Lesson 9.3 Preventing and Treating Tobacco Use

Learning Outcomes

After studying this lesson, you will be able to

• skills someone can use to prevent tobacco use.

• refusal skills.

• treatment methods for nicotine addiction.

Lesson 9.1 discussed how tobacco products harm the body and negatively affect a person’s health, as well as other people’s health. In Lesson 9.2, you learned that tobacco products are very addictive, and it can be difficult to quit using them. Quitting is possible, however.

Of course, the best option to prevent tobacco use is never to begin using tobacco products. If someone who uses a tobacco product wants to quit, there are different methods to help with withdrawal symptoms. In this lesson, you will explore ways to prevent tobacco use as well as some strategies for breaking a nicotine addiction.

Preventing Tobacco Use

Did you know that who use tobacco products started this habit when they were ? Avoiding a of tobacco use starts now, based on the decisions you make today.

In the United States, society an estimated a year in healthcare costs. Given the serious threat to public health, both federal and state governments have strategies to regulate the sales, use, cost, and advertisements of tobacco products (Figure 9.19).

Organizations have created mass media and public service announcements discouraging tobacco use. Public service announcements (PSAs) are that support public health. Successful short- and long-term health effects, strategies for refusing tobacco, and the fact that most young people do not use tobacco. Young people who regularly see these campaigns are to use tobacco products.

Figure 9.19 The United States government focuses on preventing nicotine use and helping tobacco users quit by using a variety of methods. What is the name for media messages that support public health?

The decision about whether or not to products ultimately lies with you. You can use several skills to protect yourself from tobacco use. These skills include building healthy relationships, learning to manage stress, thinking critically about the media you see, and using refusal skills.

Build Healthy Relationships

Young people may to use tobacco if they have close friends who use these products. Fitting in during if other people are smoking, , or chewing tobacco can be difficult. In healthy friendships, however, your friends respect the choices you make and you to engage in unhealthy behaviors. People choose friends because they enjoy spending time with them, not because they use tobacco products.

If your friends do not respect your decision to products, focus on developing other . Perhaps you have grown apart from some of your other friends. Try to form friendships with people who respect you and accept your choices (Figure 9.20).

Characteristics of Good Friends Versus Toxic Friends

Figure 9.20 It is important to form with people who show of a good friend, such as respecting your choices and being supportive.

In addition to friendships, relationships with your family can help prevent tobacco use. Have open conversations with family members to know their views of tobacco use. If you have family members who , talk to them about the dangers of tobacco on their health and the health of others and offer to help them quit.

To resist these strategies, use skills to analyze tobacco products and the messages from tobacco companies (Figure 9.21). People who understand the nature of tobacco advertisements are able to resist them better. Analyzing advertisements can remind you about the serious consequences of tobacco use.

Use Refusal Skills

to begin smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco can be challenging. You may feel this pressure from your peers and from the media. Luckily, can help you prepare for and respond to situations that may involve tobacco use.

Refusal skills are strategies you can use to stand up to and that want you to engage in unhealthy behaviors. These skills can help you in situations when you feel pressured to . Strong refusal skills help you stick to your own beliefs and values in the face of peer pressure.

If you do not want to products, spend time with people who feel the same. Make sure these people know you do not want to use tobacco products or inhale their and aerosol. Firmly explain the reasons behind your decision. Then stick to your decision and refuse to give in (Figure 9.22). For example, suppose that when you hang out with a certain group of friends, several of them offer you a . Your response may be “No thanks. I want to keep my lungs healthy for band.”

Examples of Responses to Refuse Tobacco

Figure 9.22 Saying no to your friends can be extremely difficult, but having a few practiced responses in mind can help when faced with peer pressure. What skills help a person stand up to peer influences and pressures?

Remember that practice makes perfect. in which someone offers you tobacco, and then practice your responses. Play out each situation in your mind so you are ready to respond firmly. With time, your will become stronger. Eventually, you will feel confident when you tell people that you choose to stay tobacco-free.

Treating Tobacco Use

Because nicotine is , tobacco use and misuse can often lead to a substance use disorder, which requires . When this occurs, even the threat of serious health conditions often is not enough to make someone stop using tobacco products. More than half of people who have had a heart attack or surgery resulting from continue to smoke. Fortunately, it is never too late for someone to stop using tobacco. People who quit successfully experience a number of health benefits (Figure 9.23).

Figure 9.23 The body experiences long-term when a person quits using tobacco, but it also shows benefits within a few days.

use and misuse is a difficult task to undertake. If you or someone you know is trying to quit tobacco, the following steps may help:

• Attend individual or .

• Talk to a , doctor, teacher, or other trusted adult.

• Call a that provides free counseling to people trying to quit using tobacco.

• Research online resources that have information on .

Although quitting tobacco can be difficult, is treatable. Treatment strategies include nicotine replacement, medication, and self-management techniques.

Nicotine Replacement

Some approaches to quitting nicotine rely on . In nicotine replacement, people who use and continue to put nicotine into their bodies. People do not do this, however, through the use of tobacco products. Instead, they typically use , nicotine lozenges, or the as replacements (Figure 9.24). These replacements lessen . In this way, nicotine replacement makes tobacco use and misuse easier to quit.

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Figure 9.24 Nicotine patches can help tobacco users quit using tobacco products. What treatment method involves nicotine patches?

Nicotine replacement treatment enables people to gradually use smaller and of the substance. Eventually, people find they are no longer dependent on nicotine.

Companies sometimes market vaping devices such as as a nicotine-replacement tool for people who want to quit smoking. Unlike nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches, vaping devices have by the United States government as a successful and safe form of smoking cessation.

Medications

Sometimes by a doctor help people quit using and misusing tobacco. These medications usually . People who take these medications cope better with withdrawal from nicotine.

Self-Management Strategies

Self-management strategies often involve developing ways to (Figure 9.25). First, people must identify situations that trigger their desire for tobacco. Once they have that information, they can respond with —stimulus control and response substitution.

Steps to Use Self-Management Strategies to Quit Tobacco

1. Set a "" within the next month and note that date on your calendar.

2. Tell friends and family members about your quit date and ask them to support your efforts.

3. Get rid of and their accessories in your environment. Avoid exposure to tobacco advertisements on social media.

4. Develop strategies for coping with , such as getting physical activity, chewing gum, or keeping busy with other activities.

5. Develop strategies for of tobacco products from other people.

6. Remind yourself of the benefits of quitting, including , more spending money, and increased stamina.

7. Reward yourself for quitting. For example, buy something with the money you saved by not using tobacco.

8. If you slip up, quickly on the goal of quitting. Do not let one lapse lead to a return of the unhealthy behavior.

Figure 9.25
If you or someone you know is trying to quit using tobacco, you can take the following steps to use self-management strategies.

involves trying to avoid tempting situations and managing feelings that lead to tobacco use. Through , people learn to avoid or manage each stimulus that causes them to use and misuse tobacco. A stimulus is a thing or event that causes a specific reaction in the body. In this case, the reaction is a craving for tobacco. The stimulus can be anything from a stressful day to seeing someone else using a cigarette, vaping device, or product.

With stimulus control, the goal is to that cause a desire to use and misuse tobacco. People may not always be able to avoid their triggers, however. If someone feels triggered to use tobacco, this person can use .

Through response substitution, people learn to respond to difficult feelings and situations with behaviors other than using tobacco. They may use , relaxation, and coping skills. For response substitution to work, the first step is to recognize the stimulus that triggers the desire to smoke, , or chew tobacco. Then, a person can respond with an appropriate substitution for the behavior.