Tobacco

Tobacco use is the leading cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. All forms of tobacco including cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco contain the addictive drug Nicotine. Nicotine is the most heavily used addictive drug in the U.S. It acts as both a stimulant and a sedative to the central nervous system. The ingestion of Nicotine results in almost an immediate “kick” because it causes a discharge of epinephrine which stimulates the central nervous system. Stimulation is then followed by depression and fatigue leading the user to seek more nicotine.*1

Street Names:

Butts, Cancer Sticks, Chew, Coffin Nails, Dip

Short Term Effects:

• Putrid Hair
• Yellow/brown finger nails and teeth
• Acidic taste in mouth that may lead to ulcers
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Higher likelihood of becoming ill
• Potential fertility problems

Long Term Effects:

• Dry skin, premature wrinkles
• Lung disease such as Chronic Bronchitis, and Emphysema
• Heart disease including Stroke, heart attack, vascular disease, and aneurysm
• Cancers including lung, mouth, throat, bladder, and kidneys
• Death

Self Assessment and Assistance in Quiting Smoking

Tobacco use compromises the current and future health of millions of Americans, taking a large toll on productivity, healthcare costs and life expectancy. Telephone counseling has proven e!ective in helping tobacco users to quit; more recently, web-based interventions have also shown to be e!ective in helping people quit tobacco, and are increasingly popular since the percentage of American adults using the web has grown to 73%. A tobacco cessation program that offers both telephone- and web-based interventions thus has the potential to effectively help the greatest number of tobacco users.

QuitNet® Comprehensive is a tobacco cessation program that combines a personalized, interactive website with readily accessible information, tools, both professional and community support, phone counseling, and medication ordering. Having both a robust web and phone intervention provides enrollees with a wide variety of resources and the type and level of support best suited to their needs. Additionally, most program sponsors use incentives or penalties to encourage participation and cessation. The purpose of this study was to determine the tobacco quit rates achieved by enrollees of the QuitNet Comprehensive program. Secondarily, quit rates were assessed with respect to a number of treatment-related parameters to identify specific program attributes and participation levels that are associated with successful tobacco cessation.*2

Visit the QuitNet web site!