Tobacco
Health Effects:
- Smoking causes breathing problems.
- Smokers have more colds and upper respiratory problems.
- Smoking causes heart disease.
- Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer.
- Also a leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder and kidney.
- Smokeless tobacco can cause mouth cancer, tooth loss, and other health problems.
- Tobacco affects your body's development.
- This is important because your body is still growing and changing.
- There are 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke.
- Cigarettes contain nicotine - powerfully addictive substance.
- Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in this country.
- More than 400,000 Americans die from tobacco-related causes each year.
- Most of them began using tobacco before the age of 18.
Facts About Tobacco Use:
- In the United States, it is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.
- The poisons in cigarettes can affect your appearance. Smoking can:
- Dry your skin out and cause wrinkles.
- Yellow your teeth and give you bad breath.
- Smoking causes shortness of breath and dizziness, and chewing tobacco causes dehydration. It can be hard to play sports if you use tobacco.
- Smoking puts the health of your friends and family at risk.
- Approximately 3,000 nonsmokers die of lung cancer each year from breathing other peoples' smoke.
Marijuana
Health Effects:
- Smoking marijuana causes breathing problems.
- Marijuana users have more colds and upper respiratory problems.
- Marijuana affects your brain and body. Examples are:
- Short-term memory loss.
- Loss of the ability to concentrate.
- Slows coordination and reflexes.
- Affects your ability to judge distance, speed and reaction time - these are important in sports or even riding a bike
Facts About Marijuana Use:
- Marijuana can be addictive. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- There is more tar in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke.
- Marijuana users have an increased risk of cancer.
- Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more of some cancer causing chemicals than tobacco smoke.
- Marijuana is illegal in the United States.
Alcohol
Health Effects:
- Alcohol slows down the brain and body.
- Examples of this are:
- Loss of coordination
- Slowed reflexes
- Loss of self-control
- Poor judgment
- Memory lapses
- Slurred speech
- Too much alcohol can slow down the body and lead to coma and death.
- Alcohol goes directly into your bloodstream and can increase your risk for a variety of diseases.
- Alcohol can damage every organ in your body.
- If you are with others who are drinking, there is an increased risk of injury, car crashes and violence.
Facts About Alcohol:
- Alcohol is illegal for anyone under 21.
- Teen bodies are still growing, therefore alcohol affects them more severely than adults in school and in sports.
- Most teens don't drink alcohol.
- Mixing alcohol with medicine is dangerous.
- Per serving, beer, wine and liquor all contain about the same amount of alcohol.
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