Tobacco

How is tobacco used?

Tobacco is commonly smoked in cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, and pipes. Inhaling the smoke of dried tobacco leaves allows nicotine to be absorbed through your mouth and lungs. When smoked, the effects are usually felt straight away.¹

Tobacco can also be chewed, snorted, or held between your cheek and gums. Each of these methods allow nicotine to be absorbed through your nose and mouth. These ‘smokeless tobacco’ products include chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, and snus.²

Smokeless tobacco products are not legally available in Australia.⁴

Nicotine can be consumed in other forms such as vapes. To find out more about the effects of nicotine through vaping, head to our vaping page for more information.

Effects of tobacco

Use of any drug can have risks. It’s important to be careful when taking any type of drug.

Tobacco affects everyone differently, based on:

• size, weight, and health
• whether the person is used to taking it
• whether other drugs are taken around the same time
• the amount taken
• the strength of the drug
• the environment (where the drug is taken).

The effects of tobacco may include:

• increased heart rate
• increased blood pressure
• headache
• dizziness
• nausea
• stomach cramps
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• reduced appetite
• changed sense of taste
• relaxation
• improved mood
• increased concentration and short-term memory.^5-7

People who smoke tobacco regularly may build up a tolerance to the immediate and short-term effects.

Overdose

Smoking tobacco rarely results in overdose effects.⁸ But, consuming a large amount tobacco in other forms may in result in overdose due to high levels of nicotine.

Call an ambulance straight away by dialling triple zero (000) if you, or someone else, has any of the following symptoms:

• difficulty breathing
• rapid heartbeat
• low blood pressure
• weakness
• hallucination
• seizure.^2,9

Long-term effects

Regularly smoking tobacco can increase your risk of:

• sixteen different types of cancers
• stroke
• aortic aneurism (bulging and weakness in the walls of the aorta)
• atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque in the arteries)
• coronary heart disease
• respiratory symptoms (shortness of breath, coughing fits, wheezing)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (a group of lung conditions)
• lung infections (influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis)
• eye diseases (blindness, cataracts, macular degeneration)
• periodontitis (bleeding gums, loose teeth)
• diabetes
• hip fractures
• rheumatoid arthritis
• reduced fertility
• ectopic pregnancy or pregnancy loss
• birth defects if the foetus is exposed to cigarettes
• reduced immune function (regular colds and flu)
• overall diminished health (ageing, back pain, slower healing wounds, mood swings)
• dependence on smoking ^7,10,11

Smoking ‘light’, ‘mild’, or ‘low tar’ cigarettes does not reduce the harmful health effects of tobacco smoke. Filtered cigarettes also do not protect against smoking-related harms.¹²

For more information on the long-term effects, visit the Cancer Council.

Passive smoking

Passive smoking occurs when you breath in the smoke of those smoking around you. This is sometimes called second-hand smoke.

No amount of passive smoking is safe.

Passive smoking can cause many of the health problems listed above, and it can also make them worse. It is important not to smoke near other people, especially babies, children, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with chronic (long-term) respiratory conditions.¹³

Tobacco and young people

Adolescent brains do not stop developing until the age of 25. During this time, they can be more sensitive to nicotine’s rewarding effects, which can lead to increased tobacco use and dependence. The change in brain development and learning pathways can also increase other reward seeking behaviour and may lead to the use of other drugs or alcohol.^14,15

Tolerance and dependence

People who regularly use tobacco can become dependent on nicotine. They may feel they need nicotine to go about their normal activities like working, studying, and socialising, or just to get through the day.

They may also develop a tolerance to it, which means they need to take larger amounts of nicotine to get the same effect.

Using tobacco with other drugs

Using tobacco with other drugs can have unpredictable effects and increase the risk of harm.

• Tobacco + alcohol: can increase cravings for nicotine and might cause people who have stopped smoking to start again. You may also feel less intoxicated due to the simulant effect of nicotine, which can lead to drinking more.^16-18
• Tobacco + benzodiazepines: reduced effects of benzodiazepines due to nicotine’s stimulating effects.¹⁹
• Tobacco + cannabis: increases heart rate, respiratory problems, withdrawal symptoms. Smoking tobacco and cannabis together can increase your exposure to harmful chemicals.²⁰
• Tobacco + opioids (heroin, methadone): may increase the desire and satisfaction of smoking, and lead to smoking more.¹⁹
• Tobacco + stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine, ice): increases the stimulant effects and can make smoking feel more rewarding, which can lead to smoking more.¹⁹

The use of more than one drug at the same time, or type of drug consumed at the same time, is called polydrug use.²

Reducing harm

There are ways you can reduce the risk of harm when smoking cigarettes:

• Do not smoke cigarettes if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Avoid smoking near other people, especially babies and children, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with chronic (long-term) respiratory conditions to reduce the health harms associated with passive smoking.
• Speak to your doctor about different options for reducing or stopping smoking, including nicotine replacement therapy such as gum or patches.
• Tobacco smoke has the potential to interact with several drugs and medications. Talk with a health professional before starting new medications.

Withdrawal

Giving up smoking after using it for a long time is challenging, because the body must get used to functioning without it.

Withdrawal symptoms usually start within 24 hours after you last use tobacco.²¹  If you have been smoking for a long time, or if you smoke a lot of cigarettes, you may have withdrawal symptoms as soon as 30 minutes after you last use tobacco.²

Cutting back or stopping smoking might also affect the medications you are taking. It’s important to talk to your doctor when you’re reducing the amount of nicotine in your body.

Nicotine withdrawal may last from a few days to a few weeks. These symptoms can include:

• cravings
• irritability, anxiety, and depression
• restlessness and difficultly sleeping
• increased appetite
• trouble concentrating
• headaches
• coughing and sore throat
• aches and pains
• upset stomach and bowels.^2,21

Getting help

Quitting smoking can be challenging but there is help and support available - call Quitline on 13 QUIT (13 78 48).

If your use of alcohol or other drugs is affecting your health, family, relationships, work, school, financial or other life situations, or you’re concerned about a loved one, you can find help and support.

Call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 for free and confidential advice, information and counselling about alcohol and other drugs

Help and support services search

Find a service in your local area from our list. Simply add your location or postcode and filter by service type to quickly discover help near you.

If you’re looking for other information or support options, send us an email at druginfo@adf.org.au