Obama kicked off his smoking habit, maybe I should too

Well, not really. But I made a promise to myself on this very blog many times over - to quit before I get married. And that gives me two months now... So here's what I've done so far...

I bought a carton of cigarettes. Yes, yes, I did. It doesn't make sense but it does to me. I'm a smoker. Maybe another smoker understands this. Apart from the obvious cost savings, my thought process said, "Okay, you wanna quit right? So let this be your last carton. You can start cutting back with a plan, with this last carton. OR! You can smoke all you want, and once the carton finishes, you can stop buying cigarettes. Either ways, when you finish your carton, you can't buy cigarettes. You can beg/borrow/steal but not buy. And then let's take it from there."

(Wow, I didn't know my 'thought process' had a personality!)

My oldest and closest friend is also in town, and he's as religious as I am not. And because he gives the Islamic month of Moharram a lot of significance, he told me he was going to quit starting the 1st of Moharram. Have yet to check on him to see how he's doing. But it's cool that I have a partner to quit with.

Anyway, so I'm down to my last two packets, and it's Saturday night. Every Saturday morning, I always leave home with two packs of cigarettes, because it's usually a long night, and I always run out of cigarettes. So what now? I didn't cut down at all ever since I bought the carton, but my consumption did vary (on an hourly basis, depending on my mood). And now these are my last two packets.

Sure, these aren't exactly the ideal conditions for me to quit smoking, but still, why NOT take the chance if I can?

What will happen next? Let's find out. Stay tuned.

Btw, click here to read about Barack's latest quit attempt (he's been at it since 9 months and going strong!)

Steven Yates

Why the War on Smoking Will Fail

July 2000 • Volume: 50 • Issue: 7 • Print This Post • 0 comments

Steven Yates has a Ph.D. in philosophy and recently received a master’s in health promotion and education.

Everyone knows that smoking is a risky business, health-wise. Cigarettes have been linked to many diseases and conditions, from lung cancer and heart problems on down. One of the first bits of advice a doctor gives a patient who smokes is to quit. Although not everyone suffers ill health from smoking—there are cases of people who chain-smoke for decades with few if any apparent health problems—the preponderance of the evidence is that cigarette smoking damages one’s health over the long run.

Does it follow from this that governments ought to declare war on smoking? Should those who manufacture and sell cigarettes to willing customers in an open market be sued for billions of dollars?

Before answering this question straightaway, let us make an obvious point. If smoking damages one’s health, then it does make sense to work at encouraging smokers to quit and to discourage teenagers from starting. How do we do this?

The first thing to note is that no one ever kicked the habit permanently who was forced to do so. This is equivalent to attacking the symptoms of a disease while leaving the disease’s causes untouched. Government- suppressed behaviors will simply go underground where their dangers actually increase, not decrease (the situation with illegal recreational drugs in America). Making smoking illegal is obviously not a live option, as it would provoke a mass rebellion: the Prohibition-era crime wave would look tame by comparison! But expanded government can use the legal system in other ways. The most popular at present is to file suit, ostensibly to cover the costs of treating smoking-related health problems. Hence the “tobacco war.”

If the aim of this “war” is less smoking, it is likely to fail.

The person who successfully quits must want to quit. No one can be forced to quit. Not really. Quitting smoking can be hard even for those who want to kick the habit. Many people try to quit many times. A number of approaches are currently used in smoking-cessation programs. The best involve carefully planned, systematic behavior-change efforts that make use of devices such as careful self-observation, diary-keeping, and so on. The would-be quitter may be asked to record the circumstances in which he smokes, or the moods that tempt him to smoke, the people he tends to be around, where he is when he smokes, and so on. The point is to understand as thoroughly as possible the situations that prompt him to smoke and then to address those situations. He may be encouraged to arrange new situations that don’t involve smoking, find new friends if all his friends smoke, avoid the establishments where he smokes. He may be told to get rid of ashtrays and all other visible reminders of his habit. There may be actions he can take that are incompatible with smoking and can substitute for it. He may be asked to record his successes in his journal and what led to them. If he lapses—as most who quit cigarette smoking will do from time to time—he may be asked to record as many details as he can remember of what prompted the lapse. Where was he? Who was he with? What was he thinking about? And so on. In this way people can learn to control their behaviors instead of allowing their behaviors to control them. To be sure, there are people who quit “cold turkey” and never look back. But this is not the norm. Millions of people have quit smoking once they learned the health risks. For most, the process was arduous and strewn with lapses into the old patterns of behavior.

People Are Different

What makes serious smoking-cessation efforts more complex is that what is needed for success differs somewhat from person to person, because people are different. A technique that works well for one person might be totally ineffective for someone else.

Moreover, while millions have quit, millions more have also started during the same period. Despite government-imposed warning labels on every cigarette pack, cigarettes continue to sell briskly. Despite age limits for legally purchasing cigarettes, they continue to fall into the hands of teenagers who want them, whether they believe it will make them more “adult,” more acceptable to their peers, or for whatever other reasons, which again vary from case to case. They aren’t thinking about the long-term health risks. Although everyone knows about these, they just aren’t a priority for everyone.

Many libertarians openly defend a person’s right to smoke if that is their informed choice. The challenge is to the unstated premise that if X is unhealthy behavior, then X ought to be fought by the government to the greatest extent possible, and banned if possible. Accepting this premise is what separates “health nazis” from genuine health promoters. The latter have some insight into human complexity. They know that many factors can motivate people to smoke, and that quitting is rarely a matter of sheer will power. They also recognize that laws, lawsuits, and top-down mandates have a poor track record.

Reforming Oneself

All the science we have on smoking cessation points in a single direction: it must begin at the bottom—where the individual smoker is, in the situations the person actually confronts in life—and proceed upward. It must begin with the person’s sincere desire to quit and willingness to do, on a personal level, whatever it takes.

Force doesn’t work. It will only exacerbate the problem by encouraging resentment and rebellion, and not addressing those factors that lead people to smoke or doing what needs to be done for them to quit. Ironic as it sounds, the government’s war on smoking may well be a stumbling block to serious anti-smoking efforts.

The message (lest there be any doubt) is sound: don’t smoke! If you don’t smoke now, don’t start. If you do, consider quitting. But this message can’t be forced on anyone. It cannot be the basis of a workable and effective top-down policy. It is remarkable that the best findings in scientific health promotion are very much in line with the conclusions of those who believe that decisions, transactions, and so on, within society should be voluntary and not coerced.

'R' rating for movies with characters smoking?

*crisp sarcasm oozing out of this post*

Knowing that nothing turns kids into pleasure seeking, nicotine craving, carcinogenic-sucking zombies more than seeing a film character light up, the good folks at the Centers for Disease Control are suggesting that film makers give an R rating to all films that depict tobacco imagery.

Fortunately kids don't find gunplay, martial arts, explosions, car chases, dirty jokes, and laying some length to a hot babe cool, or we would have quite a quandary on our hands. Then again, the CDC could be onto something.

A Man's Weakest Moment

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Seeing a man in his weakest moment is not a sight most of us would want to witness. It has been a typical Monday work-day, and I was taking my second smoke break of the day around 5 pm when a co-worker from another department joined me in the empty smoke room. He was wearing sneakers, dark blue denims and a striped shirt. He must be in his early 20s, with long hair and a beard – typical rockstar look. We shook frail hands and he asked me for a light. He sat down and lit his cigarette. I took my lighter back and secured it in my pocket.

Me: So how was the weekend?

Him: *silence*

A few seconds passed, so I said, “never mind,” and smiled at him warmly. He took a deep puff and shook his head. At this point I assumed he must be having one of those days, and decided it was best not to pay any attention to him. Just then, I heard a slight whimpering sound coming from his direction. I opened my eyes and raised my head to look at him.

I saw no tears, but I could tell he was crying or about to cry.

Crying, as I could tell by his voice and facial expressions, he wailed, “I b-broke my fast… be-because I needed to smoke so bad!”

Not sure what to say, I stayed silent. He stopped after a few long moments.

This person was addicted to nicotine – perhaps even more than I have ever been. And his faith required him to fast in the month of Ramadan, and he was trying – but he was weak, perhaps. Or maybe his nicotine urge was stronger than his will power. I can relate to him though. Working a 9am to 5pm shift and fasting from 4am to 7pm must be tough.

As I try to categorize, I ask myself, what is the problem here? What is the lesson? Addiction is bad? Nicotine is bad? Or faith is not faith unless it is strong enough to pass the qualification of being faithful? Or maybe it is lack of ‘knowing thyself’? He should be able to assess if he is fit to fast in order to make sure he doesn’t end up breaking it mid-way.

Whatever the case, I saw a man in his weakest moment today, and it was not pleasant.

I’ve been thinking that it has been a while since my last attempt, and I have made a promise to myself that I will quit smoking before my marriage, and marriage prospects loom in the air these days, so I decided I need to pick one of these days when I won’t smoke a single cigarette – the whole 24 hours. Let’s see if I can do it. I’ve been smoking way too much these days.

Smoking toddler in Indonesia cuts back to 15-a-day

JAKARTA: A chain-smoking Indonesian toddler has cut back to 15 cigarettes a day thanks to “therapy focused on playing”, a child welfare official said .

Two-year-old Ardi Rizal shocked the world when a video of him smoking a cigarette appeared on the Internet last month and drew attention to Indonesia’s failure to regulate the tobacco industry. Six months after his father gave him his first cigarette, the overweight boy from Sumatra island was smoking 40 a day and threw violent tantrums if his addiction was not satisfied.

Child welfare officials called in to try to wean the toddler off cigarettes said that when they played with him he did not smoke as much. “The boy has been able to reduce his cigarette intake significantly, very quickly, after the treatment,” National Commission for Child Protection chairman Seto Mulyadi said.

“The therapy focused on playing — we occupied him with toys so that he forgets cigarettes,” he said. Ardi developed his nicotine addiction while spending his days at a traditional market where both of his parents worked, Mulyadi said. Simple toys and someone to play with were enough to take his mind off cigarettes, at least for a while. The therapists also encouraged Ardi to associate cigarettes with bad things. “The boy likes singing songs so we tell him that if he continues smoking, he won’t be able to be a singer one day, and it works,” Mulyadi said.

Ardi’s case has highlighted the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing to women and children in developing countries like Indonesia, where regulations are weak and many people do not know that smoking is dangerous.

Cigarette consumption in the Southeast Asian archipelago of some 240 million people soared 47 percent in the 1990s, according to the World Health Organization. Indonesia’s biggest cigarette manufacturer, PT HM Sampoerna, is an affiliate of Philip Morris International.

Third-hand smoke? WTF.

We are exposed daily to a form of air pollution that causes twice as many deaths as all other types of air pollution put together. This is known as Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), which is actually the smoke from other people's cigarettes.

What is ETS?

Also referred to as second-hand smoke, about 85% to 90% of the smoke from every cigarette ends up in the air as ETS. A lighted cigarette produces two types of smoke that a non-smoker breathes in:

• Mainstream Smoke which is inhaled by the smoker through the filter tip of the cigarette, and then exhaled.
• Sidestream Smoke from the burning tip of the cigarette which goes straight into the air that we breathe.

ETS consists of around 85% sidestream smoke and 15% mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke has a higher temperature than mainstream smoke and does not pass through the cigarette's filter tip. The concentration of chemicals in sidestream smoke is thus higher than in mainstream smoke.

This does not mean that smoking is less dangerous. The smoker inhales far more smoke than the people around him because unlike ETS, mainstream smoke does not get mixed with the surrounding air before reaching his lungs.

Why is ETS dangerous?

Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 different chemicals, of which at least 400 are poisonous to man. The World Health Organization reports that at least sixty cancer-causing chemicals have been identified in secondhand smoke. Research on ETS has shown that living with, working with or just being around a smoker can harm your health. When you breathe in ETS, your health is affected adversely.

A person exposed to ETS is at risk of developing health conditions similar to those faced by the smoker, which include:

• eye, nose and throat irritations
• respiratory tract infections, with worsening of pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema
• heart disease and cancers.

Recent studies have estimated that non-smokers exposed to ETS at home or in their workplace have their risk of lung cancer raised about a quarter, while heavy exposure at work doubles the risk of lung cancer.

How are children affected by ETS?

There is evidence to suggest that babies and children are particularly susceptible to the health effects of ETS. When parents or other caregivers like grandparents smoke, their children suffer as well.

Some examples of the harmful effects on children include:

• more coughs and cold.
• higher chance of irritation of the eyes and nose
• reduced lung growth and function
• increased susceptibility to coughs, wheezing and asthma. Children who have never had asthma before are more likely to develop it if one of their parents smokes. Continued exposure to ETS can cause asthma attacks to be more severe and occur more often.
• higher risk of suffering ear and chest infections. Younger children who are especially sensitive to cigarette smoke are more likely to develop lung diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Children are more likely to miss school and are less likely to do well in studies as a result of falling sick more often.
• or infants - increased risk of sudden death.

Risks during pregnancy

According to the Surgeon General Report, women who smoke while they are pregnant or are exposed to ETS are more likely to suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth. Their babies may be born prematurely or have a lower than normal birth weight.

More likely to pick up smoking

Children whose parents smoke are also likely to pick up smoking, as seen in the Student Health Survey 20064 where 6 in 10 youth smokers have at least one parent who is also a smoker.

Third-hand smoke - additional danger after secondhand smoke

An additional danger remains even after a cigarette has been stubbed out. Third-hand smoke refers to cigarette residual particles that remain in the environment after a cigarette is extinguished. These particles linger on a smoker's hair, clothing, household fabrics such as carpets, curtains, rugs and surfaces like floors and windows. Young children and infants are especially susceptible to these toxins as they crawl on, play on, touch and inhale particles from these contaminated surfaces. This shows that the adverse impact of lighting a cigarette goes a long way.

Smoking has many harmful effects on health and ETS is one of them. Not lighting up a cigarette marks the beginning of a healthier lifestyle for you and your loved ones. Breathe in the fresh air by going smoke free today!

Barack Obama

New excuse: "But mommy, why can't I smoke if President Almighty Obama does? Can I just have one puff!"

An image gone up in smoke

by Paul Gilfeather 05:55 AM Mar 08, 2010

THE fact that United States President Barack Obama smokes genuinely bothers me.

This might surprise you when I tell you that I am myself a smoker.

Let me explain.

I know for many political and cultural giants of the past 100 years, smoking was very much part of the image.

Film actors James Dean and Marlon Brando, with cigarette draped casually from their lips, were the epitome of celluloid cool. And British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and revolutionary Che Guevara might have lacked charisma were it not for the omnipresent cigar.

But it is now 2010 and even children know that smoking makes people dead, not cool.

No one is more aware of the negative connotations surrounding smoking than the leader of the Free World.

He is, after all, President of a nation where one in every five people die from smoking-related illnesses and should know better.

The problem is that he is well and truly hooked, but - as a role model for millions - he would surely give up if he could.

The guilt and shame he feels over the dreaded weed is all too apparent. Just examine the lengths he will go to hide it from the public.

He has repeatedly attempted to pull-the-wool, mislead and deflect the public's gaze away from the subject since details of his 30-year habit emerged during the US presidential election.

In a recent interview he tried to create the impression that he had kicked cigarettes for good.

It was only when he was grilled more intensely did he admit that he was some way from nailing the habit.

He was caught red-handed again last week having a puff behind the bike sheds.

Okay, I accept, the fibs may not carry the same kind of implications were he playing fast and loose with the truth over the war in Afghanistan, his country's two-tier health-care system or policy on greenhouse gases.

But he's displaying some pretty dodgy behaviour over his problem, nonetheless.

Unfortunately, in trying to cover up his addiction, President Obama has displayed some of the character traits which make him appear, to me at least, a little untrustworthy.

For many it was a shock to learn that President Obama had not kicked the habit as he swore to do on taking the oath of office in 2009.

His wife, Michelle, revealed in an interview that she made his move towards a healthier lifestyle a pre-condition of her supporting his run for the White House.

In demonstrating how seriously he views his problem, President Obama, whose White House physician has expressed concern over the nicotine addiction during an annual medical checkup, has elevated the problem to that facing an alcoholic or drug addict.

He describes his addiction as a "struggle" similar to the one that challenges "members of Alcoholics Anonymous".

I actually knew a smoker who freed himself from a 25-year cigarette habit after joining an AA group and successfully employing a 12-step programme.

It made perfect sense since "the steps" have been used by more than 1 million alcoholics and drug addicts to beat their addictions, and can pretty much be applied to any condition.

I also had a friend who, in order to give up the cancer sticks, stopped boozing altogether, because he would only light up after sinking a couple of pints. As long as he stayed out of the pub he could trust himself not to smoke.

As a smoker, I sympathise with President Obama's plight.

I just wish President Obama would show some mettle and grow up about dealing with his problem.

Ditch the nicotine gum and patches and take some real affirmative action like those people I mentioned earlier - or carry on with your habit unabashed.

I find the duplicity over it a little troubling, and the pouring of emotion when he is busted a little less than manly.

Dilly-the-dally, My cigarelly

So I quit successfully for another two months in Singapore and started smoking again in Sri Lanka while I was staying there en route to Pakistan. And it has been three months or so since I've been an avid smoker, postponing quitting again.

Excuses? I was weak. Cigarettes are so cheap in Pakistan. I will quit soon. Etcetera.

Right now I say I will stop once I begin my post-graduation job. After all, it's easier to burn my mother's money than my own. Or wait, is it easier to burn my own money? I can't decide.

Bleagh.

My ultimate deadline to quit remains the same though: the day I get married.