Lesson 3 of 4

Smoking

Goal: Describe how smoking harms the body and why it is hard to stop.

Puzzles for this lesson

Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco smoke. It keeps a person smoking while the smoke harms the whole body.

Heart and blood vessels. Nicotine makes the heart beat faster and the blood vessels narrower, so blood pressure rises. A heart attack or a stroke becomes more likely.
Mouth and throat. The chemicals in tar that cause lung cancer also cause cancer of the mouth and throat.
Stopping is hard, but people do it. Withdrawal symptoms usually ease over a few weeks. Nicotine patches or gum from a pharmacy ease the craving without the smoke.
Most vapes contain nicotine too, so vaping is also addictive.

What smoke does inside the lungs is in Breathing and gas exchange, lesson 7.

Your turn

This lesson’s activity starts here in a moment.

I can explain addiction to nicotine.I can name two harms outside the lungs.

This lesson on one page. Tap it to make it bigger.

Drug A substance that changes the way the body or mind works

Nicotine The addictive drug in tobacco smoke

Addiction Depending on a drug and finding it very hard to stop

Withdrawal symptoms Unpleasant effects felt when an addicted person stops taking a drug

Craving A strong urge to take a drug again

For teachers: AQA Extend only · Cambridge 8Bp.03 in part