Rutland Area Prevention Coalition

Mobilizing the community in the prevention of substance abuse

through education and promotion of healthy lifestyle choices.

Tobacco Prevention


Protect Your Child from Tobacco and Secondhand Smoke

Talk to your child… Some things to say include “Smoking hurts people’s health.” “I don’t want you to ever smoke.” “Some adults smoke and it’s hard for them to quit.” “

Teach your child… You can teach your child to politely tell someone that they do not want to be around smoke. Reassure them that it is okay to say that smoke bothers them and that they are not allowed to be near it. If all else fails, teach your child that if the smoking person does not respect their right to clean air or if they feel uncomfortable talking to them about it, that they should leave the situation.

Keep your home smoke free… Ask friends and family not to smoke near your child or in your home. No Smoking signs in your home can reinforce this message and give smokers a nonverbal message that smoking is not welcome inside. For frequent or lengthy visits from smokers, ask that they smoke outside away from your child.

Keep your car smoke free… Ask friends and family not to smoke when your child is in the car and do not let your child ride in someone else’s car if they are going to smoke. Politely asking others not to smoke when your child is in the car is okay.

Make sure your child’s daycare, school, and caregivers are tobacco free… When others care for your child, make sure they are tobacco free. Be sure all babysitters, caregivers, and anyone that watches your child knows that you have a smoke free home and car rule and that tobacco is not welcome near your child.

Avoid secondhand smoke in public places… When you can, choose businesses that do not allow smoking. When encountering a smoker, walk as far away from their smoke as possible.

Be a good role model… Your kids look up to you and want to be like you. If you smoke, your children are likely to start smoking too. If you don’t smoke, or you quit, you are telling your children that smoking is not a good choice and they are less likely to start.

 
Text Box: Nicotine is not good for your heart! Nicotine, an addictive chemical found in all tobacco products, increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Athletes that use tobacco (including spit tobacco) hit their maximum heart rate faster than non-smokers, which means that their performance suffers.

 

What Do You Stand To Lose If You Use Tobacco?

1. Energy and Stamina: Smokers get short of breath more easily, exercise becomes very difficult, and keeping up with non-smokers is much harder.

2. Health: Smoking and secondhand smoke kill more people than AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and fires COMBINED. Smokers have smaller lungs, weaker hearts, and early signs of stroke. Even before symptoms arrive, damage is being done. Plus, smokers cough and wheeze more and get sick more often.

3. Freedom: Tobacco use is banned in many public places including theaters, stores, schools, and many workplaces. Plus, once addicted to tobacco, you can lose the freedom to choose whether or not to use it.

4. Being Attractive: Smoking stains your teeth and fingers, makes your clothes, breath, and hair smell, and results in premature aging and wrinkles.

5. Money: Tobacco costs continue to increase and the more you use, the more your body craves, which is not good news for your wallet.
Text Box: Why do people smoke? Tobacco ads show smoking as exciting and grown-up, so at first people who try smoking may see good things about it. But the ads don’t talk about addiction, sickness, and death. By the time smoking starts causing problems, people are addicted and it’s really hard to stop. Text Box: Did You Know? Two-thirds of young people who smoke say they regret having started and want to quit but are having a hard time because they are already addicted to it.

What You Should Know About Spit Tobacco

Spit tobacco is known as smokeless or chewing tobacco because it is held in the mouth or chewed instead of being burned like cigarettes, cigars or pipes. Many people think it is safer than smoking but they are wrong. Using two cans of spit tobacco a week is as harmful as smoking 30 cigarettes a day for a week. It has 28 known cancer-causing chemicals and a 30  minute chew gives the same amount of addictive nicotine as smoking three cigarettes. 70% of spit tobacco users develop mouth sores that can lead to oral cancer, which has a 50% mortality rate within 5 years.