Tobacco Is Bad for Your Body.

Tobacco harms nearly every organ of your body. Each time you use it, you’re doing real damage. Sometimes it can take years to see these effects.

Tobacco Does Real Damage.

When you quit, your body will begin to heal itself and reverse these effects.

Risk for stroke and heart disease goes up 2 to 4 times.

Smoking kills half of those who don’t quit.

Each cigarette contains 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are linked to cancer.

Cancers

caused or made worse by tobacco use

Diseases

caused or made worse by tobacco use

Smoking and vaping are not safe during pregnancy.

Smoking while pregnant can lead to miscarriages, stillbirth, preterm deliveries and low birth weights. It also increases the chance of birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate, increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and damages a developing baby’s brain and lungs.

If you are pregnant and trying to quit, you don’t have to do it alone. Call the Utah Tobacco Quit Line free at 1-800-QUIT-NOW and you can receive these services:

  • Up to nine calls with a female coach (five before and four after delivery)
  • A cash card for each call
  • Nicotine gum, patches, or lozenges (with a doctor’s approval)
  • Booklet to help you quit
  • Text support

Amanda struggled with smoking when she was pregnant. Check out her story below.

CALL 1-800-QUIT-NOW

Concerned that you’re at risk for lung cancer? See if you qualify for a free screening.

Free lung cancer screenings are available to qualifying individuals under the Affordable Care Act.

Learn More

Smoking can trigger asthma in smokers and those around them.

Tobacco smoke and secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack, both in smokers and those around them. For more information and tips on how to protect your family and yourself from a tobacco-related asthma attack, click here.

For Utah-specific resources, check out www.health.utah.gov/asthma.

Smoking can lead to diabetes and make it harder to control.

Smoking increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 30% to 40%. Smoking decreases blood flow to legs and feet, which can lead to infections, sores and possible amputation. People who quit smoking have better control of their diabetes and insulin levels.

To see if you are at risk for prediabetes, visit https://doihaveprediabetes.org.

You can find additional information about the link between smoking and diabetes here.

Chewing tobacco causes cancer and other health issues.

Smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents and is linked to mouth, tongue, cheek, gum, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers. Chew or dip users also have high rates of leukoplakia, which is a gray-white patch in the mouth that can become cancer. Other health issues include heart disease, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and increased risk of early delivery and stillbirth when used during pregnancy.

Cost of Tobacco

Smoking is a costly habit in more ways than one. Use our interactive calculator to see how much money you’re spending on tobacco.

How much do you pay for a pack of cigarettes?

$

How many cigarettes do you smoke each day?


How old were you when you started smoking?


How old are you now?

Weekly Cost:

$17.50

Monthly Cost:

$75.00

Yearly Cost:

$912.50

What you’ve already spent:

$18,250.00

Effects on Youth

Protecting Our Youth from Nicotine Products

The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, and some of the most critical developments happen during teenage years. Use of any addictive substance during this time can alter how the brain develops. Nicotine, found in traditional tobacco products like cigarettes and e-cigarettes or vapes, affects teens more than it does adults. Using nicotine as a teenager can lead to:


  • use of other addictive substances
  • lower impulse control
  • greater inability to focus
  • depression
  • anxiety

Resources

Pathway to Addiction

Because a teen’s brain is still developing, nicotine can rewire pathways, essentially “hardwiring” the brain for addiction. In Utah, we have seen declines in the use of conventional cigarettes, hookahs, cigars, chew and snus, but an increase in vape use.

In 2015, 1 in 10 Utah students reported using a vape product in the past 30 days.*

In 2015, 1 in 4 Utah students reported trying a vape product.*

Use of vape products nearly doubled, from 5.8% in 2013 to 10.5% in 2015.

70% of Utah teens who vape also use alcohol. Studies show that teens who start with a vape product are more likely to try regular cigarettes, alcohol, and other substances. For information about alcohol’s effects on the developing brain, visit www.parentsempowered.org.

*in grades 8, 10 and 12

Cigarettes

When a cigarette is lit, smoke is inhaled deep into the lungs. This smoke contains thousands of harmful chemicals, 70 of which are linked to cancer. Some of these chemicals come from the plant itself, such as nicotine, a natural pesticide, or while the plant is cured, such as nitrosamines. When cigarettes are smoked, heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead, are also released into the body with the smoke.

Once inside your body, these chemicals cause cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, reduced fertility, nicotine addiction, and many other types of damage, both immediate and long-term.

Secondhand smoke can be just as harmful to nonsmokers.

Smokeless tobacco

Smokeless tobacco includes chewing tobacco, snuff and snus. Chewing tobacco comes in the form of loose leaf, plug or twist, and is placed between the cheek and gums. Some of them are placed in the mouth and others are inhaled through the nose. In Utah, 2.9% of adults use smokeless tobacco, and 3.9% of Utah youth have tried it. Smokeless tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. It contains nicotine and 28 cancer-causing agents. Youth who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers. Rural areas typically have higher smokeless tobacco use rates than urban areas. It might be smokeless, but it still has plenty of danger.

Hookah

Hookahs are water pipes that are used to smoke specially made flavors. They are typically smoked in groups, passing the same mouthpiece from person to person. The smoke contains several toxic agents known to cause lung, bladder and oral cancers. It might seem fun, but it has most of the same risks of cigarettes. And because of the way a hookah is used, smokers may absorb more of the toxic tobacco substances than cigarette smokers do. Hookahs also produce secondhand smoke, which can be a serious health risk for nonsmokers.

E-cigarettes & Vapes

With fun names, bright colors and sleek packaging, vapes are designed to look appealing. Don’t be fooled—they’re full of nicotine and can be highly addictive. Vapes and e-cigarettes heat a liquid that contains harmful chemicals into an aerosol, which is then inhaled. This liquid is sold in irresistible flavors, which helps a dangerous product appear deceivingly harmless. 99% of e-cigarettes contain nicotine, making them highly addictive.

The Facts

In Utah, approximately 10.5% of high school students report using vapes; that’s 5x more than 2011. Approximately 4.8% of Utah adults use vapes. Rather than helping to reduce the number of smokers, vape products are increasing the overall number of people who use tobacco products in the United States, according to a recent CDC report. E-cigarettes and vapes have not been approved by the CDC as a cessation device.

 

Cigars

A cigar is a roll of tobacco wrapped in leaf tobacco, unlike cigarettes, which are wrapped in paper. There are three types of cigars sold in the United States: large cigars, cigarillos and little cigars. Cigars contain the same toxic and carcinogenic compounds found in cigarettes and are not a safe alternative to cigarettes. In 2015, more high school boys in the United States smoked cigars than cigarettes.

Benefits of Quitting


Learn How Your Body Heals

There are a lot of great reasons to quit tobacco, but the benefits to your body might be the best. When you quit tobacco, your body instantly starts to heal. Food will taste better, flowers will smell sweeter, and walking up the stairs will be easier. Quit today so your body can start its recovery tomorrow.

January 1, 2019

12 hours

The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

January 1, 2019

2 WEEKS TO 3 MONTHS

Your heart attack risk begins to drop. Your lung function begins to improve.

January 1, 2019

1 to 9 months

Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

January 1, 2019

1 year

Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

January 1, 2019

5 to 15 years

Your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.

January 1, 2019

10 years

Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.

15 years

Your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s. Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.

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