Health Coach Learn & Reflect

On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers. Tobacco use is the single most preventive cause of death in the United States. 16.7 million men and 13.6 million women smoke in USA. While smoking has decreased about 30% in recent years, it has been offset by use of other tobacco products. 2009 law: prevented sponsorship and advertisement of tobacco products. Smoking produces nicotine, but also 4000 other chemical products. One of them is tar, a residue that is documented to cause lung cancer. Radon, a radioactive gas, is present in tobacco leaves, and eventually will become a part of tobacco smoke. The radioactive material gets trapped in tiny air sacs in the lungs. Cigars are worse than cigarettes. 3x risk of dying of cancer for cigar users that inhale the smoke, and 11x increased risk for those that inhale. It has more of the bad stuff. Bidis:  handrolled cigarettes from India that can be flavored, and have a string on each end. from Southeast Asian countries Kreteks: c...

Characteristics of drug abuse: failure to perform adequately at work, school, or home; recurrent substance use during inappropriate situations, such as while operating a vehicle; legal problems related to substance abuse; continued substance use despite social consequences/interpersonal issues, such as fights with spouse. Drug abuse is determined by the above and NOT the amount consumed. Addiction is defined by: compulsion, loss of control, continued drug use despite adverse consequences, distortions in normal thinking Physical dependence (also called tissue dependence), biological adaption r/t continued use of the drug Tolerance is when the body adapts to the drug, so the same dose no longer achieves the same psychological effect. However, not all parts of the body adapts to this tolerance, so a higher amount of the drug can lead to health consequences. Example: the respiratory center does not adapt to the continued use of heroin, so overdose can be dangerous. withdrawal symptoms are ...