Kick that habit - especially you young dreamers

[donheff]

It has probably been mentioned in previous threads but worth repeating - if you are a smoker, quit. My younger brother turns 56 in a few weeks and has been calculating his pension and SWR rate for ER from the telephone company. I was out visiting him in Chicago this weekend and expected to trade ER lifestyle talk with him. Unfortunately, he was just handed a diagnosis of lung cancer and now his future is up for grabs. He will stay with the job while working through the medical issues (hopefully) and then see where things stand.

My son, and my daughter smoke occasionally as do my brother's kids. I hope this will be a wake-up call for them. I find it amazing how many 20 and 30 somethings think it is cool to smoke cigarettes - what are they smoking

[ESRBob]

Donheff,
that is tragic about your brother. I smoked too as a teen and 20-something --- at that age you just think you're going to live forever so you completely discount the long-term consequences. With luck your kids will quit soon, maybe when they have kids of their own, or when something deep down clicks in and makes them realize its really a dumb thing to do. But it's highly addictive and satisfying to people which is why the keep doing it. Many get away with it, too, but the odds aren't good. I am sorry about your brother, and hope it can be arrested quickly enough to give him a second chance.

[Oldbabe]

I am sorry to hear about your brother, Donheff. That is a hard blow.

I second your admonition to smokers. Please quit. I come from a family of smokers and pray that my own habit, quit long ago, doesn't catch up with me. Lung cancer is really awful. Please quit.

[samclem]

Donheff,
Best wishes for your brother and the rest of your family. My dad and mom both smoked, tried to quit numerous times. Dad died of lung cancer, mom of heart problems, both before I was 20.
Young dreamers: Quit smoking for yourself, for those you love, and for those you'd like to love. (There's nothing sexy about a smoker's breath . . .)

[dex]

I am sorry to hear about your brother, Donheff.

My brother is 58, has been smoking since he has been 15 and does not go to doctors. He says he likes to smoke. He is not a dumb person; just addicted to them. His wife and son also smokes. His daughter does not. An uncle of mine died of lung cancer a few years ago. But with all the knowledge out there about the harmfull affects of smoking he continues to smoke.

I have know drug addicts that have said it was easier to give up cocaine or heroin than smoking cigarettes.

I'm expecting a call some day to say that my brother has lung cancer and doesn't have long to live. This may sound cruel; but when I get the call I will not be surprised and all I will be thinkings is ... what did you expect!

So yes anyone reading this should do all they can to stop smoking. Medical studies show that the negative affects of long term smoking can be reversed - to a large degree after stopping.

If you can not stop for yourself do it for those who love you.

If you can not stop at all do not smoke around your children - second hand smoke has negative affects on them.

My brother's wife is extreamly self rightous and she smoked and drank while pregant. I believe it had a detrimental affect on one of the children at least.

I'm sorry for the rant.

[Caroline]

That's terrible, Donheff. Best of luck to you both, and thanks for sharing the story... if it helps even one person see the light you've done a real service.

Keep us posted, too -- we're rooting for you.

[Meadbh]

Sorry to hear this, Donheff. Lung cancer does not have a good prognosis. I'll leave details to Rich as I understand he's an oncologist.

Your brother became addicted to smoking when it was "cool", although we knew is was bad. As the dangers of second hand smoke become more clear, and more and more countries and cities enact laws against smoking in public places, one hopes that the "cool" factor will decrease as the hassle factor increases. One of the best disincentives would be to radically increase prices. There is really nothing good about smoking.

Here are some recent Canadian data.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media...2005_89_e.html

Does anyone have comparable data for the US?

[wabmester]

Originally Posted by Meadbh

Does anyone have comparable data for the US?

Both the US and Canada tax cigs heavily. I wonder if there's any data that suggests smoking would decrease just based on health information....

[lazygood4nothinbum]

donheff. sorry for the news but good post. i also was stupid smoker in my youth. cleaned up my act about 15 years ago. best thing i ever did for myself. one of my good friends just buried her brother who never quit.

i don't mean to be crude and i know this is a tad absurd but for added incentive you should list how much money this is now going to cost your brother as compared to what he spent on cigs.

i'm also amazed by how many kids smoke today. my brother just got back from france and said it is even worse there, way worse. and how odd are the people who won't smoke in their new cars or freshly painted houses but they have no problem putting that smoke into their lungs.

i think if people knew what smoking does to their resale value they'd reconsider.

[Oldbabe]

Here's some practical advice and help for smokers. Apparently the body is pretty smart and knows what it needs. Smoking raises dopamine levels and alleviates depression, which may partially explain the addiction. An antidepressant such as Wellbutin will perform the same trick and may help smokers quit.
http://www.trdrp.org/research/PageGr...?grant_id=2383

[donheff]

Originally Posted by wab

Both the US and Canada tax cigs heavily. I wonder if there's any data that suggests smoking would decrease just based on health information....

That is an interesting chart Wab. I started smoking at the time of the highest peak and quit right about when the graph started its continuing downward trend. The numbers look very good for the US. Absolute consumption has plummeted while population has grown.

I just find it amazing how many kids take it up despite the hassles presented from smoking bans and the general perception that it is a gross habit. One positive effect of the bans seems to be that kids who smoke these days don't smoke as much as we did back in the day. When you can't smoke at work, in restaurants, in bars, or in your friends homes it becomes difficult to develop a full blown habit. My son talks about smoking one or two cigarettes a week - he doesn't even carry them with him. DD says the same.

[windsurf]

I lost my Dad to lung Ca when he was 52 and a younger brother to the same at 53. Dad had quit smoking some years before but worked for a railroad in the midst of steel mills. My brother also worked jobs steeped in carcinogens and smoked. It troubles me when I see so many kids smoking at the university. Ohio voters just passed a smoking ban in public places. Lots of fretting going on in the press by bar owners and the like. Personal freedom is trotted out in the arguments. I always yearned for freedom from ambient smoke and wish we were all free from the huge component of healthcare costs directly attributable to the substantial portion of the burden imposed by tobacco caused maladies.

[Martha]

I quit 20 years ago when the asthma got so bad that I could not lie down to sleep. It was very very hard to quit.

If you smoke, go to a nicotine substitute. Much better to be addicted to the gum, even if you end up using it forever. In fact, some insurance companies cover the gum or patch even though sold over the counter. I know that our BCBS plan does with a ten dollar copay.

[Donzo]

One of my nephews was recently diagnosed with lung small cell cancer. This is a very aggressive form of cancer and usually spreads...He is 32yo. He smoked cigs and some pot in college and quit both after graduating - when you smoke - even short term, you open the door to lung cancer.

I wonder if living in an area like Riverside CA(major smog)is an issue concerning future health problems. I have not seen any papers demonstrating this

[JohnEyles]

Donheff, sorry about your brother.

However, it's worth pointing out that lung cancer is far from being the
main cause of smoking-related death, compared to cardiovascular disease
and other lung diseases.

One truly sick thing about smoking among the young, particularly the
tragically hip, is that they think they are making some sort of big counter-
cultural statement by doing something that is unhealthy and increasingly
looked-down upon by society, when in fact what they're really doing is
supporting some very un-savory corporations, and indirectly, some very
un-savory political actors.

[Nords]

Imagine the second-hand smoke potential of a submarine. Now imagine some of the world's most expensive & sensitive computers living in an environment filled with cigarette smoke.

I watched the submarine force go from "So smoky you can hardly see across the control room, or is that a fire?" to "The smoking lamp is secured."

It took nearly 20 years and it was brutal.

The savings, both in healthcare and in equipment condition, have been phenomenal.

And we smell a lot better, too!

[Khan]

It never occurred to me that smoking would be allowed inside a large can.

[Gumby]

Oh, it was brutal for non-smokers when I was on active duty -- cooped up for months with at least 75 - 100 chain smokers in a closed cylinder 380 feet long and 33 feet in diameter. We had carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide scrubbers, but they could never get rid of the trace gases generated by cigarettes. Nor could they reduce the CO and CO2 levels to normal atmospheric concentrations. I had non-stop headaches from the high CO2 levels, which is one reason why, when I took over as the midwatch Officer of the Deck every night, that one of the first things I did was take the boat to periscope depth and ventilate it.

However, as I recall, the smell was far more than just cigarettes. The "pungent" atmosphere in a submarine also contained hints of diesel fuel, ozone, backed up toilet (from venting the sanitary tanks inboard), and sweaty locker room. Submariners probably still don't smell all that good.

[Khan]

Originally Posted by Gumby

Oh, it was brutal for non-smokers when I was on active duty -- cooped up for months with at least 75 - 100 chain smokers in a closed cylinder 380 feet long and 33 feet in diameter. We had carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide scrubbers, but they could never get rid of the trace gases generated by cigarettes. Nor could they reduce the CO and CO2 levels to normal atmospheric concentrations. I had non-stop headaches from the high CO2 levels, which is one reason why, when I took over as the midwatch Officer of the Deck every night, that one of the first things I did was take the boat to periscope depth and ventilate it.

However, as I recall, the smell was far more than just cigarettes. The "pungent" atmosphere in a submarine also contained hints of diesel fuel, ozone, backed up toilet (from venting the sanitary tanks inboard), and sweaty locker room. Submariners probably still don't smell all that good.

My sister said her husband (career navy) said it smelt of farts and dirty socks.