Tobacco
What is it?
Tobacco is a plant that contains nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and releases the chemical dopamine in the brain. This creates temporary feelings of energy, happiness, and alertness, but can worsen anxiety, stress and depression in the long term. Dried tobacco leaves are made into a variety of products including cigarettes, cigars, snuff, dip, snus, iqmik, and blackbull. People use tobacco by smoking it, applying it to the gums, or inhaling it. Tobacco and nicotine products contain many cancer-causing chemicals.
The brain is still developing through adolescence and into the mid-20s. Using tobacco or nicotine products during this time can disrupt normal brain development. It can impact the parts of the brain in charge of attention, learning and impulse control. It can also negatively affect mood and increase susceptibility to addiction to other substances later in life. Using tobacco during pregnancy increases chances of birth defects, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
Tobacco products that are smoked:
- Cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, pipes, clove cigarettes, hookahs, water pipes
Smokeless tobacco products:
- Chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, iqmik or blackbull, nicotine pouches
Vapes and other products that are inhaled:
- Vapes, vaporizers, vape pens, e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-cigars, hookah pens, e-pipes
How it works
Nicotine causes your brain to release dopamine, sometimes called the “feel-good” chemical. You release dopamine naturally when you do things like eat good food, exercise, or play with a pet. When using tobacco, this high or “buzz” wears off quickly, often within 10 to 30 minutes. Before long, your body craves more of those good feelings. This pattern is what creates addiction. If your body doesn’t get the nicotine it is craving, it experiences symptoms of withdrawal like anxiety, restlessness, depression and anger. Over time you develop a tolerance to nicotine and need more of it to get the same effect.
Short-term effects
Short-term effects can vary depending on the type of nicotine product used (such as smoking, smokeless tobacco, or vaping).
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Narrowed blood vessels
- Mild euphoria, alertness, energy
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Mucus production
Long-term effects
This is a range of effects across the many types of tobacco.
- Dependence and withdrawal symptoms when stopping
- Tolerance (needing more for the same effect)
- Irritability, anxiety, trouble concentrating
- Heart disease, heart attacks and strokes
- Diminished sense of taste and smell
- Tooth decay, gum disease, sores in your mouth, and oral cancer
- Fertility issues and birth defects
- Erectile dysfunction
- Decreased sperm count
Additional route-specific effects:
Smoking:
- Harmful effects for nearly every organ in the body
- Lung cancer, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Diabetes
- Eye disease
- Kidney disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Smokeless:
- Cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas
Health effects can vary across different nicotine products. Some risks are linked to nicotine itself, while others are related to how the product is used (such as smoking or chewing tobacco).
Effects related to nicotine exposure
- Dependence and withdrawal symptoms when stopping
- Tolerance (needing more for the same effect)
- Irritability, anxiety, or trouble concentrating
Additional risks by product type
- Smoking (combustible tobacco):
- Smokeless tobacco:
Across some nicotine products:
- Changes in sense of taste or smell
- Fertility issues and pregnancy-related complications
- Erectile dysfunction and decreased sperm count
Note: More research is needed to better understand the short- and long-term health effects of vaping.
Impacts on mental health
Mental health and nicotine use are closely connected. Nicotine is an addictive chemical known to harm brain development. Nicotine use can impact growing brains by affecting: learning, memory, mood, and impulse control. It can also increase susceptibility to addiction to other substances later in life.
People may turn to tobacco and nicotine to handle hard feelings like stress, anxiety, and depression. But nicotine use can actually worsen mental health. It can increase feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Research increasingly shows vaping is linked to poorer mental health outcomes. Youth who vape are twice as likely to report symptoms of depression, and many turn to nicotine as a coping mechanism for anxiety or sadness.
FAQ's
Are vapes safe?
Are vapes safe?
No tobacco or nicotine products are safe and they all have risks. This includes vapes and other forms of e-cigarettes. Most vapes contain some level of nicotine, a highly addictive substance. Vapes can also contain harmful substances. These include cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into lungs. Learn more about vapes from American Lung Association.
What are “tobacco-free” products?
What are “tobacco-free” products?
Some products claim to be “tobacco-free,” such as vapes and nicotine pouches. They either contain synthetic nicotine made in a lab, or nicotine extracted from tobacco leaves so that no part of the leaf ends up in the final product. Regardless of its source, nicotine is highly addictive and impacts developing brains.
Are there programs to help me quit vaping, smoking, or using chew, pouches, or iqmik?
Are there programs to help me quit vaping, smoking, or using chew, pouches, or iqmik?
Yes, there are several options to get free support to quit tobacco or nicotine.
- Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line offers free quit coaching and nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches and gum. It’s available for Alaska adults (18 years and older) who want to quit any tobacco or nicotine product.
- Live Vape Free is a free online and text-based program that offers judgment-free support and resources to help you quit vaping. It’s available for those ages 13–26.
- Ex Program is a free quit program from Truth Initiative and the Mayo Clinic. It offers text support, online exercises and tools, quit coaching and a free app to help you quit any tobacco or nicotine product. It’s available for those ages 13 and older.
- Smoke Free Teen helps teens stop using tobacco. The programs offers free tools to build your own quit plan, text messaging support, and an app to help you quit.
- American Lung Association has tools, tips and support to help you quit.
Are there medications available to help me quit tobacco?
Are there medications available to help me quit tobacco?
Yes, there are a handful of medications, including nicotine replacement therapies, varenicline, and bupropion, which can help make quitting easier.
- Nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, is available as gum, lozenges and patches. NRT gives you a controlled dose of nicotine to ease withdrawal symptoms, as you taper your body off nicotine over time. The patch delivers a steady level of nicotine throughout the day that helps reduce withdrawal symptoms. Lozenges and gum are fast-acting NRTs that can quickly relieve cravings in the moment. Patches, lozenges and gum can be purchased without a prescription by anyone 18 or older. They are also available for free when you enroll in Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line.
- Prescription pills: there are two quit-smoking pills approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: varenicline and bupropion. Both medications help decrease cravings and lessen withdrawal symptoms and do not contain nicotine. Talk with your health care provider to learn more about quit-smoking medications.
How do I help someone quit tobacco or nicotine?
How do I help someone quit tobacco or nicotine?
Quitting tobacco or nicotine can be hard, even when someone wants to quit. If you know someone who is trying to quit, here are some tips to help support them:
- Ask how they want to be supported.
- Be patient and positive. Don’t nag or preach.
- Do fun things together to help keep their mind off nicotine cravings. Get outside for a walk. Do a hobby. Exercise together. Distractions can be a huge help to get through cravings.
- Acknowledge their hard work and successes. Celebrate when they have gone an hour, a day, a week, a year without nicotine.
- If they slip up, remind them they’ve done great work and that it can take multiple attempts to quit for good. A slip-up is not a fail.