What Smoking Does to the Body
Smoking damages these two organs primarily responsible for breathing.
What are the lungs?
Rationale: Smoking irritates the airways, damages lung tissue, and impairs the tiny hair-like structures called cilia that help remove mucus and harmful particles.
True or false: The price of cigarettes or vapes is the only financial cost associated with tobacco use.
False.
Rationale: Additional costs may include medical care, dental treatment, higher insurance premiums, missed work, transportation to purchase tobacco, lighters, and replacing items damaged by smoke.
This is the primary addictive chemical found in cigarettes, vapes, and many other tobacco products.
What is nicotine?
Rationale: Nicotine activates reward pathways in the brain and reinforces continued use. Over time, the brain adapts to repeated nicotine exposure, contributing to tolerance, cravings, and withdrawal.
True or false: A nicotine craving will continue getting stronger until the person gives in and uses nicotine.
False.
Rationale: Cravings usually rise, peak, and then pass like a wave. Although they can feel intense, most individual cravings last only several minutes. Delaying action gives the craving time to decrease.
True or false: Secondhand smoke can cause health problems in people who do not smoke.
TRUE
Rationale: Secondhand smoke contains toxic chemicals and increases nonsmokers’ risk of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and respiratory problems.
Smoking causes this change to blood vessels, forcing the heart to work harder to circulate blood.
What is narrowing or constriction of the blood vessels?
Rationale: Nicotine constricts blood vessels, while other chemicals in cigarette smoke damage their lining. This raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Approximately how much does an average pack-a-day smoker spend on cigarettes in one year?
What is about $3,000?
Rationale: At roughly $8 per pack, smoking one pack every day costs about $2,920 annually. The exact amount depends on local cigarette prices and taxes.
Irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, restlessness, sleep changes, and increased appetite are common signs of this.
What is nicotine withdrawal?
Rationale: These symptoms occur as the brain and body adjust to functioning without nicotine. Withdrawal is uncomfortable but is generally temporary and not medically dangerous for most people.
Taking a walk, chewing gum, calling a support person, or keeping your hands busy are examples of this important part of quitting nicotine.
What are coping skills or healthy alternatives?
Rationale: Coping skills help someone respond to cravings without smoking or vaping. The most effective options address the person’s specific trigger—for example, physical activity for restlessness, support for emotional triggers, and gum or a straw for the hand-to-mouth habit.
True or false: Smoking actually reduces a person’s overall stress level.
FALSE
Rationale: Smoking may briefly relieve nicotine withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, restlessness, or anxiety. This can feel like stress relief, but the cigarette is primarily easing discomfort caused by nicotine dependence. As nicotine levels fall again, withdrawal returns and continues the cycle. Smoking also temporarily raises heart rate and blood pressure.
Smoking damages these tiny hair-like structures that help clear mucus, germs, and debris from the airways.
What are cilia?
Rationale: When cilia are damaged or paralyzed, mucus and harmful particles remain in the lungs. This contributes to coughing, infections, and breathing problems.
People who smoke may pay higher premiums for this type of coverage because insurers consider tobacco use a major health risk.
What are health and life insurance?
Rationale: Tobacco users may be charged higher premiums because they face greater risks of cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD, and premature death.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are generally strongest during this period after quitting.
What are the first three days, or the first week?
Rationale: Symptoms can begin within several hours, often peak around the second or third day, and gradually improve over the following two to four weeks. Cravings tied to routines or emotional triggers may continue longer.
Patches, gum, and lozenges are examples of this type of treatment used to reduce nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
What is nicotine-replacement therapy, or NRT?
Rationale: NRT provides controlled amounts of nicotine without exposing the person to the toxic chemicals created by burning tobacco. Other forms include nicotine inhalers and nasal sprays.
True or false: When tobacco smoke is inhaled, nicotine can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain within about 10–20 seconds.
TRUE
Rationale" Inhaled nicotine moves from the lungs into the bloodstream and reaches the brain very quickly. There, it activates nicotine receptors and triggers dopamine release. That rapid reward strengthens the connection between smoking and feeling relief or pleasure, contributing to nicotine’s high potential for addiction.
Smoking increases the risk of this chronic lung disease, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
What is COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
Rationale: COPD causes lasting damage and narrowing of the airways, making it progressively more difficult to breathe. The damage cannot be fully reversed, although quitting can slow its progression.
Someone who purchases two $20 disposable vapes each week will spend approximately this much in one year.
What is $2,080?
Rationale: Spending $40 each week adds up to $2,080 over 52 weeks—before counting replacement devices, chargers, or additional purchases.
Nicotine increases the release of this brain chemical associated with reward, motivation, and reinforcement
What is dopamine?
Rationale: The rapid release of dopamine teaches the brain to associate nicotine with reward or relief. With repeated use, everyday activities may feel less rewarding without nicotine, making quitting more difficult.
True or false: Combining cessation medication with behavioral support is generally more effective than relying on either one alone.
True.
Rationale: Medication can reduce withdrawal and cravings, while counseling or behavioral support helps someone identify triggers, change routines, challenge unhelpful thinking, and develop coping skills.
True or false: Nicotine is the primary chemical responsible for most smoking-related cancers.
FALSE
Rationale: Nicotine is the main substance that creates and maintains dependence, but most smoking-related cancers and diseases are caused by toxic chemicals produced when tobacco burns. These may include tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic, and tobacco-specific nitrosamines. Many of these chemicals can damage DNA, blood vessels, the lungs, and other organs.
On average, people who smoke cigarettes have a life expectancy at least this many years shorter than people who do not smoke.
What is 10 years?
Rationale: Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD, and many other serious conditions. Overall, people who smoke die at least 10 years earlier on average than nonsmokers. Quitting reduces this risk, and quitting before age 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%.
Besides purchasing tobacco or vaping products, name three ways nicotine use can cost someone money.
Medical or dental bills, higher insurance premiums, missed work, reduced productivity, transportation, lighters or accessories, damaged clothing or furniture, cleaning expenses, and fire-related damage.
Rationale: The true financial cost of nicotine use extends beyond what someone pays at the store. Health consequences, lost income, and damage to belongings can substantially increase the total.
True or false: For a person recovering from another substance-use disorder, continued nicotine use or unmanaged nicotine withdrawal may increase vulnerability to relapse.
True.
Rationale: Nicotine use can maintain addictive routines, cue-driven behavior, and reliance on a substance to manage emotions. Withdrawal-related stress, irritability, poor concentration, and sleep disruption can also weaken coping. Smoking environments may expose someone to additional triggers or peers who use substances. This does not mean nicotine use automatically causes relapse, but addressing it can strengthen an overall recovery plan.
This coping technique involves noticing a craving without fighting it, observing how it rises and falls, and allowing it to pass without smoking or vaping.
What is urge surfing?
Rationale: Cravings behave like waves: they build, peak, and eventually decrease. During urge surfing, the person notices physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions without immediately reacting to them. This strengthens the ability to tolerate discomfort without using nicotine.
True or false: Because e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, vaping is harmless to the lungs.
FALSE
Rationale: Vape aerosol is not simply water vapor. It can contain nicotine, ultrafine particles, flavoring chemicals, volatile organic compounds, and metals that may irritate or damage the lungs. Vaping may expose someone to fewer harmful chemicals than smoking combustible cigarettes, but that does not make it harmless.