Habits and Behaviors - Nicotine

Nicotine is a drug that is legal in the United States for those over the age of eighteen. It is found in tobacco products, most notably cigarettes. Although the law prohibits selling cigarettes to minors, smoking is on the rise among teens. Many people do not think of cigarettes as drugs because they are so popular and socially acceptable. In fact, smoking is the most lethal of all the addictive behaviors. Smoking kills more people each year than AIDS, fires, illegal drugs, and suicides combined. It is best to avoid smoking all together because it is among the most difficult addictions to shake.

Comparison of a smoker's lung (right) to a normal lung (left). (Photograph by

A. Glauberman. Photo Researchers Inc.

Reproduced by permission.)

Smoking causes coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, yellow teeth, bad breath, lung cancer, throat and mouth cancer, dry skin, dry hair, emphysema (a chronic lung disease), asthma, and a variety of other problems. At one time, the dangers of nicotine and smoking were not as well known as they are today and smoking was a symbol of "being cool." That era is long gone. And the proven negative effects of smoking are well documented. Many teens start smoking at first because they think it looks cool. But more and more teens are learning how truly not cool smoking is. Pregnant and breast-feeding women face special dangers when it comes to smoking. For example, a fetus exposed to the effects of smoking runs the risk of having a low birth weight.