Cristy Gibson, 23, smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, but she ismore concerned about the effect tobacco might have on her teeth andhair than she is about getting lung cancer.
Gibson, who buys two packs of cigarettes every two days, saidshe is not overly worried about the negative effects ofnicotine.
"I worry more about superficial things, like how do my clothesand hair smell, or are my teeth yellow," she said. "I have beensmoking since I was 18. I have never actually attempted to quitbefore, and I have never had the desire to, even though I know itis a disgusting habit."
Gibson, a journalism major at the University of Memphis, is oneof an increasing number of college students who are nicotineusers.
"Unfortunately, recent data suggest more and more collegestudents are taking up smoking," said Mark Vander Weg, researchassistant professor for the Center for Community Health.
A study, released in the Aug. 9, 2000, issue of the Journal ofAmerican Medical Association, found there was a greater prevalenceof tobacco use among college students than previous reports thatonly looked at cigarette use. Researchers from MassachusettsGeneral Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health surveyed14,138 college students from 119 colleges in 39 states and nearlyone-half of those who responded (46 percent) said they had usedsome form of tobacco in the previous year.
Dr. Nancy Rigotti, lead author of the study and director oftobacco research and treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital,spoke about these findings at a news conference at the 11th WorldConference on Tobacco or Health in 2000.
"Essentially, college students are playing with fire, puttingthemselves at risk of a lifelong addiction to nicotine," saidRigotti, whose remarks were reported in JAMA. "All tobacco products-- not just cigarettes -- can produce nicotine addiction. Youngpeople who are smoking cigars may not think that they are at riskof getting hooked, but they are. "
Vander Weg said this increased prevalence of nicotine usersamong college students might be partially the result of targetedadvertising and promotional campaigns from cigarette companies.
"Because of increased pressure and laws designed to keep themfrom targeting teens, tobacco companies appear to be directing moreof their marketing efforts at young adults," he said.
"Nicotine is a psychoactive drug that affects certain brainreceptors," said Kenneth Ward, assistant professor for the Centerfor Community Health. "When a person inhales a puff of a cigarette,nicotine gets to the brain very quickly -- in only about sevenseconds."
After smoke is inhaled, it is then delivered to the brain whereit produces some positive and negative effects.
"Regular smokers usually report that smoking helps them to relaxand deal more effectively with stress," said Ward. "However,nicotine doesn't truly produce these effects. Instead, when aregular smoker goes without smoking for a while, withdrawalsymptoms occur, including feeling stressed, irritable and havingdifficulty concentrating. Smoking a cigarette helps alleviate thewithdrawal symptoms. After a while, a smoker needs cigarettes tofeel normal. That's the essence of nicotine addiction."
Despite being aware of serious health consequences, many peoplecontinue to use tobacco.
"While they can acknowledge that smokers are at increased riskfor many health problems, they often don't see themselves aspersonally being more vulnerable," Vander Weg said.
"They say that smoking takes 10 years off your life, and thoseare probably the 10 I don't want anyway," said Gibson. "Honestly,in the long run, I don't see myself smoking for the rest of mylife."
This kind of logic is typical among young smokers.
"When asked, the vast majority of adolescents report that theyplan to quit in the near future," said Vander Weg. "They figurethat they will quit smoking long before they experience any severehealth problems from smoking. Unfortunately, most adolescents whosmoke regularly continue to smoke into adulthood."
Health experts acknowledged nicotine addiction is very hard toovercome.
"The fact that smoking is legal and is also relativelyinexpensive and convenient to use (compared, for example, tococaine or even alcohol) make it even more difficult to quit," Wardsaid.
Vander Weg said the majority of smokers want to quit and havetried to stop at least once in their lives.
"It usually takes several tries before a person quits smokingfor good," he said.
Some treatments have proven to be successful in helping usersbeat their addiction.
"Combining behavioral and pharmacological treatment is the mosteffective approach," said Ward. "The most effective option iscognitive-behavorial treatment. This involves learning how toidentify and cope with the triggers for smoking. Effectivepharmacological treatments are nicotine replacement products(nicotine gum, patch, nasal spray, inhaler), and Zyban (bupropion).Many other products that are promoted to help quit smoking, such asherbal agents, have not been shown to help."
