- Tobacco use causes cancers in the oral cavity, throat, voice box, esophagus, cervix, bladder, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, and stomach
- Smoking causes coronary heart disease
- Smoking doubles a person's chance of stroke
- Smoking effects the reproductive system, such as increased risk of infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome
Addiction
- Nicotine is an addictive substance for many people. Quitting smoking is different for everyone. Some people are able to stop "cold turkey" and then never go back. More frequently, it may take several attempts before quitting for good. In fact, most smokers make an average of three or four quit attempts before becoming long-term non-smokers.
- Brain Chemistry. Nicotine is a very powerful drug that affects mood, focus, and thinking. In seven seconds, a puff of nicotine begins to calm a smoker's brain. the brain gets used to hundreds of nicotine "hits" each day.
- Behavioral Conditioning. Smoking is driven by stimulus-response behavior; for example, the smell of a cigarette automatically produces a strong urge to smoke. Smoking then becomes an unconscious habit.
- Psychology. Smokers often feel they need a cigarette to feel right or to think clearly. People with a family history of depression, schizophrenia, ADD or other conditions may have a harder time stopping smoking.
- Social Aspects. Smoking is a social ritual for many people, shared with family, friends, or co-workers. When other people light up, it is often natural for another smoker to join them.
Cigarettes
- There are about 600 ingredients in a cigarette and over 4000 chemical compounds are created by burning one cigarette. Including, but not limited to:
- Acetone: active in fingernail polish remover
- Ammonia: also found in fertilizers
- Arsenic: main ingredient in rat poison
- Ethyl Alcohol: a cleaning solvent
- Magnesium Carbonate: found in pen inks
- Rhodinol: flowery smell used in cosmetics
- Valeric Acid: found in perfumes
- Menthol vs. Regular: menthol cigarettes have a non-tobacco additive that make them minty tasting
- Filter vs. Non-Filter: the non-filter cigarettes can be lit at either end and allow the user to get much more smoke. The filtered cigarettes force smoke to go through a filter before entering your mouth.
- Lights vs. Ultra vs. Regular: lights have 50-70% of the nicotine level compared to regular; ultras have 30% of regular.
- Smoking during pregnancy or around a child following birth is a major risk factor in sudden infant death syndrome.
- Secondhand smoke is a complex mixture of gases and particles that includes smoke from burning cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer. Breathing it has a harmful, immediate, effect to the cardiovascular system.
Smokeless Tobacco
- One pinch of smokeless tobacco delivers the same amount of known carcinogens as 5 cigarettes
- The amount of nicotine absorbed from smokeless tobacco is 3-4 times the amount delivered by a cigarette
- Health problems include: recession of gums, tooth decay and tooth loss, white patches (leukoplakia) that turn into cancer, increased blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, multiple cancers
NCAA and Tobacco
Bylaw 17.1.8: The use of tobacco products by a student-athlete is prohibited during practice and competition. A student-athlete who uses tobacco products during practice or competition shall e disqualified for the remainder of the practice or competition.