How To Deal With A Parent Who Smokes

When people talk about the effects of second or third hand smoke, they only really discuss the physical harm. However, along with the damage that can be made to someone’s body, there is emotional damage that can be made as well. My parents have been smoking for most of their adult lives. The confusion that a child of a smoker like myself faces is, in my opinion, almost equally as damaging as the effects it has on my physical health. Why is it that they don’t care about my health? Why won’t they quit if they know that their habits are affecting me negatively? As someone in this position, I find it hard to understand my parents’ lack of compassion. I have tried all 19 years of my life to make them quit as I find it a not-so-great habit. There are many ways one can go about getting their parents to quit, many of which I have tried. Here is a list of ways that I myself have tried, the things that have gone wrong with them, and how to deal with it when it doesn’t go in your favour. 

Guilt

This is a manipulation tactic that is one of the most common ways to try and get anyone close to you to quit smoking. I have said many different things to try and guilt them out of it over the years, by expecting that the way that I feel would overpower their addiction. However, what I needed to realize and what many others need to realize is that smoking is an addiction and like any addiction, it overpowers everything else in their mind. It is a device that is able to control them in every way. You need to remember that this does not mean that they care any less about you. If you try guilting them and it works for you, great, but if you try and you fail, don’t think any less of how much they love or care about you. The two don’t have anything to do with each other.

Their Personal Health

This may be considered a form of guilt, but I consider it to be in a different category in terms of the effect it has on you. Everyone knows smoking kills. Research shows that smoking leads to cancer, can provide complications with breathing and with a person’s lungs, and decreases the life expectancy .Many insurance companies even adjust your policy on life insurance when they become aware of your smoking habits. One thing to remember when using this is that your parents and loved ones aren’t stupid. A lot of the facts that you may be spewing to them are things that they are probably aware of too. However, it is important to outline their health to them - especially if they are getting older. Although it may not be completely successful, they may come to a revelation.

Bribery

This may sound dumb but when I was young, I was a little bit naïve. I essentially tried to condition my parents without even knowing what the concept of conditioning was. I told my parents one day that if they cut back on the amount of cigarettes they smoked each week, I would do extra chores/give a bit back in my allowance. However, what I did not realize at the time (once again very young and naïve) is that whatever my parents wrote on a tally table was not necessarily how much they smoked. When I thought that my parents had almost completely quit smoking, they were actually smoking just as much, if not more than they had before because of the stress they felt from hiding it from me. When I eventually found out, I was incredibly disappointed and once again felt insecure about how much my parents cared about me. It is important to make sure that your parents aren’t forced to lie to you because let’s face it, who likes being lied to? If your parents are legitimately honest with you in a situation like this, then maybe this tactic will work for you but just make sure you don’t get disappointed if it doesn’t. Your parents are just trying to make you happy. 

Throwing Books/Nicotine Patches/Nicotine Gum At Them

The book above is one that my mother, who normally reads about 3 books a week minimum, has been pretending to read for the last year and a half. My brother had heard that it worked for a few people that he knew who smoked and he wanted to try it out. Clearly, it didn’t work. The thing about quitting smoking is that if someone doesn’t have the motivation, they will not quit. If you just throw books or gum at them and say here this is the way that you will quit, you cannot guarantee that they will want to. Most likely they will not want to. In my opinion this isn’t really a good way to make them quit, and can only really work if a person has expressed the desire to stop smoking.

Encouragement/Support

A lot of people want to stop smoking and know the risks but they just can’t do it alone. There is a difference between yelling things at them to stop and being supportive. I have of course done both of these things as I can throw quite the temper tantrum when I want to. Yelling obviously did not make it better; actually, it just kind of made my throat hurt. But over time, and I am still working on this, I have made my parents realize how important it is that they quit and also made them realize that I am here every step of the way.

Before I end this blog, I kind of need to clarify some things just in case one of my parents happens to read this. I love my parents and I think that they did an incredible job raising me. This is their flaw. So if you are reading this and you are someone who smokes and has a child, know that this is not his or her only opinion of you. I am still fighting my battle to make my parents quit and you may still be fighting yours as well. This is all a little hard to understand. It has taken me years to grasp the concept and some days, I still don’t even get it. One thing you always have to remember is that none of this is a reflection of how much this person or these people love you. You just have to keep “fighting the great fight”.

References:

http://www.pophealthmetrics.com/content/4/1/14

http://www.amazon.ca/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0973468408

http://www.14legs.net/2011/05/smoking-farting.html

http://www.lifeinsurancecanada.com/life-insurance-for-smokers

Smoking Bans: Why They Aren’t Personal Attacks on Smokers

Smoking bans have become increasingly strict and extensive in recent years. It has even been proposed that the freedom to smoke in public will be eradicated in the not–too-distant future.  This has led to concern amongst smokers that these bans are personal attacks against them, with the intentions of strengthening the divide between smokers and non-smokers.  On the other hand, there has been significantly less emphasis directed towards the positive motives of the introduction of smoking bans, many of which are worth revisiting, including addressing the risks of second-hand and third-hand smoke. 

So just how harmful is involuntary smoke exposure, also known as secondhand-smoke? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Institute of Medicine to investigate the relationships between second-hand smoke and cardiovascular disease as well as the relationship between smoking bans and heart attacks. To call the results eye-opening would be an understatement:

·      Study results consistently indicate that exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 25% - 30% (Institute of Medicine, 2009)

·      All of the publications show a decrease in the rate of heart attacks after a smoking ban was implemented, ranging from 6% to 47% depending on the study (Institute of Medicine, 2009) 

Third-hand smoke is the residue from second-hand smoke absorbed by interior surfaces such as floors, walls, furniture, and clothing.  Residents that combine with reactants in the air can produce dangerous products. Hugo Destaillats, a chemist at Berkeley Laboratory demonstrated that residual nicotine can react nitrous acid to form tobacco-specific nitrosamines or TSNAs, which are among the most potent cancer causing agents present in unburned tobacco and tobacco smoke. 

Gas appliances, which are widely prevalent in homes, are the main source of nitrous acid.  Also, smoking outdoors or opening windows when smoking in the car does not address the dangers of third-hand smoke, as the smoke residues sticks strongly to clothing and countless surfaces found in homes and cars (engines in cars emit nitrous acid, and some enters the cabin).  There are even indications that third-hand smoke poses the greatest risk to infants and toddlers.

Put aside the anti-smoking ideology for a moment, and imagine that no one is against the act of smoking.  What about non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke resulting in significantly increased risks of cardiovascular disease? What about the infants and toddlers being exposed to third-hand smoke and TSNAs? They are some of the reasons why smoking bans should be depicted as harm-reduction measures rather than personal attacks on smokers.

References:

Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence (2009).  Washington: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. Retrieved from  http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2009/Secondhand-Smoke-Exposure-and-Cardiovascular-Effects-Making-Sense-of-the-Evidence/Secondhand%20Smoke%20%20Report%20Brief%203.pdf

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35318118/ns/health-addictions/t/third-hand-smoke-danger-babies-toddlers/

What Is It Like To Be A Smoker?

One of the main reasons why people start smoking is because they were curious as to what it feels like. So, for those of us who wondered about this as non-smokers, I will walk you through smoking from the perspective of a smoker so you can feel what they feel. How about through a diary?
______________________________________________________________________________
 
Ok, so, I smoke. My non-smoking parents have asked me why, and I have only been able to tell them that it feels pretty good. Of course, the whole jest of this smoking business goes a little deeper than that, but I never have the patience to explain. They just keep nagging me about how it affects my heath, etc. Seriously, I know that. My smoking buddies know that too; it’s printed on the pack and drilled to us as kids.

I’m 19, a student at Waterloo where my 2nd year academic term has definitely gotten to me. You know that stress from all your assignments, midterms, and job seeking on job-mine as a co-op student? Oh, and of course your friends, those BFs, GFs, and those noisy as hell roommates too? Yeah, the typical university stress dose: academics combined with hormones. It’s a two-pronged attack against me. I keep myself together by smoking.
 
Taking a cigarette for me is like a moment of pleasure. I’ve used cigarettes to procrastinate many MANY times. Simply by saying “Hey, I need to take a smoke” pretty much guarantees me a little break, during which, I have met many interesting people. When one person is smoking, I can casually approach them and start a conversation. This happens to me too; others who are looking for a smoke break would approach me as well. It is funny that this is the place where I remember those funny stories that this one guy Greg have told me. This was also where I’ve really got to know him, my first boyfriend. He’s a sweet person that I’ve gotten to know through the many cigarette breaks that I take between classes. We both know the health problems with smoking, and frankly, it's not a big deal.
 
You see, I value each pack and each cigarette with a pretty strong sentimental value. They bring me to other students, almost like a beacon. Wham! Social life comes easy to me in university. Having friends around is a great stress reliever… not to mention being able to finish homework faster as a productive group too! Can you imagine what an almost empty pack would feel like?! Deprived!
 
Speaking of homework, I’ve found that cigarettes help me concentrate… but not really when I go through my packs too fast. So, when I take my typical doses, cigarettes help me concentrate by acting like a smokescreen (literally!) that blocks outside distractions. Sometimes I would smoke one just so I could ignore Greg (haha sorry if you are reading this!). 
 
Greg is a very calm person, and I actually have some difficulty understanding how he feels at certain times. However, I can always tell his mood from how he smokes. Like that one time he was trying to be a bold “badass” for me in public by holding his cigarette with a forefinger and thumb with the end lighting up the palm of his hand. He was confident and I horridly embarrassed. I wouldn’t have been embarrassed if he was a little more buff.
 
I’ve got many more random smoking stories, but I have to admit that I’ve tried to quit before. Even Greg, and every other smoking friends of mine that I’ve asked said the same thing. If not, they’ve at least tried to reduce on it. Not all of us are successful, because not all of us want to really lose the benefits in smoking; it’s fun and brings us together. But then again, this fun is harmful to me and to those unfortunate folks who happened to have to walked by. It brings us together, but together almost a segregated group. When we smoke, only the smokers hangout with us. But there’s a deal-breaker.
 
Financial burden. I’d prefer to do this without that massive cash sink. I want to graduate without debt, and being addicted to cigarettes isn’t really helping. I will try to quit again another day, and I’ve found help here at Waterloo. Maybe I can find another way to deal with the stresses?

Pot Smoking Isn't Harmful... Right?

Pot Smoking Isn't Harmful... Right?

Smoking marijuana, also referred to as smoking pot or weed, is quite common among the youth population. In Canada,  the rates for the prevalence of pot smoking for youth aged 15-24 were three times higher than their over-25 counterparts: 21.6 % vs. 6.7% in 2011. Many individuals being to start smoking because they believe that everyone else also is. Popular culture heavily promotes it and most importantly, there is a really low perception of harm. Common responses from pot smokers include: 

"Marijuana doesn't have any nicotine in it. I won't get addicted." 

"Weed comes from a plant. It's all natural which means that it won't affect my health."

"Smoking weed is safer than drinking alcohol or smoking tobacco. " 

So What is Marijuana?

Marijuana is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant that is green, brown, or gray. It contains the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabino (THC), which is the main mind-altering ingredient that causes it to be strong. Altogether, marijuana contains about 400 chemicals that can affect health. 

How Do You Use It?

The most common method of ingesting marijuana is to smoke loose marijuana rolled into a cigarette, that is commonly referred to as a "joint". It can be smoked through a water pipe called a bong or as a "blunt", which is a cigar that has been hollowed out and filled with marijuana. It can also be mixed into food (e.g, weed brownies) or can be brewed as tea. 

Why Do People Smoke It?

Once it is inhaled, the THC triggers brain cells to release the chemical dopamine, which creates good feelings for a short time and a person feels "high". Some people smoke to relieve stress, anxiety, fear, pain, or anger and it is also used medically to alleviate symptoms for some diseases.  

Is It Safe?

The largest misconception of smoking marijuana is that it is harmless to health. Under the influence of it, marijuana affects memory, judgement and perception. It can cause you to do things you might not do when you're thinking straight, such as engaging in risky sexual behaviour. THC interferes with learning and can lead to problems studying, learning new things, and recalling recent effects. Research is still being conducted to determine if these effects persist. A new study has just emerged that demonstrates that teenage pot smoking is tied to IQ loss. Before the age of 18, the brain is still being organized and is vulnerable to damage from drugs. In this study, it was found that persistent marijuana use by age 18 affected everyday cognitive functioning and problems in memory and attention. 

 Marijuana use also increases heart rate. Within a few minutes after inhalation, the heart beats more rapidly, the bronchial passages become enlarged and the blood vessels in the eyes expand, making them appear red. Additionally, marijuana used in combination with other drugs can result in greater adverse health effects. 

Although it may seem harmless, smoking pot has adverse side effects, just as smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol do. These risk factors should be take into consideration when youth are starting to think about smoking pot. 

References:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/27/marijuana-teen-brain.html

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_mj1.php 

Too Late To Quit?

Too Late to Quit?

The general health consequences of smoking, especially in the long-term, are widely known by both smokers and non-smokers.  As a result, it is not uncommon for people to believe in the  “I have smoked for years, so I might as well just keep on smoking” ideology.  These individuals believe that the years they have already spent smoking will inevitably cause damage to their health so there is no point in them quitting. 

This ideology does wonders to discourage people from quitting smoking.  If people will inevitably suffer cancer and respiratory illnesses, whether or not they quit smoking, what incentive is there to quit? In fact, there is a disincentive to quit, as this ideology suggests that even if someone forgoes smoking and its benefits (stress reduction, improved concentration, facilitation of social interaction with other smokers, and more), the end result will be the same. If this ideology were accurate, the only plausible path to follow would be the one with pros and cons (continuing to smoke), rather than the path that appears to solely be paved with cons (quitting smoking).

Thankfully, the “too late to quit” ideology is simply nothing more than a common misconception.  There are numerous health benefits that occur just briefly following smoking cessation, whether a person has been smoking for one year or ten years. 

 

While the short-term benefits of smoking cessation never fail to amaze, it is important to not forget the long-term benefits of smoking cessation that exist for even chronic smokers, particularly the great reduction in one’s risk of various cancers, coronary heart disease, and chronic respiratory illnesses.

At the end of the day, there remains just one take-home message: “It is never too late to quit.”

References

Hing Lam, T. (2012). Absolute Risk of Tobacco Deaths: One in Two Smokers Will Be Killed by Smoking. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 172(11), 845-846. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1927.

LTPB PowerPoint 2 (Slide 25)

 The Beauty of an Ugly Addiction

Frieke Janssens, a young Belgian born photographer brings a creative touch to the art of photography. Nurturing her passion which started from the young age of 15, she works on images of lifestyle and individuals in society while trying her best to avoid clichés. She works with an eye for detail, humour and surrealism.

2 year-old Ardi Rizal is photographed smoking a cigarette.

One of her most controversial and talked about pieces is “Smoking Kids”.  

The inspiration and idea for this project came from a viral video on YouTube featuring an Indonesian toddler who started smoking at the tender age of 18 months, and reported smoking a staggering amount of two packs a day. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c_wI6kQyE) 

Janssens states that 'the video highlighted the cultural differences between the east and west, and questioned notions of smoking being a mainly adult activity’. Adult smokers are the societal norm, so her intent was to point the viewers to the issue of smoking itself, and not the smoker.  

She carefully chose children for her portraits dressed in traditional 1920’s wear, as Victorian missionaries and British schoolmistresses. Using a dull background and surrounded by a haze of smoke, they were photographed performing the rituals of a smoker - forcing out smoke through the nose, lighting one cigarette with another, or mouthing smoke rings.

As beautiful as these children are, the expressions on their faces are sad and sickly. She has made beautiful, innocent, and pure children portray a sad and unhealthy look. Although they represent the faces of innocence and beauty, some people may find the cigarettes lingering between their fingers or pipes hovering between their lip deeply disturbing.

The photographer did not use real cigarettes during the shoot. Instead, she relied on sticks of chalk or cheese for props, and used candles and incense to create the smoke.

On her website, she states: 'I felt that seeing children smoke would have a surreal impact on the viewer and compel them to truly see the acts of smoking rather than making assumptions about the person doing it.'

In regards to the styling of the photographs, she explains: 'the culture around smoking has a retro feel. It’s like a throw back to the ‘Mad Men’ era when smoking on a plane or in a restaurant was not unusual.'

She added: 'there is a nod to less attractive aspects, on the line between the beauty and ugliness of smoking.

She intended to show that the addiction, while often unattractive, can also be the opposite, and can appear regal or sophisticated.

The unsettling photographs have the capacity to warn against the unhealthy habit as well as warning smokers against lighting up in front of their children.

A critic familiar with the artist states: 'by portraying adults as children all the attention went to the smoking. An adult would draw to much attention to the portrayed person. Thus these portraits evoke question such as: is the smoking ban the right way to get rid of an absurd addiction and are smokers treated like little kids who can’t make the difference between good and bad?'

By:  Hina Parmar, Campus Program Coordinator

How to encourage a friend to quit – without being a nag about it! 

Helping a friend to quit smoking is one of the best things that you can do for them. It is crucial to support smokers and not to criticize them as they try to become smoke-free. 

When it comes down to it, it is up to the smoker to quit smoking. However, through the provision of support and consideration you can assist a friend as they work towards quitting. How can help you help? For starters, the best thing to do requires listening to and encouraging your friend. It is very difficult to quit smoking so be sure to let your friend know that you understand that.  Remember that smoking causes addiction and that most people who begin to quit smoking will experience physical withdrawal symptoms that can last from 48 hours to up to four weeks! Be extra supportive for your friend during this time and remind them that these symptoms are only temporary and will eventually pass.


Other things that can be done include encouraging your friend to choose a health activity such as jogging. And hey, why not do it with them! (Check out http://www.quitrunchill.org/ for more details regarding a program that can help you with this!)


A good thing to do is the avoid places that allow smoking. This helps your friend to resist the urge to smoke! Though if your friend does slip and starts smoking again, be sure to continuously encourage them! You can remind them that most people who stay smoke free have tried numerous times until they were completely successful. You can look at what got your friend to start smoking again and work towards avoiding it. Then make sure to celebrate your friend’s success when they become smoke-free! You can even send your friend an e-card to inspire them to quit smoking!  


Check it out: http://www.lung.ca/involved-impliquez/ecards-cartes/quitting-ecraser_e.php 


Reference: http://www.lung.ca/protect-protegez/tobacco-tabagisme/quitting-cesser/friend-ami_e.php






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10 Myths that Undermine Tobacco Control 

In the United States and Canada smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Even though the health risks are documented and outlined, there are still many myths that encourage people to start or continue smoking.  These myths are caused by a misunderstanding of what seems to be common sense and a deliberate influence from the tobacco industry that mainly targets children to start smoking and keep them smoking into adulthood.

Comprehensive tobacco control programs which include anti–smoking public education can help prevent the undermine of the tobacco company but yet smoking is still prominent in today society and is growing in developing countries and among women.  To keep these individuals smoking many myths are believed to be true by many smokers, physicians and policy makers.

Myth 1: People have a free choice whether or not to smoke

We like to believe that we are all capable of making our own decisions.  However in 2002 the tobacco industry has spent $12.5 billion on advertising cigarettes in the United States which is roughly 18 times the amount that is spent on tobacco prevention.  These advertisements encourage people to smoke particularly the youth and demographic subgroups. 

Even nowadays the tobacco industry is still targeting people from movies such as: the girl with the dragon tattoo, Inglorious bastards, fight club and etc.  The goal of the tobacco industry is to make smoking look cool and they’re doing a good job of it by having the most famous people in Hollywood smoking.

Most smokers want to quit when they’re 26 but the tobacco industry ensures there enough nicotine in cigarettes to keep them addictive and refers to cigarettes as the “nicotine delivery device”. In order to keep people addictive the tobacco industry uses production methods where they add chemical additives and may increase the amounts of nicotine.

Myth 2: Everyone knows how bad smoking is

People are generally aware that smoking is not healthy. But there are instances of unawareness such as: very few women know that smoking can lead to cervical cancer, osteoporosis, early menopause, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. In Canada fewer than half Canadian adults between the ages of 55 to 74 identified smoking as the leading cause of heart disease.

In China, 90% of the smoker population is male and fewer than 1 in 4 people think that smoking causes serious health problems. This is because Chinese born males who have little knowledge about smoking are twice as likely to smoke verses someone who is high informed about smoking.

Myth 3: Just a few cigarettes a day cannot hurt

Even 3 to 5 cigarettes a day can lead to tobacco related illnesses and death.  Diseases such as myocardial infraction, coronary heart disease are not linear with smoking; even small doses of tobacco smoke can increase your chances of catching these diseases rapidly. Pregnant women who smoke as few as 5 cigarettes a day are more likely to have a low birth weight baby.

Myth 4: Light Cigarettes are less harmful

Light cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes, but yet 60% of smokers believe that light cigarettes refer to low tar or low nicotine cigarettes. Light cigarettes are less harmful based only on machine testing; however, they actually have the same content as the regular cigarettes, when smoked by an actual person.

What usually happens when someone smokes lighter cigarettes is that they begin to smoke more of them to satisfy their nicotine craving which will lead to more tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine being absorbed in their system.

Myth 5: It’s easy to stop smoking; if people want to quit, they will

Many smokers are able to stop on their own but many find it difficult or near impossible to quit. Even doctors found smoking hard to quit. Tobacco is about as addictive as heroin, cocaine and alcohol in addiction potential.

The benefits of quitting smoking are well documented and many people who actually want to quit will make several attempts before actually quitting. However most smokers want to quit but only make 1 attempt a year. Of those who try to quit smoking, only 7% last a year or longer without medication, aid or assistance.

 

Myth 6: Cessation Medication Don’t Work

Smoking cessation medication or NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) such as patches, gum, nasal spray, lozenge and bupropion can double the likely hood of quitting smoking.  Using multiple NRT methods will increase your chances of quitting. Retreatment to a failed NRT course will increase the likeliness you will quit. So don’t give up!

Myth 7: Once a Smoke always a Smoker

The Million people who are former smokers are living proof this isn’t true. It isn’t impossible to quit and set back some of the negative effects of smoking.

Myth 8: Tobacco is good for the economy

Tobacco industries argue that they create employment, raise tax revenue and contribute to the national gross domestic product. But the long term social costs of tobacco outweigh any economic benefit.  The World Bank found money not spent on cigarettes could be spent on other goods and services that in turn would generate other jobs and activities that would replace the tobacco industry’s benefits.

In the United States smoking causes an economic loss of about 167 billion a year.  This includes health care and productivity due to premature death.  This is more than the 81 billion that smokers spend on cigarettes per year.

Myth 9: We’ve already solved the Tobacco problem

The problems caused by tobacco use are far from solved, despite the declining amount of smokers in Canada. It is said that more than 1 in 5 Canadians smoke and globally about 1.3 billion people smoke.  More than 1 billion of those people will die from a tobacco related disease in this century. 

Myth 10: The tobacco industry no longer markets to kids and undermines public health efforts

Cigarette company go out their way to advertise to children because the younger they start the more dependent they will become on nicotine and the less likely they will quit when there an adult.  The tobacco industry advertises by having magazine ads, television ads and even giving away free things such as t-shirts and caps.  Smoking in movies is one of the biggest ways they advertise to young teens.

The tobacco industry employs lawyers, scientists and public effort experts to help divert attention from global health issues.  They create distorted scientific studies, infer with politics and in 2005 they filed a lawsuit to stop public health advertising campaigns that they claimed were anti–industry.

Conclusions:

Many myths that surround smoking are misunderstood. Most don’t realize the true effects tobacco has on the person and the economy.  While government agencies and public agencies must take lead, the health care system, businesses, insurers, communities and individuals play an important role in tobacco control.

Reference:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449389/