Why Smoke when Lung Cancer is a leading cause of death?

[Michaelangelica]

STATISTICS ON SMOKING

 

From: Australian Council on Smoking and Health 334 Rokeby Rd., Subiaco, 6008.

 

Each year more than 18,000 Australians die prematurely because of smoking - that's 50 a day.

 

Smoking kills more people in Australia than the total number killed by drink, drugs, murder, suicide, road crashes, rail crashes, air crashes, poisoning, drowning, fires, falls, lightning, electrocution, snakes, spiders and sharks.

 

Of 1,000 young Australian males who smoke, 1 will be murdered, 15 will be killed on the road and 250 will be killed before their time by tobacco.

 

In Australia in 1986, the following body organs were removed from humans because of cancer caused by smoking:

 

521 lungs

 

148 gullets

 

71 tongues

 

221 voice boxes

 

82 stomachs

 

40 pancreases

 

68 wombs

 

85 bladders 115 kidneys and 161 miscellaneous body parts.

 

Tobacco is an addictive substance. Smokers who use other drugs such as heroin, methadone, amphetamines and barbiturates rate tobacco as their most addictive drug.

 

In Australia approximately 30% of men and 27% of women are regular smokers.

 

Australia has approximately 5.3 million smokers: they smoke on average 18 cigarettes per day or a total of 34, 821 million cigarettes each year.

 

In Australia, in the 1940s and 1950s, nearly three quarters (72%) of men were smokers.

 

The proportion of Australian males who smoke fell from 40% in 1980 to 30% in 1989. The number of female smokers fell from 31% to 27% over the same period.

 

Smokers who start smoking when young are less likely to quit than those who begin when older.

 

In Australia 2.9 million people have already succeeded in quitting..

 

In the age bracket 20 - 24, 41% of men and 38% of women smoke regularly.

 

By the age of 15 a quarter of boys (25%) and over a quarter of girls ((28%) are regular smokers.

 

Surveys have established that up to 80% of smokers would like to stop smoking.

 

A quarter of smokers believe that smoking is not harmful.

 

A recent survey showed only 5% of respondents would be in favour of unrestricted smoking in restaurants.

 

Australian school children spend more than $30 million a year - $82,000 each day - on cigarettes.

 

In Australia $6,763 billion or 47% of the total economic cost of drug abuse is attributable to tobacco. This includes:

 

$609.6 million in direct health care costs

 

$6,028.3 million in indirect mortality costs

 

The tobacco industry spends upward of $70 million on cigarette advertising and promotion each year. Much of this advertising appears to be directed at recruiting children to smoke.

 

Around 140 Australians die each year from lung cancer caused by breathing other people's smoke.

 

Eight out of ten people favour some restrictions on smoking at work. Even smokers favour some restrictions: 67% of smokers favour some restrictions and 5% favour a total ban.

Fact Sheet - Smoking Statistics

 

Australians smoking less but still drinking

 

The decline in smoking rates over the past three decades means Australia now has one of the lowest smoking rates among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries according to a new report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

 

Mark Cooper-Stanbury, Head of the Institute's Population Health Unit, said that with smoking rates just over 17%, Australia ranked fourth lowest behind the United States, Sweden and Canada.

Media release: Australians smoking less but still drinking (12 April 2007) (AIHW)

 

Statistics on drug use in Australia 2006 (AIHW)

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Defintelydisturbed, how can you roll your own cigarettes in the morning while hitting the snooze button?

 

It's quite simple I roll all three and one half packs while I watch my shows before I go to bed.:steering:

 

D.d.-(12 posts back) Hit the snooze button, groan moan mumble profanities, grab lighter and ciggie placed on the nightstand the night before, click flick puff (hit the snooze again) puff.

[Michaelangelica]

In Australia you get to buy the cigarette packet with a graphic picture of the disease of your choice gangrene and a whole host of things other than Lung Cancer.

 

This is one you don't want to get because, when you do you get a big, ugly looking one, you end up with a sternum to crotch scar and a few nasty weeks in hospital. With luck no chemotherapy.

Smoking Can Double Risk Of Colorectal Polyps

 

ScienceDaily (Feb. 2, 2008) — Smokers have a two-fold increased risk of developing colorectal polyps, the suspected underlying cause of most colorectal cancers (CRC), according to a new study.

 

The results from this meta-analysis showed pooled risk estimates of 2.14 for current versus never smokers, 1.82 for ever versus never smokers and 1.47 for former versus never smokers. Ever smokers had a 13 percent increasing risk of polyps for every additional 10 pack-years

Smoking Can Double Risk Of Colorectal Polyps

[InfiniteNow]

In Australia you get to buy the cigareete packet with agraphic picture of the disese of your choice gangreen and awhole host of things other than Lung Cancer.

 

Ewww... I just found this (it's nasty):

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Cigarettes_health_warning_australia.jpg/679px-Cigarettes_health_warning_australia.jpg

Cigarette packs in Australia with graphic health warnings

[Michaelangelica]

Ewww... I just found this (it's nasty):

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Cigarettes_health_warning_australia.jpg/679px-Cigarettes_health_warning_australia.jpg

 

Yes the girl with the mouth cancer does an add on TV, amazing she can speak though that. Still people smoke on. Now it is banned in most public places clubs, poker-machine areas, hotels, offices, shopping centres.

 

 

I have met someone who gave up cigarettes using nicotine gum

He is now addicted to that. His Doc. is happy, says it may be good for him. Anyone know the medicinal properties of nicotine without smoke?

 

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Ya know...If they had had images like that on american smokes and billboards when I started I likely would not have started...or at least would have been a great deal less likely to have started....eeeeew!

 

Almost makes me want to quit....almost....I'm still not able to face me without smokes...nor am I ready to put my family through the misery I know that I'll inflict on them until I'm free...The last two times I tried to quit I was so ill and ill tempered that my ex. begged me to go back to smoking. (them fkn patches suck, so does the gum)

[InfiniteNow]

Almost makes me want to quit....almost....I'm still not able to face me without smokes...nor am I ready to put my family through the misery I know that I'll inflict on them until I'm free...The last two times I tried to quit I was so ill and ill tempered that my ex. begged me to go back to smoking. (them fkn patches suck, so does the gum)

 

Sounds like you've gotten really good at making excuses and rationalizing the conscious continuance and feeding of your addiction. :hihi:

[sanctus]

Isn't this also addiction? I mean finding excuses not to quit? I do it all the time, I always say after I have done this or finished that etc...

[Michaelangelica]

I was a heavy smoker

I found the only way was "cold turkey"

But you need lots of motivation.

In my case my kids.

 

I could still take up smoking tomorrow.

I have almost been "clean" for 26 years now except for a few stressful months.

 

I used to get severe bronchitis ever winter.

Mostly now I don't even get a cold.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Sounds like you've gotten really good at making excuses and rationalizing the conscious continuance and feeding of your addiction. :lol:

No. I don't need to convince myself into continuing smoking...my body is quite capable of convincing me not to quit.

 

 

So how long have you smoked? Have you quit? How?

[InfiniteNow]

No. I don't need to convince myself into continuing smoking...my body is quite capable of convincing me not to quit.

I understand why counselors are so annoying, and I was taking the tone of a therapist, but it's funny you just did it again... rationalized/justified the addiction. :lol:

 

Please know, I'm not just trying to be a jerk or tell you what to do, and you're an adult who is more than capable of making your own decisions. I won't push you hard, and I'll probably stop replying altogether after this, but (at the very least) you need to stop making excuses and be authentic with yourself.

 

 

So how long have you smoked? Have you quit? How?

 

Well, this wasn't about me. It was about me trying to help you. Regardless, that's a fair question. It's not really relevant to your situation, nor the situation of others, but I'll answer it.

 

When I was in 4th grade, my best friend and neighbor and I would take cigarette butts out of his moms car ashtray and smoke them. We thought we were really cool. We weren't really smoking, just putting it in our mouths and exhaling. This was when I lived in Connecticut for a few years (I moved around a lot... not military, just a mom who got married several times). The smoking thing was just us being kids, and I never really got addicted... not by a long shot.

 

Then, I moved in with my dad in New York and started going to school there. This was 5th grade. I didn't have many friends there since I had just moved, but I did have one friend, Chris, who I'd hang out with all of the time. We'd play games and ride bikes and wrestle and all kinds of young guy stuff. Hanging out at his house one day, he went into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pulled out a pack of Kools (mentol) and pulled two full cigarettes out.

 

Now... this was pretty impressive to me, as previous to this I'd only smoked dirty cigarette butts all covered in ash. The one's Chris pulled out were clean, brand new, pristine and white, and had never been lit (they didn't even have lipstick on the filters!) So, we went out on his porch and he handed one to me and we lit them... and smoked the whole thing. My first few drags I coughed a bit, but then I just remember the head rush. It was pretty cool.

 

I started getting introduced to more people at school, now about 6th grade, and many of us would go hide and smoke outside the school building. It was really just social for me... not so much "peer pressure," more of an invitation to have more friends who did things I did. By 7th grade I was smoking pretty regularly. There were 2 gas stations in town that would sell to us (this was pretty well before the whole "We ID" crackdown that happened), and we'd go there and buy a pack, and one would last me about week. In 8th grade I got busted smoking in the men's room, which I did pretty much all of the time, but they suspended me and they called my dad. That sucked, and I totally lied to him and told him that I "was just trying it."

 

By 9th grade, I was going through a pack every 2 days, and I didn't have a job, so didn't have money, and a few times I took money out of my dad's wallet to pay for my cigarettes because I couldn't really go without them. I cannot tell you how bad I feel about that today, and just how much I wish I could tell him and apologize. I was just a kid, but I definitely knew better and did it anyway.

 

I smoked through high school, and knew of several people who could buy cigarettes for me. I moved to Texas sophomore year, so it was another time where I had to make new friends and find new social groups, and smoking helped with that. I smoked at work (when done unloading the trucks on the dock or stocking shelves or whatever), I smoked at friends, and I was easily smoking a pack a day. I went to college and trend continued. I used to sell a little weed and I'd always buy a carton of cigarettes and keep them in the freezer of my dorm room, so I'd never run out.

 

I tried to quit a lot. I was always coughing, I couldn't go very far without having one... and I'd quit for like a week and then reward myself by having "just one." Hahaha... just one. That's all it took to remind of that head rush I felt smoking the Kool at Chris' house in 5th grade. I quit one time for like 9 months, and then was at a keg party talking to a really hot girl who was smoking and I asked her for one. I had a great night with her, smoked several more, and after we woke up in the morning I had another one with her on my patio. Back to smoking... again.

 

When I got out of college, I started working at the American Cancer Society on... get this... a quit smoking program. :lol: It was against company policy to smoke, so I hid it. I got myself so I didn't have to smoke before work, but then by the time the day was done, I had barely driven out of the parking lot by the time I was lighting up. Ahhhhhhh........ Talk about relief! I only had a 20 minute drive home and I'd usually finished 3 cigarettes before arriving.

 

Then, one day I started paying more attention to the program I was working on. I was listening to the things our counselors said on the phone to our clients, and the tricks and tips that were in our self-help books. I was ready to quit. Smoking had such a hold on me, and I don't like being out of control. That's an issue of mine... control... and cigarettes didn't allow it. Well, I finally quit. I was serious about it, and it was ****ing hard.

 

I can't tell you how badly I craved a cigarette, but I'd made a promise to myself and I'm a man of my word. Each time I craved a smoke I'd get down and do 50 pushups. If I was not somewhere where I could do pushups, I'd go to the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face and breath deeply to relax myself for 2 or 3 minutes. I'd get a drink of water and sip it as slowly as I could. Basically, I just did SOMETHING to kill time until the craving would pass... but yeah, I did A LOT of pushups.

 

Then, finally, one day I stopped counting how many days it had been since my last one. Finally, one day, I could focus on other things and didn't have to work so hard to avoid the cravings. Then, finally, a few YEARS later, I started seeing myself as a "non-smoker" instead of an "ex-smoker."

 

I got really drunk one night a few years ago and asked my friend for one. I lit it up, and I remembered smoking my friends mom's cigarette butts from the car ashtray when I was in 4th grade. It just tasted gross, and I put it out. That's the last time I had one.

 

I still smoke a good cigar (~$8-10 sticks) about once a month, or at a poker game, but that's the extent of it.

 

I'm a non-smoker, and I recognize excuses quickly because I used to make them myself all of the time. Good luck, friend. :P

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

I still smoke a good cigar (~$8-10 sticks) about once a month, or at a poker game, but that's the extent of it.

Not quite a non-smoker yet.

 

Why do pipe smokers and cigar smokers fail to recognise that the smoke they are sucking in to their mouths and savoring is still smoke more specificly tobacco smoke? It's still finding it's way into your lungs still putting you and those around you at the same risk as my ciggies put me and those around me at risk.

 

That said I'm impressed that you made it that far...especially as I can very clearly remember how $#itty I felt the last times I tried to quit.

 

Also

Well, this wasn't about me. It was about me trying to help you. Regardless, that's a fair question. It's not really relevant to your situation, nor the situation of others, but I'll answer it.

I'd say it's just as relevent as any other post in this thread. Especially as it gives me an idea of your understanding of just how awful and difficult an experience quitting can be. Ironicly I had an easier time learning to control my alcaholism (I used to be quite the drunkard, now I can stop at one or choose not to drink at all. ) and quiting more ellicet substances (Only took 5 years and a really great wife) than I'm having escaping tobacco!

 

Do you live with a smoker now? Work with them? Just currious as this always seems to be the toughest hurdel after the withdrawal symptoms ease up.

[InfiniteNow]

All of the hurdles are tough, but the only true hurdle is yourself. It's about recognizing and reinforcing the fact that you are eternally able to overcome them... scratch that... to COMPLETELY ****ING CRUSH THEM... any time you choose to do so.

 

 

Life is one big hurdle. You can stand in front of it crying, or you can be a man and jump over it. There's a pretty clear difference between difficult and impossible. It's up to you to determine where that difference is. :lol:

[REASON]

Thanks for sharing your story InfiniteNow. :lol:

 

It was an amazing read for me because there were so many parallels to my youth.....smoking butts with a friend, first real cigarette was a menthol, sneaking around, increasing frequency, stealing money, etc. I also spent a lot of time early on harrassing my older sister about smoking. I was really mean to her about it.

 

I later came to realize that I was actually trying to mask my intrigue by appearing overly exaggerated in my hatred of it. I became a pretty good predictor of which kids were likely to become smokers by how adamantly opposed to it they appeared to be. Actually, you can apply that to a lot of issues, like people who are overly exaggerated in their hatred of gays. I'm always suspicious of what they're trying to hide.

 

Anyway, I appreciate the insight. It's another reminder for me that I can overcome this ridiculous habit.

 

My precious consciousness depends on the strength of my body to be sustained.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

All of the hurdles are tough, but the only true hurdle is yourself. It's about recognizing and reinforcing the fact that you are eternally able to overcome them... scratch that... to COMPLETELY ****ING CRUSH THEM... any time you choose to do so.

Quite inspiring! I like it.

[Michaelangelica]

no comment

 

A website to help you stop

quitnow - Welcome to the Quitnow Website

 

Explaining smoking to kids

Kids' Health - Topics - Smoking

 

Smoking

 

Smoking is the single greatest cause of death and disease in Australia. According to the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey [Australian Institute of Health and Welfare] tobacco use caused 19,000 deaths and 142,500 hospital episodes were attributed to tobacco smoking.

Not bad for 21 million people, most of whom don't smoke.

 

Smoking

[sanctus]

I have two more excuses available (an article getting published and finding a PhD) and they will be my last excuses and then I will try, I let you know when it begins. As infinite said I have to believe in myself and be sure to be able to quit; what might help is that when I cut my hair I quit and when I quit I cut my hair...

 

I was actually smoking weed in 6th 7th grade just to be cool, but I got over it. For years I didn't smoke at all and then I started (when I was about 20) allowing me to smoke when I was drunk (and it wasn't permitted to drink in order to be able to smoke!); this worked fine for 3-4 years. Then I thought I can also smoke when I'm under exams and preparing for them, right away I made also a new rule: that there can be no other rule! But it was already too late one rule you can respect it more than 1 you (at least I) can't...

So it is so stupid I already started smoking with excuses even when I wasn't yet addicted!

 

I remember 3 years ago when this was happening and I told it my girlfriend (she used to smoke a pack a day over 8 years ago) and she told me to quit right away, now it is still easy! I remeber me answering "I can quit when I want to..." she said this isn't the case.

 

You don't know how many times I already thought "if I only had listened to her".