It starts
with
“dopamine”
Nicotine turns on parts of your brain that receive chemicals (“receptors”). When these receptors receive nicotine (or any activity that you like, such as playing a video game or talking with a good friend), your brain releases dopamine, which makes you feel good.
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If you want a presentation without humor, go to www.TINYURL.com/nicotinenohumor
“This is your brain on drugs”
That is the key sentence in a public service announcement
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“This is your brain on drugs”
But I like fried eggs
Their anti-drug messages don’t reach me
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I like fried eggs, so these images don’t reach me. What will grab my attention?
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J Coolio pointed out:
They say I gotta learn,
but nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand it,
how can they reach me?
I guess they can't…
There must be a better way to talk about drugs like nicotine…
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What do we like to do?
Video games
Ice cream
Talking with friends instead of listening to parents? Or doing school work?
Texting: The “ping” from a smartphone
Listening to music
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“What makes us feel happy?”
Dopamine
Steps to addiction:
It’s about getting more dopamine
We want that high.
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The nico-teen brain
The adolescent brain is especially vulnerable to the addictive effects of nicotine
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https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-nico-teen-brain
What happens?
Nicotine acts like a key to unlock special receptor molecules on the outside of cells in the brain, including those in the prefrontal cortex.
Nicotine causes these cells to release signaling molecules, such as dopamine (DOE-pah meen).
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The red zone shows extra activity. Dopamine makes us feel good
What happens?
These chemical signals travel across a gap between nerve cells (called a synapse). When the signals reach the neighboring nerve cell, they release their “message.” And it gives users get a feel-good high.
If we continue to use nicotine, our bodies produce less of our natural chemicals that give us pleasure.
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What
happens
next?
The brain of teens who smoke or vape may create more receptors to handle the extra nicotine they have come to expect.
Teens will need more nicotine to get the same high.
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What
happens
next?
Nicotine can make it hard for teens to stay focused.
It might also trigger depression or anxiety.
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What
happens
next?
Good news:
Some of the negative effects of nicotine on the young brain will fade with time — if we stop using nicotine.
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What
happens
next?
If we expose our brains to nicotine, we could get lifelong addiction.
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Users get a feel-good high. The extra dopamine also creates the risk of addiction and other health problems.
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Nicotine (black triangle) tricks the nerve cell (neuron) into sending a message to release more dopamine (yellow dots).
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-nico-teen-brain
How many puffs does it take us to get high on nicotine?
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How many puffs does it take us to get high on nicotine?
Smoking, craving, and where nicotine acts on brain cells.
Smokers crave nicotine whenever the drug occupies less than 95 percent of the nicotine “boxes” in the brain.
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Nicotine displaces 75% of the radiotracers after 3 puffs
88% are replaced after 3 cigarettes
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/smokers-brains-change-in-response-to-high-levels-of-nicotine
How many puffs does it take us to get high on nicotine?
Smoking just a few puffs goes a long way toward saturating these boxes (“receptors”) where nicotine attaches to brain neurons and exerts its effects.
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Nicotine displaces 75% of the radiotracers after 3 puffs
88% are replaced after 3 cigarettes
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/smokers-brains-change-in-response-to-high-levels-of-nicotine
Your brain grows until you are 26. Nicotine can stop brain growth.
It’s only going to get harder to make the smart decision. #RealDealPima #EscapeTheVape #BrainsMatter
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“No, thank you.”
Here is the good news
There is a cure
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So what do we do now?
We have seen how nicotine affects the brain
We have facts about what happens to our lives when we smoke or vape
We have good news:
we can overcome addictions
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So what do we do now? THREE STEPS
Changing our minds can make us feel that we’re losing status.
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So what do we do now?
Changing our minds can make us feel that we’re losing status.
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So what do we do now?
Step 1
Friends who agree with us on most things are more likely to persuade us.
Conclusion: The teacher is NOT going to persuade you.
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So what do we do now?
Step 2
We are not likely to change our minds if we’re around other people. We need to talk only one-on-one with the friend who wants to persuade us.
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So what do we do now?
Step 3
If we want to change minds, we have to see the world through the eyes of the other person.
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Smokers have
the
facts
(like
this)
Don’t focus on facts – focus on their point of view
So what do we do now?
Ask:
“what were the benefits for you when you had your first cigarette or vape?”
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So what do we do now?
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So what do we do now?
Before we try to persuade others with facts, first seek to understand their position and why they hold it.
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Brain on nicotine
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Pictures say 1000 words
Sometimes images like these can have an impact more than facts
(we don’t need to say anything)
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Structure of this presentation: A focus on dopamine
“What makes us feel happy? Why do we like to play videogames, eat ice cream and talk with friends instead of listening to parents?”
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This presentation was created as part of a course called “60 Hours’)
For information about the course, go to
Compiled by Steve McCrea asd part of the 60-hour course This presentation is stored at www.TINYURL.com/FWFSsite