Nicotine increases your heart rate and blood pressure, causing heart problems that can prevent you from playing sports and exercising — or can lead to serious issues, like lung disease and heart attacks.
Mouth
Nicotine products, like vapes, dip and pouches, can affect your oral health. Even using a small amount can lead to cavities, gum disease, yellow teeth and bad breath. These products may also include tobacco, which can result in tooth loss, and some chemicals may lead to mouth or throat cancer.
Lungs
Nicotine products can damage your lung tissue and airways, making it difficult to breathe. Over time, this can cause a never-ending cough, asthma attacks and trouble breathing.
Stomach
Nicotine can also lead to digestive system issues, such as upset stomach, bloating and constipation.
Skin
Nicotine prevents your skin from healing, causing pimples that can lead to scars.
Brain
Nicotine is extremely addictive. It will trick your brain into thinking you need it to survive.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can negatively affect your life in many ways. The temporary buzz isn’t worth risking your health, athletic ability or future.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can negatively affect your life in many ways. The temporary buzz isn’t worth risking your health, athletic ability or future.
Heart
Nicotine increases your heart rate and blood pressure causing heart problems that can prevent you from playing sports and exercising — or can lead to serious issues, like lung disease and heart attacks.
Mouth
Nicotine products, like vapes, dip and pouches, can affect your oral health. Even using a small amount can lead to cavities, gum disease, yellow teeth and bad breath. These products may also include tobacco, which can result in tooth loss, and some chemicals may lead to mouth or throat cancer.
Lungs
Nicotine products can damage your lung tissue and airways, making it difficult to breathe. Over time, this can cause a never-ending cough, asthma attacks and trouble breathing.
Stomach
Nicotine can also lead to digestive system issues, such as upset stomach, bloating and constipation.
Skin
Nicotine prevents your skin from healing, causing pimples that can lead to scars.
Brain
Nicotine is extremely addictive. It will trick your brain into thinking you need it to survive.
Match the pairs to learn how nicotine affects your brain.
Angry
Nicotine can cause you to act out and say things you don’t mean. It makes you lose control of your emotions and can get you into trouble.
Forgetful
Nicotine makes learning hard. It negatively affects your memory, focus and attention.
Emotional
Nicotine can cause your emotions to become overwhelming. It makes it hard for you to regulate how you feel and can lead to mood swings when you least expect them.
Depressed
Nicotine and depression go hand in hand. It can wreck your motivation, making you feel sad and tired.
Anxious
While it’s normal to feel a little anxious before a big test, game or performance, nicotine increases feelings of worry and unease. It makes you feel so much worse.
The mental health effects of nicotine are very real. And because it’s addictive, the younger you start, the harder it is to stop. That makes growing up harder than it already is.
The mental health effects of nicotine are very real. And because it’s addictive, the younger you start, the harder it is to stop. That makes growing up harder than it already is.
Angry
Nicotine can cause you to act out and say things you don’t mean. It makes you lose control of your emotions and can get you into trouble.
Forgetful
Nicotine makes learning hard. It negatively affects your memory, focus and attention.
Emotional
Nicotine can cause your emotions to become overwhelming. It makes it hard for you to regulate how you feel and can lead to mood swings when you least expect them.
Depressed
Nicotine and depression go hand in hand. It can wreck your motivation, making you feel sad and tired.
Anxious
While it’s normal to feel a little anxious before a big test, game or performance, nicotine increases feelings of worry and unease. It makes you feel so much worse.
Click on each product to learn how you can spot the dangers.
Vapes
Vapes are brightly colored and come in several shapes and sizes, with a sickeningly sweet smell. Also known as e-cigarettes, vapes are often disguised as school supplies, tech, keychains or even hygiene products to trick everyone into thinking they are harmless.
Pouches
Pouches are discreet and can be hard to spot. They are small, usually white and about the size of a breath mint. They usually come in round containers.
Dip
Smokeless tobacco, also called chew, usually smells like mint and looks like dirt. Because it can’t be swallowed, it’s easy to tell when someone is dipping — most people use plastic bottles and other disposable containers to spit in.
Cigarettes
Cigarettes are the most recognizable tobacco product. They leave behind a thick smoke, bad smell and contain thousands of cancer-causing chemicals that affect the person using them and everyone around them.
Nicotine products come in many different forms. Stay alert and don’t be fooled by their disguises. If you see a friend or influencer using a nicotine product, or a device you don’t recognize, avoid it.
Fruit flavors are not very refreshing when they contain nicotine! Even fruity flavors cause addiction.
Sweet
Sugar-inspired flavors contain the same gross chemicals as car exhaust, bug spray and batteries.
Fun
Colorful flavors are not fun at all — they’re made to trick you. Underneath the sparkles are dangerous chemicals that will get you hooked.
Flavors mask the harsh reality of addiction. Don’t let the enticing names, tastes and smells draw you in. Even if it sounds sweet and recognizable, it is still dangerous.
Big Tobacco knows you like social media, so they pay your favorite influencers to lie to you.
Product placement
Tobacco products are used in shows and movies to depict that “bad” or “cool” crowd. They don’t show you the harsh reality: Those “cool kids” are addicted.
Price
Just because something is cheap doesn’t mean you should buy it! Nicotine will end up costing you a lot of money.
Nicotine’s damaging effects go beyond what meets the eye. Protect yourself by rejecting the lies the tobacco industry tells. When you have questions about nicotine products, always go to a parent or trusted adult in your life instead of social media.
Nicotine addiction can really mess up your life. It makes school harder, activities tougher and dims your bright future. If you or a friend has started vaping or using another tobacco product, now’s the time to quit. My Life, My Quit™ is a free, confidential way to help 13-17-year-olds quit vaping. Text “Start My Quit” to 36072 to chat with a Coach.
