Five Fast Facts About Tobacco

  • Published
  • By Heath and Wellness Staff
  • 6th Air Moblity Wing
MacDill AFB, Fl --  Finding your motivation to quit is one of the keys to becoming tobacco free. Start today and begin building your list of reasons to quit. If you can't think of reasons on your own, ask your family, friends and co-workers. They can help you find your motivation to quit tobacco.

1. Tobacco is expensive. Take a few minutes to stop and think how much money smoking takes from your disposable income. It's more costly than you may realize. Where could you better spend your money? Here is the real cost of smoking.

The Real Cost of Dipping/Chewing
Price per can = $3.00 2 cans per week 1 can per day
1 year $312.00 $1,100.00
Price per pouch = $2.00 2 pouches/ week 1 pouch/day
1 year $208.00 $730.00

The Real Cost of Smoking:
Price per pack= $4.75 1 pack per day 2 pack per day 3 packs per day
1 year $1,733.75 $3,467.50 $5,201.25
10 years $17,377.50 $34,675.00 $52,012.50
20 years $34,675.00 $69,350.00 $104,025.00

2. Tobacco kills. Dip contains 28 cancer-causing agents, carcinogens. Dip causes lip, cheek, tongue, and other types of cancer of the mouth. It also causes leukoplakia, white patches in the mouth that can turn into cancer. According to the American Cancer Society report, Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts and Figures 2005, approximately 87 percent of lung cancer deaths can be attributed to tobacco. 

3. Smoking causes many diseases and negative health effects. According to The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General 2004, smoking has been attributed to abdominal aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis, bladder cancer, cataracts, cervical cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, diminished health status, esophageal cancer, hip fractures, kidney cancer, laryngeal cancer, leukemia, low bone density, lung cancer, oral cancer, osteoporosis, pancreatic cancer, peptic ulcer disease, pneumonia, stomach cancer and strokes. 

4. Tobacco use is harmful to the brain. Several studies have shown evidence that chronic tobacco use promotes a decline of mental functioning, with or without a family history of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
5. Smoking can cause blindness. Smokers are more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration can result in blindness because of the loss of 'straight-ahead' vision that we use for activities such as reading, hobby work and driving a vehicle.

Want to Quit? We can help! We offer a 4-week tobacco cessation program that helps participants "kick the habit" for good using the American Cancer Society "Freshstart" program. Group discussion as well as information on exercise, stress management and weight control is included. Medication may be prescribed. The classes are offered at the HAWC and Brandon Community Clinic. Call the HAWC to enroll (813) 828-4739.

Information taken from: American Cancer Society's Freshstart Tobacco Cessation Program, and http://legacy.usw.org, and ACS Cold Hard Facts About Dip brochure.