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Cigarettes

What is it?
Cigarettes contain tobacco (dried leaves of tobacco plants) and tobacco contains the drug nicotine, which is highly addictive. When you begin to smoke tobacco it can be very difficult to stop.

Also known as…
Cigarettes are also called fags, smokes, cigs, ciggies, tabs and rollies.

What does the law say?
It is illegal for shop-keepers to sell cigarettes or tobacco to people under 18 years old. Otherwise, smoking tobacco is legal. A ban on smoking indoors in public places has been introduced across the UK.

What are the effects?

• At first, the nicotine in the tobacco can make you feel sick and dizzy.
• Many people say that smoking helps them to calm down, but it is actually having the opposite effect on their brain – nicotine is a stimulant.
• Nicotine acts very quickly (around 8 seconds) when inhaled.
• Nicotine increases your heart rate and blood pressure.
• Nicotine is very addictive both physically and psychologically, and smokers often feel desperate to have a cigarette when they have not had one for a few hours.

What are the risks?

• Cigarettes kill more people every year than any other drug
• Most smokers wish they had never started because they feel they are so addicted to cigarettes and nicotine.
• Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which are extremely toxic.
• Smokers often suffer with more health problems than non-smokers, especially chest, breathing, heart and lung diseases. Long-term smoking can lead to you developing cancer, emphysema and heart problems.
• Smoking can make your fingers and teeth turn yellow/brown and make your breath smell. Over time, smoking can also damage your skin and hair condition.
• Smoking is very expensive. Ten cigarettes a day will cost you over £1,000 a year.
• Breathing in other people’s smoke (known as ‘passive smoking’) can cause breathing and chest problems, including asthma and cancer. Passive smoking is especially damaging for children.
• Smoking kills thousands of people prematurely every year.

Can you reduce the risks?
Smoking is a lottery, once you start you may find it difficult to give up and a significant people who smoke long term suffer significant ill health or premature death. The best way to dealk with cigarettes is not to start smoking.

If you already smoke, think about the risks and consider your options. A decision to quit smoking will save you money and could even save you life.

The one regret most smokers have when they give up smoking is not given up sooner.

There are support lines and services as well as books and products that can help you give you up smoking. A good first step in giving up is contacting Smokers Helpline Wales on freephone 0800 169 0 169.

This information leaflet has been put together by:
FUSION Young People’s Drug & Alcohol Service, an initiative of the Gwent Council on Alcohol and Drug Misuse.

The information on this leaflet is correct at the time of going to press.

Contact details and links

Name: Smokers Helpline Wales
Web: http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/smokershelplinewales/
Tel: 0800 169 0 169 (Freephone)
Info: A free and confidential advice line service provided by the NHS in Wales for any adult and young person aiming to give up smoking.

Name: Dan 24/7 – Wales Drug and Alcohol Helpline
Web: www.dan247.org.uk/
Email: On website.
Tel: 0800 6 33 55 88 (Freephone)
Text: ‘DAN’ to 81066
Info: A free and bilingual telephone drugs helpline providing a single point of contact for anyone in Wales wanting further information or help relating to drugs or alcohol.

Name: FUSION Young People’s Drug & Alcohol Service
Web: www.fusion-online.org.uk/
Email: admin@fusion-online.org.uk
Tel: 0800 731 4649
Info: Fusion is a free and confidential service for anyone aged between 11 and 24 who lives in the Gwent area and is concerned about their own drinking or drug use, or that of a friend or family member. FUSION Young People’s Drug & Alcohol Service, an initiative of the Gwent Council on Alcohol and Drug Misuse.

Name: Talk to Frank
Web: www.talktofrank.com
Email: Online form (you don’t have to give a name)
Tel: 0800 77 66 00
Text: 82111
Info: The website offers a huge amount of info on all aspects of alcohol and drigs. The infoline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to offer FREE info on drugs. Set up by the UK government.

Name: NHS Direct Wales
Web: www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk
Tel: 0845 46 47
Info: NHS Direct Wales is a health advice and information service available 24 hours a day, every day.

Name: The Samaritans
Web: www.samaritans.org
Tel: 08457 90 90 90
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Info: Samaritans provides confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.

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