Central Oklahoma Turning Point

Tobacco and Other Addictions

Tobacco

Tobacco kills about 6,000 Oklahomans each year.  It is our leading cause of preventable deaths, killing more Oklahomans than alcohol, auto accidents, AIDS, suicides, murders, and illegal drugs combined.

Tobacco costs all of us a lot of money. Tobacco use costs Oklahomans over $2 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity every year, or an average of about $600 per person.

Tobacco use is epidemic. One in four adult Oklahomans currently use tobacco, representing over 600,000 people.

Our children are becoming addicted. Over 78,000 Oklahoma children already use tobacco. Each day, the equivalent of another classroom gets hooked.

Among Oklahomans who use tobacco, 75% of adults and 50% of middle and high school youth say they want to quit.

To become involved in the fight to create a tobacco-free environment, please go to the "Get Involved" section on our home page.  Below are some resources to help further inform you about tobacco and its impact. 

Drugs and Other Addictions

Substance Abuse and Our Health

Substance abuse and dependency are serious and treatable health problems; 63 percent of Americans say that addiction to alcohol or other drugs has had an impact on them at some point in their lives, whether it was the addiction of a friend or family member, or their own addiction.  

Here are some other important facts about the use of alcohol and other drugs: 

• Addiction is a chronic illness that involves significant physical changes in brain function. Treatment for addiction is as effective as treatments for other chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.  
• The cost of substance abuse to the state is conservatively estimated at $6.8 billion annually.  
• Drug-abusing employees incur 300 percent higher medical costs and benefits.  
• Treatment cuts drug abuse by about 50%, reduces reported alcohol and medical illnesses by 50%, and decreases criminal activity by as much as 80%. 
• More teens (under age 20) die from alcohol poisoning/overdoses or drunk driving crashes than all other causes combined.  
• Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress to contribute to suicide, the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25.  

For more information, you might check the links to other websites below. 

( Statistics come from the Governor’s Task Force on Substance Abuse, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma Substance Abuse Services Alliance, Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, Oklahoma Department of Health, the National Quality Measures Clearinghouse, and the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. )