Tobacco, an agricultural crop, is usually smoked in cigarettes. However, tobacco is also smoked in pipes and cigars. It can be very addictive, even more addictive than heroin. Nicotine is the main chemical of tobacco, a stimulant drug which speeds up the messages from the body toward the human brain. Carbon monoxide and tar are also released when tobacco is smoked. Tobacco is widely used; it has many street names.

What Are the Street Names for Tobacco?

Depending on how the tobacco is used, the street names vary.

What Are the Health Effects of Using Tobacco?

Not everyone will have the same effects from using tobacco. The health effects of using tobacco are different based on:

• Age, size, weight and overall health
• The amount of tobacco used regularly
• Whether the person uses tobacco in combination with other drugs at the same time
• The strength of the tobacco used, etc.

Short-Term Effects

Common effects of using tobacco include:

• Feeling relaxed
• Feeling happy
• Feeling more alert
• Coughing
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Loss of appetite
• Stomach cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Numbness and a tingling sensation in the fingers and toes
• Faster heartbeat
• Bad breath, etc.

When large amounts of tobacco are consumed during a day, the following effects may occur. These effects are very serious and life-threatening, which require emergent medical help.

• Faster breathing
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Respiratory arrest and even death

Long-Term Effects

Knowing the street names for tobacco is just one thing. Regular tobacco use has long-term effects on the human body, including:

• Loss of taste and loss of smell
• Yellow fingertips
• Yellow teeth
• Breathing difficulties
• Constant coughing, especially in the morning
• Asthma
• Lung diseases
• Colds and flu
• Early wrinkles
• Stomach ulcers
• Hearing loss
• Eye diseases
• Mood swings
• Back pain
• Wounds that heal slower than normally
• Fertility problems in both genders
• Difficulties getting an erection in males
• Irregular menstrual periods
• Early menopause
• Brain damage and stroke
• Heart problems
• Heart attack
• Cancer, usually affecting the lungs, mouth, nose, sinuses, larynx, throat, esophagus, stomach, bladder, pancreas, colon, rectum, kidneys or cervix in women.
• Addiction to tobacco, etc.

How to Stop Tobacco Abuse or Addiction

After knowing the street names for tobacco and the health effects, you may decide to quit tobacco use. Here are some suggestions.

1. Set a Quit Date

For many people, setting a quit date is very helpful. This particular date gives you adequate time to prepare yourself and your mind for the upcoming changes. Slowly cut back the nicotine consumption from the date, as quitting cold turkey can be quite a challenge for some.

2. Know Your Triggers

Knowing your triggers will help you quit smoking quicker. Common triggers of smoking include:

• Stress
• Coffee
• Having a meal
• Alcoholic beverages
• Boredom
• Driving
• Being around other people who smoke, etc.

3. Get Support

Having someone to support you while quitting tobacco can be quite helpful. It has been estimated that about 95% of people who try quitting nicotine on their own without getting any support from their family members, friends, and coworkers have failed to do so.

So, you can look for support from your family members and friends, while others might find it more helpful joining a support group or class.

4. Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Many people find it very difficult to quit smoking cold turkey. In these cases, nicotine replacement therapy is a great option. Nicotine replacement therapy includes the use of skin patches, nicotine gums, inhalers, or lozenges.

The benefit of nicotine replacement therapy is helping people focus on their psychological addiction to nicotine before completely eliminating it from the body. Regardless of street names for tobacco, smoking or chewing it is very harmful. Nicotine replacement therapy will help you quit faster and easily. 

5. Non-Nicotine Medications

There are also many non-nicotine medications available today, which require a prescription. These medications include:

• Varenicline – A medication that acts on the nicotine receptors in the human brain, decreasing the withdrawal symptoms. You should start using this medication at least one week before quitting tobacco.
• Bupropion – An antidepressant drug which increases the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the human brain. These two brain chemicals are normally boosted by nicotine. It also helps minimize weight gain once you have quitted. Bupropion should be started at least one week before quitting tobacco.
• Nortriptyline – Usually prescribed when the above-mentioned medications have failed to help you quit smoking. It is a tricyclic antidepressant which increases the levels of norepinephrine in the human body.

6. Behavioral Treatment

Behavioral treatment plays an important role when quitting tobacco. This treatment includes self-help materials as well as individual cognitive therapy. Behavioral therapy tends to teach you how to handle stress, how to identify and avoid your triggers, how to develop coping strategies, etc. Behavioral treatment usually lasts 1 to 3 months.