Are we ignoring a resurgence in tobacco use in our youth and college age students? A study published in the January, 2013 issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research (first published online in 2012) reports on the emerging increase in waterpipe (or hookah) usage among college students. In this study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine assessed over 100,000 students from 152 colleges and universities and found almost one-third (30.5%) of the study participants reported smoking tobacco through a hookah.¹
I was surprised to read this, as I knew that cigarette use is declining. A tobacco trend report published by the American Lung Association states "current smoking prevalence among young adults was 52.0% lower in 2009 (21.8%) than in 1965 (45.4%)."²
Why do we see this increasing trend? Is it due to the social nature of hookah lounges? Or, is it due to the commonly held misperception that waterpipe tobacco is safer than cigarette smoking? Perhaps it is a mix of both of these two reasons. Regardless, if steps aren’t taken to educate our youth, we may be facing an increase in future tobacco-related illnesses, cancer, heart disease, and subsequent an increase in early, preventable deaths.
References
1. Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Kim, K. H., Carroll, M. V., Hoban, M. T., Leino, E. V., … & Fine, M. J. (2013). Waterpipe smoking among US university students. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 15(1), 29-35.
2. American Lung Association. (2011). Trends in tobacco use. American Lung Association Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, Research and Program Services.
Your cigarette butts, that is! (Don't get the wrong idea from this title!) Yes, this is another angle to quitting smoking that you may not have considered, as I imagine most people don't, i.e. what happens to cigarettes once you have smoked them. Apparently the butts from used cigarettes are the number 1 source of litter and environmental pollution around the world, as they are found everywhere and leak a lot of toxic waste. They are still generally considered to be one of the most “acceptable” forms of litter, the last line of defence, as it were, in the battle against littering and pollution.
Most smokers don't think twice about smoking a cigarette, then throwing the stub in the street, or out of a car window. I freely admit, I didn't think about it myself when I was a smoker – I didn't consider the environmental damage I was inadvertently causing. So now it makes me even more glad that I no longer smoke, the fact that I am not polluting the world in this way. The problem with cigarette butts is, that not only are they unsightly and an eyesore, but they contain a lot of toxic chemicals which leach out into the environment. The tobacco trash contains a plastic filter which only biodegrades under extreme conditions and endangers wildlife, besides being expensive to clean up on roads, beaches, parks, etc. Not only do the butts contain chemicals which are poisonous to wildlife, but they are carcinogenic and these toxic chemicals can sink into the soil and contaminate water sources.
I am sure you will all agree that this environmental pollution problem with the butts is yet another excellent reason to quit smoking (as if there were not enough already! I think it is worth considering this angle as well though – I am sure that the more reasons people find to quit this habit, the more it will strengthen their resolve and the more success they will have).. The health organisation Legacy is trying to raise awareness of this concern at present. You can read more at this section of their website, RethinkButts.org, which gives detailed information on this subject. Now I know all about the concern with butts, I am 100% behind them (pun intended!)
Hope you got something out of this blog, and your votes and comments are much appreciated.
We have all been there.“I know I should quit but maybe I’ll cut down first” or “I know it is terrible for me but I don’t think I am ready”.These are phrases that smokers who have thought about quitting repeat to themselves over and over again.However, unfortunately, these phrases almost never seem to make us actually quit.Like many have said before the first thing you need to realize is that you want to give up the habit and remain smoke free.
This short series of blogs will give you three tips to remain smoke free and quit the habit for good.Tip number three is to remain smoke free is to surround yourself with non smokers at first.Yes, this may seem kind of rude but by hanging out with friends and family who are still smoking while you are just starting to kick the habit can prove to be quite difficult.There were many times where I tried to quit and would be doing pretty well for a few days or even a couple of weeks then hang out with friends who smoked and wanted one right away.Ultimately I would have one or two and then probably want to buy a pack the next day.
One day there finally came a point where I was tired of it and I thought one of the best ways to stop smoking was to limit my contact with my smoking friends.Now of course I didn’t just blow them off for a whole month, but what I did do was avoid them when they were actually smoking.For example, if we were at the pub and they went for a smoke outside I would simply just stay in and wait for them to return. It was really that simple.Sometimes I still wanted to join them for the social aspect but I kept telling myself that I don’t need to smoke with them to remain social; the conversation can always wait a few minutes.It can be tough at times but you just have to stick with it for this tip to work.
I continued this practice for about a month and eventually since I had avoided all contact with smoking, my urge for a smoke went away.Of course the first few days and up to a week are the hardest but once the nicotine leaves your system it becomes less of a physical challenge and more of a mental test, and trying to avoid smoking situations is a good tip to remain smoke free once and for all.
This post is for my sister, Meghan. She has been smoking since she was just a teenager. There are some things that I want her to know. Things that I have trouble saying out loud. Every time I try and express how I feel verbally, I seem to mess it up. Everything comes out how I didn't want it to sound. So, instead, I'm going to write this here and post it online. My sister is 22 years old. She already has one beautiful three year old child and is now expecting another child around Christmas time. It's sad that she's pregnant and smoking, but she's addicted now and doesn't know how to stop. She is a great mother! Believe me, she is. She's just made the stupid decision to smoke. I hear her say all the time that she will always be there for her children. I wonder if that's really going to happen with the amount that she smokes. I don't mean to sound like a pessimist, but I've seen the effects that smoking has on a person.
My father smokes and my mother used to smoke. My mother got very sick a few years ago and was in the hospital with pneumonia and was diagnosed with C.O.P.D. I wish that had been enough to make my sister stop smoking. Afterall, she saw our own mother almost die. It wasn't enough though. I'll tell her sometimes that smoking is horrible for your body. I tell her about the chemicals. I tell her about the effects. She only gets angry at me for saying anything though. It's like she doesn't understand that I'm not trying to attack her but instead trying to help her. I know my sister has said that she wants to quit smoking. I've heard it several times.
My sister is a courageous person. She has been through a lot in her life that a lot of people haven't had to go through but she still wakes up every day and does what she can to keep going. She works hard every day taking care of her daughter and she's going to have to work even harder now that she's expecting a second. I want her to know how strong I think she is. I could only wish that I was half as strong as she is. I know that she can do this. I know she can quit! Nobody says it will be easy. She needs to do it though. If not for herself, for her kids. They deserve to grow up and have her in their lives. My sister is an amazing woman. I look up to her so much. She is my not just my sister, but my friend, and she is someone that I want to be around for as long as possible. I hope so much that she is able to break her addiction. She deserves so much more than what a cigarette has to offer.
I've done some research on world leaders that have and used to have vices, particularly smoking. One trend I've seen is that, most of them are quitting or trying to quit.
September 27, 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, admits trying Marijuana during her College years (Source: The Australian)
November 6, 2009 – Prime Minister David Cameron, on God and quitting smoking. He reportedly quit (Source: Wall Street Journal)
April 21, 2010 – President Bashar al-Assad, a qualified medical doctor decrees ban on smoking. His regime is now embroiled in a civil war (Source: BBC)
February 9, 2011 – The Telegraph reports that Barack Obama has quit smoking after 30 years. (Source: Telegraph) *Here's a fake video of him buying cigarettes (lol)
November 24, 2012 – President Aquino of the Philippines ignores call to quit smoking. *Tsk tsk. Our president.. (Source: Inquirer.net)
December 14, 2012 – Kim Jong Un, celebrates North Korean rocket launch with a cigarette (Source: Telegraph). *Typical.
February 25, 2013 – Vladimir Putin, signs law banning smoking in Public in Russia (Source: BBC) *I have not seen a single picture of him on Google, smoking.
May 18, 2013 – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, gets caught on camera using crack cocaine. (Source: Gawker)
"Mr. President, North Korea just launched a nuclear missile from its East coast." The President nods, and for a split second, thoughts of smoking enter his head like a wispy ghost.
Of course, we all know that smoking for many is a coping mechanism. Stress, is one of its causes.
At this stage in history, we are way past debates on whether world leaders should smoke cigarettes or not. While their personal opinions on smoking, habits or preferences are solely theirs to have and make, their personal health is a public matter.
Their ability to lead is a public matter.
A sound body, makes for a sound mind, and a sound mind makes for sound decisions.
Leaders are accountable to us, the citizenry who voted for them.
Our leaders, owe it to us to ensure that they are healthy. To end this post, I'd like to quote Barack Obama – right after smoking legislation was passed when queried about his personal habits.
"OBAMA: Well, first of all the new law that was put in place is not about me, it's about the next generation of kids coming up. So I think it's fair, Margaret, to just say that you just think it's neat to ask me about my smoking as opposed to if — being relevant to my new law. But that's fine. I understand. It's an interesting human interest story. Look. I've said before that as a former smoker, I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No. I don't do it in front of my kids. I don't do it in front of my family. You know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where — there are times when I mess up. And I've said this before. I get this question about once every month or so. And I don't know what to tell you other than the fact that, you know, like folks who go to AA, you know, once you've gone down this path, then it's something you continually struggle with. Which is precisely why the legislation we signed was so important. Because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first place."
I cannot think of a better way and reason to quit smoking than to study the GOOD that even one cigarette-quitter can create for the environment, nature, and mother earth. Perhaps that could be a more meaningful sacrifice and greater motivation to look beyond self for those who are really having a hard time quitting. Read more
Forrest was my friend’s roommate. He gambled for money to buy cigarettes. The mind of a gambler is corrupt, when they are down it stimulates their urge to try again, in order to make up for what they now lost, (retribution) or in disappointment to losing, feeling the rush. His case is diseased and Read more
The biggest repellant for non-smokers to shew you away from the crowd is the smell of your cancer stick. As a result we find smoking partners, people who can stand the smell, people who are addicted, and people who can keep us company. Once we’ve found these people we sometimes Read more
They are much more than friends. Anyone you’ve met at one of your support group meetings is not your friends. Your mind will tell you; this person cares for me, this person is truly a good friend, and a Read more
The national average cost of a pack of cigarettes is around $6.00. Therefore, a pack a day smoker spends nearly $45.00 a week on smokes. If you spread this out for an entire year, it adds up to an astounding $2,340.00! That is a lot of money to spend on Read more
