Fatal addiction...facts about teen smoking [Mar. 2002]

rw 'I atal Addiction

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...facts about

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar and the smoke that is exhaled from the lungs of a smoker. This mixture contains more than 4,000 substances, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans. Exposure to secondhand smoke is often called involuntary smoking or passive smoking. Kids who breathe secondhand smoke:
are more likely to suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, and other lung diseases. can have more ear infections. can have more asthma attacks and the episodes can be more severe. Secondhand smoke may also cause thousands of healthy children to develop asthma each year. Infants and very young children who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to get lung infections, resulting in thousand of hospitalizations each year.

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1@Despite the impact of movies, music, and N ,parents I

! can be the GREATEST INFLUENCE in their kids' lives. !

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I@ ~ a l kdirectly to children about the risks of tobacco use; I

!I if friends or relatives died from tobacco-related illnesses, I

let your kids know.

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1@ If you use tobacco, you can still make a difference. Your I

II best move, of course, is to quit. Meanwhile, don't use tobacco in your children's presence, don't offer it to

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I them, and donlt.leave it where they can easily get it. I

!@start the dialog about tobacco use at age five or six
i !i and continue through their high school years. Many kids

I start using tobacco by age 11, and many are addicted I

1 byage14.

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s now I

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if your kids' friends use tobacco. Talk about ways I

I to refuse tobacco.

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s

is

cuss

the false

glamorization of

tobacco

on

billboards

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I and other media, such as movies, TV, and magazines. I

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~ @ ~ o wt iteh your pocketbook. Support businesses that I

!I don't sell tobacco to kids. Frequent restaurants and other I

places that are tobacco-free.

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I + More than five million young people under the age of 18 alive today will even-
I tually die from smoking-related disease, unless current rates are reversed. +Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United
I - States. ~rEvery day in the United States, more than 3,000 young people become regular smokers that's more than one million new smokers a year. 9 The cigar fad has reached kids. In 1999, 25.4 percent of boys and 9.9 percent of girls in grades 9-12 reported having smoked a cigar at least once in the last 30 days. Young people who use tobacco may be more likely to use alcohol and other
drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.
-0hice of Smokingand Health, Centers for Disease Contmland Prevention
II Among high school seniors who have ever used spit tobacco, almost three-
fourths began by the ninth grade.
--Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Reporf of the Surgeon General, 1994.
J If men smoke heavily during their teens and twenties, they risk becoming impo-
tent in their 30s and 40s.
--British MedicalAssociation andAction on Smokingand Health
*Almost 90 percent of adult smokers began at or before age 18. More than three million kids age 12-17 are current smokers. + More than a third of all kids who ever try smoking a cigarette become regular, daily smokers before leaving high school. + Past-month smoking among eighth and tenth graders is more than 20 percent
higher now than in 1991. 4 In 2002, 123,952 kids have become regular smokers-41,317 will eventually die
from their addiction.
-Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
* Research studies have indicated that every cigarette a person smokes takes
about six minutes off hislher life.
--Bowin LileSkrJls Training Manual

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III@ toRbeaccocgonaizreouyonudrpilnafylueersn.ceRewmithinydotuhnegmpoefotphlee. Don't use

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I importance of being tobacco-free.

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:@ When talking to players, remember they relate more to

I messages about the immediate effects of tobacco use
!I (such as poorer athletic performance) than to its longterm health threats.

; @ ~ d o p t and enforce a tobacco-free policy for players,
! coaches, and referees.
II@ Send a copy of the tobacco-free policy home for
! parents to review.

; @ ~ a k eall practices, games, and competitions
!1 tobacco-free on the field and sidelines and in the stands.

,I@ Announce and display tobacco-free messages at
I games.

!@ Consider partnering with your local tobacco prevention

: program. Voice your support for tobacco-free schools, sports, and other community events.

---0Rce on Smoking and Health

N a l i O ~Cl enter for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1-800-CDC-1311 (770) 488-5705 www.cdc.govltobacm

Already started smoking? It's never too late to stop!
. 7ips for Q u i t.t i a
rink LOTS of water and fluids to help flush out the nicotine and
other poisons from your body.
r he urge to smoke only lasts a few minutes and will then pass.
The urges gradually become further and further apart as the days go by.

PRODUCED BY: ImageMaster Productions, Inc.
Dan Johnson. President
PRODUCED fOR: Georgia Children and Youth Coordinating Council
and Alabama Office of the Governor Department of Children's Affairs

ernem ember t o breathe deeply every time you want a cigarette. This
will help the cravings go away.
@DO your very best to stay away from alcohol, sugar, and coffee the first week or longer, as these tend to stimulate the desire for a cigarette. Avoid fatty foods, as your metabolismwill slow down a bit without the nicotine, and you may gain weight even if you eat the same amount as before quitting.
@ ~ i b b l eon low-calorie foods like celery, apples, and carrots. Chew gum or suck on cinnamon sticks.
@stretch out your meals; eat slowly and pause between bites.

FINANCIAL PARTNERS: Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health. Tobacco Use Prevention Section
EDUCATIONAL VIDEO SERIES: Multiple Choice (Juvenile Crime Prevention) Ultimate Choice (Teen Pregnancy Prevention)
Driving Ambition (Teen Driving Laws) The Parenting Principle (Parenting)
Primary Influence (Underage Drinking Enforcement) Fatal Addiction (Underage Tobacco Use)

r re at yourself to a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy after din-
ner ~nsteadof a cigarette.
@GO to a gym, sit in the steam, exercise. Change your normal routine Take time to walk or even jog around the block or in a local park.
@ Pamper yourself. Take a class like yoga, get a one-hour massage,
take a long bath.
@Ask for support from co-workers, friends, and family members. Ask for their tolerance. Let them know you're quitting, and that you m~ghbt e edgy or grumpy for a few days.
@Ask friends and family members not to smoke i n your presence. Don't be afraid to ask. This is more important than you may realize.
@ ~ i d eall ashtrays and destroy all your cigarettes, preferably with water, so no part of them is smokeable.
- @ Write down ten good things about being a non-smoker and
then write out ten bad things about smok~ng.Do it. It really helps.

To order Fatal Addiction or other CYCC educational products, please contact CYCC Public lnformation Officer, Judy Reynolds, at (404) 656-9345, or JudyReynolds@cycc.state.ga.us. Visit CYCC's web site at www.cycc.state.ga.us.

Scary Statistics For Teens in Georaia:

d High school students who smoke

35%

J High school males who use spit tobacco
* Number of kids (under 18) who become
new daily smokers each year

21% 23.100

G Kids exposed to secondhand smoke in the home 423,000

9 Number of packs of cigarettes bought or smoked 29.5 million by kids in Georgia each year

G Estimated number of Georgia kids now under 18 who will die from smoking (if current trends continue)

154,000

G Estimated portion of tobacco advertising and marketing expenditures spent in Georgia each year
Cnmpnigrrfor Tobacco-FreeKid5

$241 million

Have You Heard about Spit Tobacco?

@ ~ o n ' tpretend smoking wasn't enjoyable-it was. This is like losing
a good friend -- it's okay to grieve the loss. Feel that grief, don't worry, ~t'sokay. Feel, and you heal. Stay with it -- you can do it!
-tobarnfree og/qudbng html

+14.2 percentof U.S. high school boys (grades 9-12) are current (past 30 days) spit tobacco users. Less than two percent of high school girls are spit users.
+18.8 percent of Caucasian high school boys are current spit

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Need More Help

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Remember, smoking is not just a physical addiction, it's also a mental

one. Don't be afraid to ask someone for help or support.

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www.unitegeorgia.com Informationabout the burden of I

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tobacco in Georgia

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www.quitnet.org On-line support for quitting

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www.nstep.org National Spit Tobacco Education Program

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www.nicotine-anonymous.org 12-step program similar

tobacco users. +spit tobacco users are up to 50 times more likely to get oral cancer
than non-users. +The use of spit tobacco can lead to oral cancer, gum disease, and
nicotine addiction, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack.
+spit tobacco causes gum disease (gingivitis), which can lead to bone and tooth loss.

to Alcoholics Anonymous I
I www.cdc.govltobacco The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention

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I wwwwww..atosbha.ocrcgofrAeectkioidns.oonrgSmCoakminpgaaignndfoHreTaoltbhacco-Free Kids I

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+Leukoplakia, which can lead to oral cancer, occurs in more than half of all users in the first three years of use. Studies have found that 60 to 78
percent of spit tobacco users have oral lesions.
-Campaign /or Tobacco-FreeKids
-