START:

Who We Are and What We Do

Programs and Events

Tobacco Education

Cessation

Smoking Policy on our Campus/Housing Communities

Fresh START Smoke-Free Campaign

Resources

     UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Who we are and What We Do

 START                                                   

       Student

               Taskforce

                     Advocating

                              Reducing

                                    Tobacco

Mission Statement: START is a diverse student directed task force advocating tobacco education, cessation, and policy to empower the campus community and promote good health.

Print START Coversheet

Print START Application

For more information please contact Jasmine Blackburn,

START  advisor,  at (949) UCI-WELL or email  at  jablackb@uci.edu

Upcoming events

Past Events

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Tobacco Education

Hookah:

Concentration of cancer-causing and addictive substances in water-pipes may be equal to those found in cigarettes, with the heat involved being sufficient to generate carcinogenic nitrosamines, and the smoldering charcoal adding some carcinogenic hydrocarbons as well as heavy metals to the smoke.

Impact of water pipe is smoking equivalent to magnitude to that of cigarette smoking.

Allegedly, use of the hookah may increase the smoker’s toxic exposure, in that studies have shown that the typical hookah smoker spends more time per smoking session exposed to the smoke than do other smokers, presumably because the smoke is less immediately harsh or irritating.

A study by Thomas Eissenberg has down that a session of hookah smoking which lasts about 45 minutes, delivers 36 times more tar, 15 times more carbon monoxide and 70% more nicotine than a single cigarette. In order words, generally a cigarette will last no more than 5 minutes, which makes approximately 9 cigarettes in order to compare to the 45 minutes hookah session.

Facts to Share:

• Hookah is addictive because it has NICOTINE
• The water in the hookah does not filter out the toxins
• The amount of smoke, tobacco, and chemicals you are exposed to depend on the hookah and the tobacco you use.
• The perforate foil that is under the coals lessens the amount of smoke you are exposed to( so smoking with the foil is better than without it)
• Hookah has no healthy properties
• One hour of smoking hookah is equivalent to smoking 12-15 cigarettes
• When people smoke hookah, they typically inhale twice as deeply as they would inhale a cigarette, thus forcing the toxins and chemicals  deeper into lungs
• Just as cigarettes, there links between hookah smoking and infertility
• Hookah can have 4 times as much nicotine as cigarettes

              30 August 2007, Hookah,

              Retrieved [30 August 2007] From the Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

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Social Smoking:

Social Smoking is smoking less than everyday. A social (or casual) smoker may smoke a few cigarettes one night, then not smoke for days or weeks afterwards.

Reasons why people smoke socially:

• Many people who smoke socially don’t realize that occasional smoking can be harmful
• They may not be aware of how easy it is to become addicted
• If you are around people who smoke, you may be tempted to smoke too. It may seem like smoking makes social situations easier.
• Some people just have a cigarette when they go out with friends and were drinking.
• Sometimes you find someone that may have been up all night studying and wanted a break or something to help them stay awake, which resorts them to chain smoking through a cramming session

Statistics: Social smokers make up the significant population that do not consider themselves to be smokers, but are at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine.

• About 60% pf students are non-smokers, reporting never smoking cigarettes.
• About 10% of students are smokers- using cigarettes every day or every other day.
• This leaves us with about ¼ students- 30% who probably do not consider themselves smokers but smoke a couple of times each week or month.
• A high percentage of smokers- 85-90%- must smoke every day or they start to go through withdrawal
• In contrast- only about 10% to 15% of people who drink alcohol are problem drinkers; which puts nicotine as probably the most addictive drugs.

Risks:  Even if you are smoking “every now and then” you are still subject to physical consequences.

• You are still exposed to the 4000 chemicals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury.
• Even after a cigarette or two, smokers will experience a spike in blood pressure
• 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart damage similar to that of an everyday smoker.
• Addiction could happen within 10 seconds of taking a puff of a cigarette, nicotine reaches the brain and regulates the feeling of pleasure. The thing is within a few minutes the effects wear off, which makes the person crave another cigarette.

Signs of Addiction:

• You buy your own cigarettes because you feel guilty about bumming from friends so often
• You start to smoke alone
• You think about smoking when you’re not
• You crave cigarettes when you wake up
• You don’t feel the dizziness and headaches of a new smoker.

              ETR Associates. (2003). FAQs Tobacco (274) [Social Smoking].

              California: Ralph Cantor.

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Cessation

http://www.health.uci.edu/services/smoking/cessation.html

What can START provide for you?

• Free Quit Kits available at our office and in other locations on campus
• List of Stress Relievers
• How to help a friend quit smoking brochures

• Stress Balls

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Smoking Policy on our Campus

Smoking is prohibited in outdoor areas within 25 feet (or more depending on special circumstances) of entrances, exits and any other locations where smoke may be brought into a UCI facility. For more information, visit the Campus Smoking Policy

Fresh START Smoke-Free Campaign

Challenge Yourself.pdf

Love yourself.pdf

RESOURCES

Tobacco:

 www.tobaccofreeu.org

Policy:

http://www.cyanonline.org/policy.asp?pageid=2109

Cessation:

For free quit smoking help contact 1-866-NEW-LUNG (1-866-639-5864).

Ask your physician for information on cessation services available through your health plan.

Contact American Lung Association for information on local cessation support groups and resources.