How Tobacco Works
What substance in tobacco causes dependence?
Nicotine
What is one immediate financial consequence of daily tobacco use?
Ongoing spending
Is tobacco always about nicotine?
No. Habits, emotions, routines, and social cues can contribute.
Your coworker invites you outside to smoke. What's one option?
Decline or change the break routine.
Is seeing someone smoke internal or external?
External
What brain chemical is strongly associated with nicotine's rewarding effects?
Dopamine
What is one non-financial cost of tobacco use?
Time, inconvenience, health effects, etc.
Can someone be motivated to change and still use tobacco?
Yes
You are stressed after work and automatically stop at the gas station. What happened?
A stress/routine cue triggered automatic behavior.
Why can driving become a trigger?
It can become part of a routine.
What receptors does nicotine primarily bind to?
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Someone spends $15/day on cigarettes. About how much is that per month?
$450
Is reducing tobacco use the same as quitting?
No
Your partner smokes inside the home. What's one strategy for reducing your exposure to the cue?
Establish smoke-free spaces or change routines.
Give an example of a positive emotional trigger.
Celebration, excitement, relief, etc.
Why doesn't nicotine replacement therapy provide the same experience as smoking a cigarette?
NRT delivers nicotine more slowly and without the rapid delivery and combustion products of smoking.
Why might tobacco cost more than the amount shown on the receipt?
There can be additional health and indirect costs.
Can a person experience a craving without wanting to quit?
Yes
You're drinking with friends and your tobacco use increases. What's one variable you could change?
Alcohol, setting, social environment, or routine.
What's the difference between a trigger and a craving?
A trigger prompts the urge; the craving is the urge itself.
Why can someone crave tobacco even when nicotine isn't leaving their body rapidly?
Learned cues and conditioned associations can trigger cravings.
Why can focusing only on the long-term consequences sometimes be ineffective?
Immediate rewards or relief can feel more important than delayed consequences.
Why might someone know the risks of tobacco but continue using it?
Dependence, immediate reinforcement, habits, coping, social factors, or ambivalence.
You aren't ready to quit, but you want fewer automatic cigarettes. What's a reasonable first step?
Track when/why you use and identify patterns.
A person gets home from work, sits on the porch, and automatically lights a cigarette. Name TWO possible triggers.
Finishing work, location, time of day, routine, stress, etc.