quit. Successful cessation may include one or a combination of methods including using step-by-step manuals, attending self- help classes or counseling, or using a nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine patch or nicotine gum). Anything that is legal, ethical, and effective is worth trying; this could include chewing sugarless gum, eating carrot sticks, hiding ashtrays, taking long walks, asking others not to smoke around you, and spending time in places where smoking is prohibited.
Each year about 17 million people try to quit for at least a day during the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. Of these quitters, more than 4 million still aren't smoking after three months. About 90% of those who have tried to quit have done so on their own by either stopping "cold turkey" or using other methods. Cigarette smoking in adults dropped from 42% in 1965 to 25% in 1995, to 24.1% in 1998.
13. What is nicotine replacement therapy?
Nicotine replacement therapies are medications that provide nicotine without the other harmful components of cigarette smoke. To be most effective, nicotine replacement therapy should be used with a cessation program that addresses a person's psychological dependence on smoking. By chewing gum containing nicotine or wearing a transdermal patch from which the skin absorbs nicotine, a smoker's withdrawal symptoms are significantly decreased or eliminated.
Not everyone can use nicotine replacement therapy. People with certain medical conditions and pregnant women should not use it. When using the patch, it is very important that users do not smoke cigarettes or use tobacco in any form.*
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