Paul Christie - Issues Affecting Kids

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Tobacco
“How well do you know tobacco?”

1. Smoking is not a drug problem. MYTH

2. Tobacco comes from plants of the NICOTIANA genus which grows in mild climates. FACT

3. Three ingredients in tobacco smoke that cause smoking related disease are NICOTINE, TAR, and CARBON MONOXIDE. FACT

4. Because tobacco smoke is inhaled, the only major body organs affected by it are the lungs. MYTH

5. Tobacco use usually begins in adolescence. 70% of adult smokers started smoking by age 18. FACT

6. A person who quits smoking suffers physical and psychological withdrawal. FACT

7. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine and 40 times more deadly. FACT

8. Lung cancer is the only serious disease associated with tobacco use. MYTH

9. People can and do start smoking at any time of life. MYTH

10. Many chemical components of tobacco are passed through the bloodstream which is then carried through the whole body. FACT

11. Nicotine is a powerful drug containing both stimulant and depressant properties. FACT

12. Nicotine causes physical and psychological dependency. FACT

13. Tobacco use is a rite of passage to adulthood. MYTH

14. Successful and attractive people use tobacco. MYTH

15. High doses of nicotine = nicotine poisoning. FACT

16. Unpleasant withdrawal symptoms occur hours after the smoker stops. FACT

17. Tobacco use is normal. MYTH

18. Almost three-quarters of young people aged 10 to 19 stated that people their age started smoking because their friends smoked. FACT

19. Each day, 3,000 teens start smoking. FACT

20. Three major diseases associated with smoking are 1) lung cancer, 2)heart disease and 3) emphysema. FACT

21. Tobacco is safe and healthful. MYTH

22. 3040% of deaths related to the heart and circulatory system are attributed to tobacco use. FACT

23. Tobacco is relaxing and stress relieving in social situations. MYTH

24. Once one is addicted to nicotine, there is no point in quitting. MYTH

25. Other diseases related to smoking:
a) breast cancer
b) low weigh births of babies
c) asthma
d) chronic bronchitis
e) poor hand and feet circulation
FACT

26. Life expectancy of heavy smokers is 8 years less than nonsmokers on the average. FACT

27. Most new smokers are adolescents. FACT

28.Tobacco companies spend $3 billion dollars in North America advertising and promoting smoking. FACT

29. When a person stops smoking it takes 10 to 15 years for the death rate of heart attacks to approximate that of a nonsmoker. FACT

Attention Principals!

April/2011

I had the privilege to bring in and listen to Paul Christie speak to both our Secondary and Elementary students within our board. His message is anything but simple and extremely effective as he relates his life to his ongoing battle with drugs. Not at any time does Mr. Christie's glorify his love affair with drugs, but rather strenuously cautions how his deadly addiction controlled his life for over 20+ years.
Drugs are reality in our world and the pressures that face our youth are a growing concern. A drug education action plan, forward thinking, and Paul Christie, allow students to have choices and alternatives to drugs. His 3 + days with our board definitely changed the lives of our students and commend Paul Christie for making the difference in the lives of our students.

Christopher Czop
Vice Principal
St. Mary's College
(705)945-5540
(705)945-5561 (fax)


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