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Frequently Asked Questions About Tobacco

Cancer

How long does it take to get cancer from smoking or chewing tobacco?

Other Health Problems

What is secondhand smoke?
Does smoking really cause impotence?
What is cigarette smoke doing to my lungs?
Does smoking affect my asthma?
Does smoking affect my physical performance?

Statistics

How many people smoke?

Performance

Can smoking or chewing tobacco affect how I perform in combat?

Smokeless Tobacco

What are the short-term benefits to quitting tobacco and how quickly will I notice the results?
What are the long-term benefits to quitting tobacco?
What’s a good line of attack when I want to quit smokeless tobacco?

Effects of Nicotine

What are the short-term effects of smoking/chewing tobacco?
What are the long-term effects of smoking/chewing tobacco?
What are the symptoms of withdrawing from nicotine?
How does addiction to nicotine happen?
How does nicotine get to the brain, and how does it cause addiction?

Medicines

What medicines can help with nicotine withdrawal?

Mental Health

Does using tobacco help people with problems like anxiety, depression, ADHD/ADD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feel better?
Will quitting smoking help me feel better if I feel overly anxious or depressed, or have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
If I have an attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD) is it going to be harder to quit using tobacco?

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How long does it take to get cancer from smoking or chewing tobacco?

For most people, it takes years, but it's risky to play those odds. Your chances of getting tobacco-related cancer depend on a number of factors, such as:

Seize the Moment Right now, time is on your side because the sooner you quit, the greater the health benefits. If you're 21 years old and have been smoking for about 5 years, quitting smoking now can reduce your chance of getting lung cancer. In fact, your risk for lung cancer won't be much greater than the risk for a person who has never smoked. But if you put off quitting, you will still be more likely to get lung cancer than someone who has never smoked. And quitting isn't going to get any easier.

• How much you smoke/chew.
• How long you've smoked/chewed.
• Whether you use other substances that increase the risk for a particular disease. For example, if you often smoke and drink alcohol, you have a greater risk for some types of cancer than people who do only one or the other.
• Whether you are also exposed to secondhand smoke.

Here are some hard facts. Most people know that both smoking and chewing tobacco can increase the chances of getting certain types of cancer. The chart below lists the average number of deaths each year from some diseases caused by smoking and chewing tobacco:

Disease	Death
Lip, mouth, and throat cancer	4,868
Cancer of the stomach, esophagus, and pancreas	17,319
Chronic airway obstruction	75,074
Heart disease	107,744
Lung cancer; cancer of the trachea or bronchus	123,836
All diseases and conditions caused by smoking, including those affecting children	437,902

Of course, not everyone who smokes or chews gets these diseases, and not everyone who gets these diseases has used tobacco. But people who die of smoking-related diseases generally do not live to a ripe old age. That is, they die prematurely.

Women who smoke are more likely than women who don't smoke to have menopause at an earlier age, and they also are at an increased risk for cancer of the cervix.

What is secondhand smoke?

Smoking is not only a "drag" on you, but it also can harm your nonsmoking friends and family members, including any children in your life. Secondhand smoke includes both:

• Smoke exhaled by a smoker
• Smoke that comes from a burning tobacco product.

Secondhand smoke contains the same nasty poisons and chemicals that the smoker inhales. It's hard enough to imagine ingesting insect poison or ammonia yourself, but imagine putting them into a baby or small child! Exposure to secondhand smoke doubles a baby's risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It also can cause inner-ear and respiratory infections, like asthma, in young children. Experts believe about 38,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke.

Quit for Yourself—And for Everyone You Care About Try placing a picture of your partner, a special child in your life, or even your pet dog or cat in your wallet, on your nightstand, or wherever you will see it. It will help remind you of an important reason to quit and stay quit.

Also, household pets that are exposed often to secondhand smoke can get cancer and die sooner than expected.

Does smoking really cause impotence?

Yes, it is true! A study by Tulane University researchers, which was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that men who smoke cigarettes run an increased risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction. The findings indicated that the more cigarettes a man smoked, the greater the risk. Study participants did not have vascular disease, and the study found the risk of erectile dysfunction even higher for those with diabetes. Although this is not a life-threatening condition, it certainly would compromise one’s well-being and quality of life. So, doctors often recommend that patients quit smoking to reduce their risk for erectile dysfunction.

What is cigarette smoke doing to my lungs?

Whether you smoke or inhale the smoke in the environment from others, you are at risk for lung disease, according to the American Lung Association.

Smoking cigarettes is directly responsible for 87 percent of lung cancer cases and causes most cases of emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is also directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and 80 to 90 percent of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year, and the Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a known human carcinogen.

Does smoking affect my asthma?

You probably can feel the negative effects of smoking on your asthma, but here are some lesser known facts for you to think about.

• Smoking causes your airways to become swollen and filled with mucus, making it harder to breathe for healthy smokers and very difficult for asthmatics.
• Cigarette smoking makes it more likely that you will have an asthma attack.
• Asthmatic smokers have more emergency department visits and more hospitalizations than nonsmoking asthmatics.
• Smoking can cause your corticosteriod asthma medications to be less effective.
• When you have asthma and smoke, it increases your chances of permanently damaging your airways.
• People who have asthma and smoke are more likely to die from an asthma attack.
• A recent study determined that cigarette smoking increases suicidal thoughts in asthmatics.

Does smoking affect my physical performance?

You feel strong, you have no problem keeping up with the rest of the troops, so does smoking really make a difference in your physical performance? Well, read on! You might not be feeling it, you might not be seeing it, but you are not performing as well as if you weren’t smoking, and there are studies that prove it.

• If you smoke, your endurance is not as good as if you quit.

Joggers who were light smokers, and smoked for as little as 2 years, had less endurance than those who didn’t smoke.

Compared to men who didn’t smoke, those who smoked had worse outcomes in the length of exercise, maximum heart rate, and systolic blood pressure during exercise.

• You are more likely to be injured during physical activity if you smoke.

Recruits who smoked at least one cigarette in the month prior to basic training had higher injury rates than those who did not smoke.

• It will take longer to heal when you are injured and your wound is more likely to become infected.

This means when you are hurt on maneuvers you’ll be suffering longer than others in your troop. And, it also means you will heal more slowly when you have dental work done! Ouch.

How many people smoke?

It may seem like "everyone" in the military smokes. But the truth is, most military personnel do not smoke. In 2002, 34 percent of all people in the military smoked cigarettes. Even a smaller percentage of military men aged 18 to 24 chewed tobacco (17 percent).

Smoking among the general public is on the decline. In 1964, about 40 percent of American adults were smokers. In 2003, about 23 percent of American adults were smokers.

In 2003, 22 percent of high school students smoked. Estimates are that 32 percent of teens who become regular smokers will die of a smoking-related disease. That's why it's especially important to quit smoking or chewing tobacco so that you can set an example for the younger people in your life.

Can smoking or chewing tobacco affect how I perform in combat?

Tobacco can be a weapon of mass destruction for people in the military. It causes a range of problems that can reduce your fitness for service. Some of these problems include:

• Impairing your night vision. You might not see the enemy before he sees you.
• Making you stink. You can't hide from enemy forces if they can smell you a block away.
• Impairing your body's ability to heal itself. That's help you don't need on the battlefield.
• Sapping your energy and making you short of breath. You can't carry heavy gear and equipment into battle if you're tired and wheezing.

What are the short-term benefits to quitting tobacco and how quickly will I notice the results?

Within the first few days of quitting tobacco you will begin to notice benefits and improvements such as:

• You’ll have great breath— no more trying to hide the tobacco smell with gum or mints!
• Food will taste better.
• You won’t be spitting brown stuff anymore— no more making sure there is a place to spit or worrying about brown drool.
• More Money! To find out how much you’ll be saving, check out our "Add Up the Cash" calculator.

What are the long-term benefits to quitting tobacco?

• No more sore red gums.
• Those nasty white patches in your mouth disappear.
• The kids who look up to you will stop pretending to chew tobacco.
• You’ll get fewer cavities because your teeth won’t be worn away by tobacco.
• Your risk of cancers caused by smokeless tobacco (cheeck, gums, mouth, tongue, throat, stomach) lessens each year, to the point where it is almost as if you’d never used smokeless tobacco.

What’s a good line of attack when I want to quit smokeless tobacco?

Quitting smokeless tobacco has a lot in common with quitting smoking—you need to follow the same 4 Steps to Quitting, make a quit plan, and get support of family and friends. But there are some differences, too. Here are some good ways to get the most out of your smokeless quit attempt:

• You may need to have something in your mouth to take the place of that wad of chew or tobacco packet. Try sugar-free hard candies or gum, cinnamon sticks, mints, beef jerky, or sunflower seeds.
• Nicotine replacement therapies, like nicotine gum or patch, often help. Nicotine gum can be especially helpful because you hold it in your mouth, making it a substitute for chewing tobacco. You may need to combine these therapies, so ask your doctor.
• You will notice positive physical changes pretty quickly. Maybe your gums hurt less or you have fewer, or even no, mouth sores. Pay attention to these physical changes to stay motivated.

Check out our page Getting the Most Out of Your Quit Attempt for more about quitting smokeless tobacco.

What are the short-term effects of smoking/chewing tobacco?

• The smell. Nobody wants to smell like an ashtray. But there's no escaping it—smoking makes your breath, your clothes, your hair, your car or truck, and your home stink.
• The stains. Smoking and chewing tobacco stain your teeth and fingers and make your breath rank. They also can lead to serious dental problems, like rotting teeth.
• The "smoker's cough." Clean lungs and bronchial tubes rid the body of unwanted gunk to keep your airways clean. But when smoke enters your body, some of it remains trapped and prevents your body from getting rid of all the junk in the lungs. The result: that nasty-sounding smoker's cough. But here's the good news: Once you quit smoking, your lungs may clear out again.
  More information about how your body heals after you quit smoking or chewing.
• The health problems. Nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, this can damage your heart, arteries, and lungs, increasing your risk for heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

Tobacco use also can interfere with your sex life and plans for having a family:

• Men who smoke are twice as likely as men who don't smoke to have impotence problems (difficulty having an erection). Thanks, tobacco.
• If a woman smokes while pregnant, she is more likely to give birth too early.

If you smoke or chew, expect to have at least a few issues that might have been avoided by not using tobacco. Shortness of breath and lack of energy are common results of smoking. Smoking also can irritate your digestive system and contribute to acid reflux.

What are the long-term effects of smoking/chewing tobacco?

Each time you use tobacco, you are putting chemicals in your body that can cause cancer (and other diseases such as emphysema and lung disease, which are related mainly to the carbon monoxide—a poisonous gas—in cigarette smoke).

What are the symptoms of withdrawing from nicotine?

If you're on day 3 of your quit plan and you feel like the grouchiest person on earth, you're not alone. Many people go through tough withdrawal symptoms while quitting smoking or tobacco use. Common symptoms of nicotine withdrawal are:

I Want You, I Need You Emotional cravings may kick in if you used to smoke or chew during a pleasant or routine activity, such as after dinner or while having a beer with the guys in your unit. Part of the quitting process is learning to have a good time without lighting up or chewing. Hanging out with nonsmoking friends, avoiding smoky bars and "smoke pits," and taking up new hobbies can help you "re-train" your brain.

How does addiction to nicotine happen?

You once may have claimed to be "addicted" to bacon cheeseburgers or to a new reality show. But a nicotine addiction is a different beast altogether. What exactly is a real medical addiction?

An addiction is a process that:

• Changes the chemistry of the brain and body.
• Causes withdrawal symptoms when the addictive substance (in this case, nicotine) is not kept high enough.

How does nicotine get to the brain, and how does it cause addiction?

When a person smokes a cigarette or uses smokeless tobacco:

• Nicotine travels through the body in the bloodstream, headed straight for the brain.
• The brain gets a hit of nicotine about 10-15 seconds later.
• The nicotine boosts the "reward center" of the brain, causing a pleasant, happy feeling.
• Adrenaline is released, which makes the heart rate and blood pressure increase and makes breathing rapid and shallow. Over time, these effects can damage your heart, arteries, and lungs, increasing the risk for heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

As an addictive substance, nicotine has a job to do: to be sure that the level of nicotine in the body stays high enough to avoid withdrawal symptoms. And the more nicotine your body gets, the more it wants. This is mainly because it takes more and more nicotine to keep the body from having withdrawal symptoms.

What medicines can help with nicotine withdrawal?

A number of medicines can help with nicotine withdrawal. Some of them work by giving you low doses of nicotine so that your withdrawal symptoms will not be as strong. Using some form of nicotine—containing medicine doubles your chances of quitting smoking for good.

Below are some nicotine-containing options for you to consider:

• Commit
• Habitrol.
• NicCess
• Nicotrol
• Nicobate CQ
• Nicocure
• Nicoderm CQ
• Nicorette Inhalator
• Nicorette Microtab
• Nicorette Nasal Spray.
• Nicotinell
• Nicotrol/Nicotrol NS.
• NiQuitin CQ.

Ask your doctor for more advice on these medicines. And remember: Medicine alone can't do all the work. It can help with cravings and withdrawal, but quitting smoking or chewing will still be hard at times. More information about medicines to help you quit tobacco.

Does using tobacco help people with problems like anxiety, depression, ADHD/ADD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feel better?

It can seem like nicotine is helping, but people who use tobacco to feel better are "self-medicating" and it’s not a good solution. Nicotine temporarily changes the chemistry in the brain and can lessen some of these symptoms, but it doesn’t last long and it’s no cure.¹,² There are ways to help you if you are feeling overly stressed, anxious, depressed, or have ADD or ADHD. Talk to your doctor about ways to relieve stress or depression and medications that can help.

1. Carter, B. L., Lam, C. Y., Robinson, J. D., Paris, M. M., Waters, A. J., Wetter, D. W., Cinciripini, P. M. (July 2008). Real-time craving and mood assessments before and after smoking. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 10(7):1165–1169. 2. Goodwin, R. D., Zvolensky, M. J., Keyes, K. M. (March 26, 2008) Nicotine dependence and mental disorders among adults in the USA: Evaluating the role of the mode of administration. Psychological Medicine, 1–10.

Will quitting smoking help me feel better if I feel overly anxious or depressed, or have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Yes! Smoking can actually make you feel more anxious or depressed when you can’t smoke and it can make you more stressed than you would feel if you weren’t addicted to nicotine. ¹,²,³ Quitting means that you have more control over your emotions, that they aren’t controlled by the nicotine. Read Unlocking the Mysteries of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Tobacco Use for more information about PSTD and smoking.

1. Carter, B. L., Lam, C. Y., Robinson, J. D., Paris, M. M., Waters, A. J., Wetter, D. W., Cinciripini, P. M. (July 2008). Real-time craving and mood assessments before and after smoking. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 10(7): 1165–1169.
2. Parrott, A. C. (October 1999). Does cigarette smoking cause stress? American Psychologist, 54(10): 817–20.
3. Parrott, A. C. (February 1995). Stress modulation over the day in cigarette smokers. Addiction, 90(2): 233–44.

If I have an attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD) is it going to be harder to quit using tobacco?

If you have ADHD you already know that your behavior is really not something you can control by willing yourself to focus, concentrate or even sit through a movie without fidgeting! You may have learned behavior modification or a doctor may have prescribed medication to help control your symptoms. Smokers with ADHD can be more physically dependent upon nicotine, and while that can make it more difficult to quit, it doesn’t mean you can’t! You should talk to your doctor who can advise you about cessation medications that can help you. Just like you know you can’t will yourself to be rid of ADD or ADHD, you might not be able to defeat tobacco without assistance. ¹,²

1. Wilens, T. E., Vitulano, M., Upadhyaya, H., Adamson, J., Sawtelle, R., Utzinger, L., & Biederman, J. (June 4, 2008). Cigarette smoking associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Journal of Pediatrics, (published ahead of print version, retrieved July 24, 2008).
2.Gehricke, J. G., Whalen, C. K., Jamner, L. D., Wigal, T. L., & Steinhoff, K. (February 2006). The reinforcing effects of nicotine and stimulant medication in the everyday lives of adult smokers with ADHD: A preliminary examination. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 8(1): 37–47.