Opioid addiction.
Alcohol addiction. Marijuana addiction. LSD addiction. Cocaine addiction.
Tobacco addition.
We all know and have
heard of the epidemics behind numerous drugs addictions. These addictions are
recognized by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). They have numerous scientific studies about
the effects on the body both physically and psychologically. The American
Society of Addiction Medicine states "addiction is a primary, chronic
disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry" that is
"characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in
behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems
with one's behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional
emotional response." In general, the inability to stop a particular
activity even if the consequences outweigh all good.
You're a small town
student. You occasionally get up to go to your class but mainly you get up each
day to hang out with your friends as you drive around the empty fields
surrounding your area as you listen to music and chew. It's only a few times so
it won't hurt. Every once in a while is bad. It doesn't matter because you also
love to lift and are a smart student. You have a career already set so you
don't have to worry. The chewing will stop when you are a little older. Down
the road, you notice your teeth starting to turn black as necrotic tissue and
fall out. You lose your gorgeous jawline as the carcinogens begin to play their
role in your gums and mandible. Now you cannot breath. You thought yesterday
was your last time. In weeks you will die from an aggressive pancreatic cancer
you did not know you had.
More than 3 in every
100 adults aged 18 years and older use smokeless tobacco. Any one of these
people who use smokeless tobacco run the risk of becoming extremely addictive
to the addictive substance. I use the stereotypical small town student because
I have seen this happen to previous classmates. The effects are scarier in
person. A commercial aired in an attempt to make these effects of smokeless
tobacco use and addiction know. The images haunt me to this day as I see
classmates and friends partake in this addictive activity. The Real Cost
released this video to show what can all start with just a can of dip. This
addiction is represented as disgusting and harmful in all ads I have seen. Any
video or comment of social media pulls on the gross action and effects of
chewing tobacco. This video is a clear example.
This common-sense
mentality of not partaking in smokeless tobacco seems like a easy decision.
Then why have I seen people in my own life loss to this addiction? Is the
information not given early enough? Is it not representative of the worst case
scenarios in order to place a fear factor in people? Do people just not care
about where they will be years late? Is there no point to trying to stop what
people will evidently start no matter what we say? This all goes back to our debate about if the
state is responsible for addiction epidemics. Why are these products available?
How many people have to die before we start to go crazy over this addictive?
Video:
Source for American
Society of Addiction Medicine Definition:
Hi, Regan! I am from a small town where chewing tobacco is totally normal for young men to start doing in high school, usually since their own father's do it. Chewing tobacco is never really brought up when talking about addiction, since people generally do not think it is as harmful as cigarettes. "There is no second hand smoke" is one argument that is common with people I know who use this, but there is no second hand physical effect for other addictions either! It really seems more like a cultural norm for rural life, but the harm it can cause it greatly overlooked by most.
ReplyDelete