Kids Get Smoking Ban on Ballot

Sixth grade students at a Middle School in Pearland, Texas were able to get a smoking ban placed on the ballot in the November 6th election. Not only that, but, due to their efforts the ordinance passed with nearly 80 percent of the vote. The ordinance bans smoking in restarants, auditoriums, stadiums and most public places.

The students decided to get involved after hearing a police officer's presentation about substance abuse, and a class discussion about second-hand smoke. A councilman was invited to speak to the class where the kids asked questions about how to get an issue on the ballot. They drew up a proposed ordinance and went door-to-door to get certified signatures which were required to get the ordinance put on the ballot. They then made a presentation to the city council, and received a standing ovation from the council members!

What a great lesson in civics - one that I'm sure those kids will never forget!

Cannot Smoke Under Bankruptcy?

A Houston newspaper reported today that a bankruptcy judge has denied a couple's request to allow $170.00 a month for cigarette purchases. The couple maintains that smoking cessation programs cost much more than that, and that the stress of bankruptcy would likely cause them to fail to quit. The judge did not buy their argument and denied the budget item. Way to go judge!!

Smoking Prevalence Rates

Webmd recently reported that smoking prevalence rates for young adults aged 18 - 35 range from a high of 31% in Kentucky and about 8% in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Wonder what it is about the environment of the islands that make for such a low rate? Perhaps we could import some of whatever it is!

The CDC states that people who quit before age 35 "have a life expectancy similar to that of those who never smoked".

I would think that perhaps young people, young teens in particular, would become somewhat cynical about smoking cessation when the government has subsidized tobacco farmers for so long while at the same time the Centers for Disease Control advocate not smoking.

Stop Smoking Drug May Be a Problem

I posted earlier that I had heard the drug Chantix was very helpful to people trying to quit smoking. I heard on the news last night that it causes some people to have hallucinations, depression and suicidal thoughts. One young man's death was being attributed to its use. It obviously does not cause these side effects in everyone, but you should read the inserts very carefully and discuss with your doctor before deciding to use.

Promise of a Car Did Not Deter Her from Smoking

My friend, Elizabeth, sent this story of her smoking history - she was a really determined smoker!

"I started to smoke when I was a senior in High School. I was 17 at the time, and even tho my parents had offered a bribe -of a car -if I didn't smoke or drink till I was 21, the fact that seniors were allowed to smoke in the common room with the head of school was a stronger motivator. There was no attempt in the parental bribe to prevent my smoking but only to delay it, both my parents were smokers. I also had an older sister who I admired, who smoked. So I thought it was cool and sophisticated to smoke and I got lots of praise for being "a natural" when I inhaled with out coughing on the first drag. I didn't become a heavy smoker until about 2 yrs later in college, when I started studying, playing bridge, and hanging out in the "smokers". These were rooms where smoking was allowed, and I found that there was always something fun going on there, and most of my friends were chosen from the smoker crowd.

I was a moderate to heavy smoker, 1 to 2 packs a day- sometimes more, until I started to quit at age 43. I quit for the first time in 1986, and I finally succeeded in quitting in 1991!! During those years I used almost every quitting aid imaginable (I never tried the patch or gum) and they all worked...to get me off cigarettes, but nothing could keep me off cigarettes. Hypnosis and Acupuncture both really helped with the withdrawal cravings and creepy feelings I got in my body during the first 3 days. The support group gave me lots of ideas and techniques like breaking the sub habits, such as smoking while driving, and/or smoking while on the phone, etc I'm not sure which was harder quitting slowly or going cold turkey. With all this experience, I think I would recommend a combination of the support group/cold turkey/acupuncture if someone were to ask for my advice! During the 5 years of my quit/relapse phase, I smoked less heavily. The pattern was that I would stay off nicotine for a month or a few weeks, and then be so proud/cocky, Id think to myself "I can have just one" when I was tempted at a party or after a nice dinner.Then it was easy to bum a cigarette, lots of my friends smoked and so did my husband. There was never a time when cigarettes weren't available to me if I should get tempted. So I would go through the next few weeks just bumming and not admit to myself that I was failing my attempt to quit. Denial is a cornerstone of addiction. When I was so ashamed to bum another cigarette, I would finally break down and buy a pack, then work my way back to 1+ packs/day in weeks to come. The whole process could take as much as 6 months but the bottom line was, I was still smoking!

The turning point came when I finally separated from my smoking husband, and by then most of my friends had quit. At that point I was even more determined to over come this addiction that had humiliated me so, to quit and make it stick! When there was no longer any support for my mooching and relapsing, I was FINALLY able to STAY OFF CIGARETTES. An added motivation was the fact that my mother had died of lung disease in 1988 when she was only 70, she hadn't managed to quit until she was in her 60's. I hoped that by quitting for real at 48 I might escape her fate and my lungs might recover. However that was not to be. I was diagnosed with chronic asthma and emphysema (COPD) when I was 57. I am now 64 and my lungs function at about 50% of normal for my age.

I have never gotten over wanting a cigarette at certain times, but the moment passes and I don't take action. I usually deal with it by saying "this would be a nice time for a cigarette" and I laugh with the awareness that NO time is a good time for a cigarette!"

Elizabeth

Quitting Smoking Hour by Hour

Another idea for help in stopping smoking was related to me by a friend who is not online. She started by delaying lighting up for one hour; when that hour was up she delayed another hour and so on and on until she delayed for a couple of hours at a time and then a day at a time. This went on for several weeks until she was finally free of the cravings. During all of this she kept a package of cigarettes with her at all times, but not once did she smoke.

Lung-Shaped Ashtrays

Trend Watcher recently reported that AOK, a German health insurance company, has begun installing transparent, lung-shaped ashtrays in public places in various cities. Apparently AOK hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking. It might help if they also showed how the lung is damaged by smoking - perhaps holes in the ashtray???

Go to Jail to Quit Smoking?

I just heard on the news that an Iowa woman asked her local sheriff to put her in jail for a few day to help her quit smoking. She states that she has tried everything else without success. The sheriff turned her down, saying a warrant would have to be issued for her arrest before he could oblige her. She even offered to pay for the jail stay! That is really going to extremes, and shows just how addictive tobacco is to some people.

Good News and Bad News - Fewer Americans Smoking

WebMD has just reported that, according to a new Gallup Poll on smoking, 21% of Americans currently smoke cigarettes. That is the lowest percentage since Gallup started polling smoking in 1944. That is the good news. The bad news is that WebMD reports that smoking is increasing among young adults age 18 - 24.

Helping Others to Quit Smoking

I had intended to post at least several times a week, but "life" got in the way! One thing worth mentioning to those of you who are still smoking and want to quit, there is a fairly new prescription drug called Chantix that seems to be very effective. I do not have personal knowledge of it, but a support group I belong to has quite a few members who have successfully quit without too much "pain".

I would really like to hear other people's stories of how they quit - their successes as well as their failures. Smoking cessation is such an important subject - I don't want to be preachy about it but you never know whose story will inspire someone else to quit.

Celebrating an Ending and New Beginnings

I'm celebrating the 10th anniversary of the ending of my life as a smoker, and the beginning of a new life as an ex-smoker. This post also serves as a celebration of beginning my first blog! Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. As Mark Twain said "quitting smoking is easy - I've done it a thousand times". While I did not quit a thousand times, I probably tried at least 20 times. I tried quitting cold turkey (numerous times), aversion therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture, the patch and group therapy. I finally succeeded by entering a clinical trial for a drug at a cancer hospital. I was given a nicotine patch and a pill to take every day. The pill was supposed to relieve anxiety and nervousness (it did not). Particpants were required to meet with the trial leader once a week and fill out a long questionnaire. As it turned out, I received a placebo, but I was able to finally quit. Success at last!

I was one of those smokers who had to plan my whole life around where I could smoke. In the early days of my life as a smoker you could smoke any place - department stores, doctor's offices - even hospitals. Soon, however, restrictions started being put in place and my world became smaller and smaller as there were fewer and fewer places to smoke outside of my home and car. It has been very liberating to finally free myself from those restrictions!

And so on to a new beginning as a blogger!