HOW WE QUIT SMOKING

Smoking May Now Be Considered An Established Risk Factor For ALS

2009-11-18T10:58:00.001+07:00

While previous studies have indicated a "probable" connection between smoking and ALS, a new study published in the Nov. 17, 2009 issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, states that smoking may now be considered an "established" risk factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

The findings come from Baystate Medical Center neurologist Dr. Carmel Armon, an ALS researcher and neuroepidemiologist, who came to this conclusion using evidence-based methods to perform a rigorous analysis of studies examining the link between smoking and developing ALS -- a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting the motor nerves and the voluntary muscles.

"Application of evidence-based methods separates better-designed studies from studies with limitations that may not be relied on. The better-designed studies show consistently that smoking increases the risk of developing ALS, with some findings suggesting that smoking may be implicated directly in causing the disease," said Dr. Armon, a professor of neurology at Tufts University School of Medicine and chief of neurology at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

According to Dr. Armon, identifying smoking as an established risk factor for ALS has three implications.

"First and foremost the findings provide a link between the environment and the occurrence of ALS, where none had been previously identified with this level of certainty," said Dr. Armon.

"Additional implications are that since smoking has no redeeming features, avoidance of smoking may reduce the occurrence of ALS in the future, and since some of the mechanisms by which smoking causes other diseases in humans are understood fairly well, recognizing its role in the occurrence of ALS may help pinpoint the biological processes that initiate the disease," added the researcher.

The Baystate Medical Center neurologist noted that focusing on processes at initiation of sporadic ALS, and close to it, may provide new avenues to treatment to stop its progression.

"This has been realized in some animal models of familial ALS, but not in humans. The hope that these concepts may apply to sporadic disease and change its outlook in the future is supported by establishing the association of smoking with ALS occurrence," concluded Dr. Armon.

ALS takes the lives of half of those affected within three years of onset of weakness, with less than five percent surviving more than 10 years. Some 90-95 percent of cases appear to occur at random ("sporadic cases'), with 5-10 percent of cases having an affected blood relative ("familial cases"). An altered gene, several of which have been identified, is implicated in causing familial ALS. Prior to this report, no external factors have been implicated with this level of confidence as contributing to the occurrence of sporadic ALS.

Smoking VS UK Landlord

2008-12-09T10:37:00.000+07:00

Smoke row landlord loses licence

Hamish Howitt has continued to allow smoking in his bar

A landlord who has run up thousands of pounds in fines over his refusal to ban smoking on his premises has lost his licence in a High Court ruling.

Hamish Howitt, of Del-boy's Sports bar in Blackpool, allowed smoking in the bar after the ban in England in 2007.

Judge Denyer, sitting at London's High Court, ruled he was obliged to treat smoking in his bar as a crime and try to prevent it.

Later Mr Howitt said he would close the bar, adding: "I am devastated."

He also said he would also attempt to take his case to the House of Lords.

In April Mr Howitt won an appeal case against Blackpool Council's decision to remove his licence for Del-boy's.

Non-smoker

The authority took the case to the High Court.

Mr Howitt, 57, was described by the judge as "an avowed opponent of the smoking ban - he believes it is a gross interference with individual liberty and property rights".

The judge added: "It may be others agree with him. In any event he has allowed people to smoke in his pub."

Mr Howitt has given up cigarettes but clocked up £28,000 in fines from 32 convictions fighting for the freedom of others to continue the habit.

The bar owner argued that, for there to be a breach of his licence, there had to be "disorder", as well as crime.

But Deputy High Court Judge Denyer rejected his argument, saying "permitting smoking in a place where smoking is barred is a criminal offence - and therefore simply as a matter of definition it is a crime."

The ban, which was introduced in England on 1 July 2007, forbids smokers from lighting up in enclosed public places.

Jakarta Indonesia Ban Smoking

2008-11-28T17:09:00.000+07:00

Smoking ban sweep picks up 20 puffers

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 11/19/2008 12:04 PM | Jakarta

ANTI-SMOKING WATCHDOG: An official from Jakarta's Environmental Agency signs a document at the Victoria Building in South Jakarta on Wednesday stating the building complies with the city's anti-smoking rules. City officials spot-checked some office buildings to make sure they were in compliance with the city's anti-smoking bylaw. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

The City Environmental Management Agency (BPLDH) has arrested 20 people found smoking in smoking-restricted areas at the Blok M bus terminal and at nearby offices during a sweep to enforce the smoking ban on Wednesday.

Picking up offenders was an effective way to control smokers at the terminal, said A. Wani Zaroni, deputy chief of the Blok M terminal management.

"Before (the smokers) wouldn't even budge when our officers reprimanded them, but with this initiative generating public awareness, we hope people will finally realize the importance of not smoking in restricted areas," he said, as quoted in kompas.com.

South Jakarta BPLDH head Joni Tagor said recent public sweeps were pre-judicial in nature, meaning offenders would only be issued a warning.

"As far as real sanctions go, we'll start applying sanctions from December 2008 onward. Right now we're just trying to raise public awareness," he said.

The city of Jakarta plans to revive its long-abandoned ban on smoking in public places with a series of enforcement actions from Nov. 17 to Nov. 27.

The restrictions on smoking were first introduced in February 2006. Violators could face a six-month jail term or a fine of up to Rp 50 million (US$4,100).

Members of civil society groups are expected to join in the randomly scheduled sweeps.

Stephen Smith: Smoking ban tied to a gain in lives

2008-11-12T15:56:00.001+07:00

Fatal heart attacks drop in Massachusetts

By Stephen Smith Globe Staff / November 12, 2008

Nearly 600 fewer Massachusetts residents have died from heart attacks each year since legislators banned smoking in virtually all restaurants, bars, and other workplaces four years ago, according to a report to be released today that provides some of the strongest evidence yet that such laws save lives.

The study, conducted by the state Department of Public Health and the Harvard School of Public Health, shows that a steep decline in heart attack deaths started as Boston and most of its neighbors adopted bans. Enforcement of the statewide law beginning in mid-2004 coincided with a further reduction, the study found. From 2003 to 2006, heart attack deaths in Massachusetts plummeted 30 percent, significantly accelerating what had been a more modest long-term decline.

The report, obtained in advance by the Globe, found that the number of heart attacks began dropping in communities with strong antismoking laws years before the 2004 statewide law and that similar reductions were achieved in other cities and towns only after the state ban. By the end of 2006, the rate of decline in all cities and towns had nearly converged. The authors said this pattern showed that advances in treatment of heart attacks were not responsible for the smaller number of deaths.

"This is the strongest study yet done of the effect of smoking bans on heart attacks," said Dr. Michael Siegel, a Boston University School of Public Health specialist in tobacco control who has been a critic of some antismoking laws and of previous research conducted by the state and Harvard. "You can no longer argue that these declines would have occurred simply due to medical treatment."

The health benefits of smoking bans have long stirred controversy between advocates and opponents of workplace tobacco laws. While health officials including the US surgeon general have concluded that secondhand smoke is responsible for thousands of deaths annually from heart disease and lung cancer, the tobacco industry and some in the hospitality industry have suggested that the dangers of secondhand smoke are overstated and that there is little evidence that bans prevent deaths.

The study, scheduled to be presented this morning to the state Public Health Council, appears destined to bolster the case of Boston health authorities who have already given preliminary approval to a sweeping strengthening of their tobacco control laws. The toughened Boston regulations would quickly eliminate cigarette sales at drug stores and on college campuses and would shutter swank cigar salons and hookah bars within five years.

The Boston Public Health Commission was supposed to consider final approval of the measures tomorrow, but that vote has been postponed until December, because the board wants to review hundreds of comments that have flowed in, said Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the commission.

The state's report should prove to critics that her agency is not acting capriciously, Ferrer said. "The Board of Health isn't just acting because it likes to regulate. It's acting because there's so much evidence about the importance of reducing tobacco smoke."

Brandon Salomon, an owner of the Back Bay stogie bar Cigar Masters, said he was unpersuaded by the state's research, describing it as skewed science.

"The decrease in heart attacks could be the fact that people have stopped eating carbs so much and are exercising more," Salomon said.

Much of the evidence about the damage wrought by smoking has focused on lung tumors, the leading cause of cancer deaths in the nation. But cancer takes years to develop, so smoking bans would not be expected to diminish cancer rates for a long time. An expanding body of scientific evidence shows, however, that even fleeting encounters with cigarette smoke can damage the cardiovascular system of nonsmokers.

In one California study published earlier this year, young adults who did not smoke were exposed to secondhand smoke for 30 minutes in amounts meant to mimic what happens in a restaurant or bar. The researchers discovered that even that amount of exposure damaged the lining of blood vessels and disarmed the body's natural ability to repair such damage.

Cigarette smoke can also cause clots to form or spark a cascade of biological events that causes chunks of fat lining artery walls to shear off, which can result in a heart attack.

"You know all the press that this new study on statins got the other day?" said tobacco researcher Stanton Glantz of the University of California at San Francisco, referring to Boston researchers' finding that anticholesterol drugs substantially reduce heart attacks and strokes even in patients with normal cholesterol levels. "This is a much bigger deal. And it's free."

A spokesman for the nation's largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, said the company's website points out that public health officials have shown that secondhand smoke causes heart disease in nonsmokers.

"We agree that people should be able to avoid being around secondhand smoke, particularly in places where they must go," said company spokesman Bill Phelps.

Led by Tom Land, director of surveillance and evaluation for the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program, the researchers hunted for signs the reduction might be due to a factor other than tobacco laws.

They considered, for instance, whether there had been an improvement in how heart attack victims were transported to hospitals. They could find nothing that swayed them from their conclusion that there was an indisputable relationship between the smoking ban and fewer heart attack deaths.

That belief was strengthened when they looked at what happened in communities that had either no job-site smoking law before the state ban or a weak law. Heart attack deaths dropped nearly 20 percent in those cities and towns during the first 17 months of the law. In municipalities that had longstanding regulations - and, thus, had seen a steadier decline - the reduction was more modest.

By comparing communities that adopted early smoking bans with those that did not, the researchers were able to estimate that an average of 577 fewer people have died annually from heart attacks because of the law.

"People have assumed that the only benefit we will be able to measure of a smoking ban is long-term benefits," said John Auerbach, the state public health commissioner. "This study demonstrates a real connection between smoking bans and short-term improvement in health outcomes."

Stephen Smith can be reached at stsmith@globe.com.

Kid Tips: Buck stops here for generational change

2008-10-18T15:11:00.003+07:00

By Tom McMahon

Kid Tips

Article Last Updated: 10/15/2008 05:47:00 AM PDT

GENERATION AFTER generation passes along the family's way of life — the weird and wonderful, the good and bad — to the next generation.

Mostly it is good, since we cling to family traditions that give us comfort and a sense of belonging. But we also cling to familiar things that we would be better off not keeping, such as fatherless homes, drug abuse, obesity, high school dropouts, child abuse, teen pregnancy and poverty, just to mention a few.

In other words, if you did not have a father around when you were young, chances are your own son probably will not have one either. If a mother gave birth at age 16, that baby might have a baby of her own during her teen years.

Soon after my wife and I were married and had hopes for children someday, we vowed to leave behind some negative issues from our own two families for the sake of our children. We learned how hard it is to change deep-seated behaviors. It takes someone in the family to stand up and say: "That's it! This isn't healthy. We're making changes." By eliminating one detrimental and perpetual behavior within the family, you will change the path for generations behind you.

Thanks to the parents and grandparents who sent in a tip this week.

Write a research paper about smoking: When I caught my daughter smoking, I told her that she was grounded until she wrote a 10-page research paper on the dangers of smoking. It was a real eye-opener for her. — J.A.C., Minneapolis

Cure for being afraid of the dark: My young son used to be afraid of the dark, which made bedtime a struggle. This issue was solved soon after I bought him a package of glow-in-the-dark stars. Instead of attaching the stars to the ceiling, I placed them inside a clear plastic box. He couldn't wait for me to turn off his light so he could play with the stars in bed. He would toss them in the air, look at them glow under his pajamas and manipulate them in creative ways each evening. He even enjoyed watching them glow after he returned them to the box. — Lucy R.L., Fremont

Sandy, London

2008-10-12T09:28:00.000+07:00

Like many people I am feeling the pinch of the 'Credit Crunch' and I
have been really struggling to sort out all those rising bills. I
have been a smoker for many years and enjoyed it, but with the way
things are at the moment I have had no choice but to try and give it
up.

I have tried before but not managed, so really didn't have much hope
of doing it now. but a friend of mine who has stopped smoking told me
about a site that sells Hypnosis CDs and I thought I would give it a
go, nothing ventured, right.

Anyway, long story short, I gave them a try and it worked. I am well
pleased with the result. I am now saving around £70 a week on
cigarettes and it cost under £20 for the CD.

And that £70 makes a huge difference when you have three kids to feed
and clothe and a mortgage to pay believe me.

So if you are struggling to manage like I was, (the bank manager was
after my soul) and you are a smoker and want to give up to save money
- give it a try their website is at http://www.certainwords.co.uk

Hope someone finds this useful

Sandy

India Bans Smoking in Many Public Places

2008-10-10T19:03:00.001+07:00


By Anjana Pasricha New Delhi 02 October 2008

India has become the latest country to ban smoking in most public places, starting Thursday. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha reports on the government's efforts to stub out smoking, which kills an estimated one million people in the country, every year.

Man smokes in Mumbai

Prakash sells cigarettes at a popular roadside stall, near a movie theater and a high school in Delhi. He is confident the ban on smoking in public places will not impact his sales.

He says, if authorities are strict, his sales might plummet. However, he feels most people are neither scared nor bothered about the new rules.

Health ministry officials think otherwise. They are optimistic that the ban will help cut down smoking among the country's estimated 250 million tobacco users. Most of them are men.

An earlier drive against smoking in public made little impact. The new ban, which came into effect Thursday, is more sweeping. The places where lighting up is prohibited include hotels, restaurants, schools, pubs, offices, night clubs, hospitals, airports and bus stops.

The government has directed these establishments to appoint anti-smoking officers who will be accountable, if people smoke on their premises. Those caught violating the ban can be fined up to five dollars.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss says smoking curbs are needed in a country where more than half the population is under 30.

"Although it is fantastic to be in a youthful country, we need to protect this very valuable resource from the harmful effects of tobacco," Ramadoss said.

However, most people feel that enforcing the ban may not be easy in a country where many rules are routinely violated.

A middle-aged smoker puffs away in a marketplace and doubts whether the ban will help him cut down smoking.

"Not much of it. Only thing is you will have to see where you are, that is all," the smoker said.

But the government hopes that the ban will slowly make a difference, as it has in several countries, where curbs on smoking in public places have been imposed in recent years.

Smokers in India are apparently more vulnerable to tobacco-related diseases than those in other countries. A study earlier this year (published in New England Journal of Medicine) found that two-thirds of all smoking-related deaths in India occur relatively early - between the ages of 30 and 69.

The ban came into effect after the Supreme Court rejected a plea by cigarette giant Indian Tobacco Company and hotel interests for a delay.

smoke-n-cough

2008-10-08T15:38:00.002+07:00

I quit with help of my doctor. I had a nicotine replacement and zyban.

http://www.smoke-n-cough.blogspot.com/

Urso Branco, Brazil

2008-10-07T22:18:00.003+07:00

30 years ago I was living in Toronto, Canada. I used to smoke cigars, about five a day, sometimes more. One day I decided to quit so I threw away 4 of a 5-pack of cigars and just quit permanently.

Despite urges to smoke again I just quit. I got to the point that I couldn`t stand the smell of cigars or even cigarettes. 9 years ago I had heart surgery and now even if I want to I cannot smoke. I moved to Brasil and now I face another challenge . . . they burn the grass here. See my Blog about The Brasilian Lawnmower and the devastation it causes - Fogos at

http://fogosnoaguas.blogspot.com/

Ways to Quit Smoking

2008-10-04T09:26:00.002+07:00

There are many ways to quit smoking. For example, some research has shown that an effective strategy for quitting is a combination of counseling, telephone "quit lines," and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). For each person, the key to success is finding the plan that works best.

Below is a general outline for designing and implementing a plan to quit smoking. There are many alternatives to these stop smoking tips, and a healthcare provider or a tobacco-cessation professional can help create an effective plan.

1. Get ready.
* Make a detailed list of your reasons for wanting to quit (e.g., health benefits, saving money).
* Keep a diary of when you smoke (or use tobacco) and the triggers that prompt you.
* Research the available options in your area for information and support about quitting.
* Set a date for quitting. (On this date, get rid of ashtrays, lighters, all tobacco products, and anything else you associate with smoking or using tobacco.)

2. Ask for support.

* Ask your healthcare provider for advice in quitting.
* Sign up for a smoking (or tobacco) cessation program.
* Join an online support network.
* Talk to friends and family about what support you would like from them.
* Keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings during this challenging process.

3. Use the following strategies to help handle withdrawal, deal with stress, and resist the urge to smoke or use tobacco:

* Learn yoga, meditation, and deep breathing.
* Start an exercise routine. (Consult your healthcare provider before beginning an exercise program.)
* Talk to a counselor.
* Research your nicotine replacement therapy options.

(Resource: www.cardiologychannel.com)

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

2008-10-04T08:24:00.000+07:00

* In 2000, about 67% of Korean men smoked, while among adult women the figure has nearly doubled, from 3.9% in 1989 to 6.7% in 1997.
* A recent Gallup survey found that by the end of 2002, the number of male smokers will have dropped by a stunning 21% since May 2001.
* Cigarettes were first introduced to the Republic of Korea in the 1930s. In the late 1980s, the country opened its market to foreign tobacco firms. Cigarette consumption rose dramatically alongside increased advertising.
* In a single year after the ban against American tobacco was lifted, smoking among Korean teenagers rose from 18% to 30%; among female teens it rose about five-fold, from 1.6% to 8.7%.
* Foreign cigarettes now control 25% of the market.
* The Republic of Korea is the eighth largest cigarette market in the world, with an annual volume of 100 billion cigarettes, according to industry data.

(Resource: WHO)

PHILIPPINES

2008-10-04T08:22:00.000+07:00

* About 60% of men smoke.
* A recent survey of Filipino adult smokers found 99.8% cited tobacco advertisements as one factor for initiating smoking.
* More than half of Filipino households are not smoke-free.
* As many as 40% of adolescents boys smoke; most began in their early teens. Another 6% were former smokers. The majority of these young smokers said peer pressure was one reason why they took up smoking. Most now wish they did not smoke and about two-thirds have tried to give up.
* There are no national laws prohibiting minors from buying cigarettes.
* About 200,000 Filipino men will develop smoking-related diseases in their productive years of age. It was estimated in 1999, that to provide healthcare for these sick men, and the loss in productivity, cost Filipino taxpayers some P43 billion.
* Every year, there are about 20,000 smoking-related deaths in the country.
* Tobacco use will drain nearly 20% of the household income of smokers' families.
* Many vendors of cigarettes are children.

(Resource: WHO)

MALAYSIA

2008-10-04T08:21:00.000+07:00

* About half of all Malaysian men smoke.
* Every day about 50 teenagers below the age of 18 start smoking
* Studies show about 30% of adolescent boys (aged 12 to 18) smoke.
* Smoking among female teens is rising. According to two studies on teens conducted in 1996 and 1999, the numbers of female teens smoking rose from 4.8% to 8%. Overall, the 1999 study found nearly one in five teens smokes.
* Some studies have shown that lung cancer is rising at a rate of 17% a year.
* Smoking is estimated to have caused more than half a million coronary events.
* Smoking rates are highest in rural Kelantan and lowest in urban Penang and Sarawak.
* Although there are restrictions on advertising, tobacco companies have found ways to bypass these laws through using brand names and remain the top advertisers. Heavily advertised products include the Benson and Hedges bistro, Dunhill accessories, Marlboro clothing, Kent Horizon Tours and Salem Cool Planet concerts.
* Malaysia has been dubbed the "indirect advertising capital" of the world. Some of the tobacco industry's most blatant efforts to target young people can be seen here.
* Spending on tobacco advertising is extremely high. In 1997, the industry spent about $90 million, while in the year 2000, two tobacco firms alone reportedly spent more than US$40 million.
* At least two tobacco companies were among the top 10 advertisers in recent years.

(Resource: WHO)

JAPAN

2008-10-04T08:19:00.000+07:00

* About 51% of men smoke in Japan - this figure has dropped from the 1980s, but it is still very high for a developed nation.
* Prevalence of smoking among women, once considered almost taboo, has risen dramatically in the last decade to nearly 10%.
* Japan's Finance Ministry is a major shareholder in Japan Tobacco, a multinational.
* A survey in the early 1990s found that 44% of male physicians smoke in Japan.
* With 500,000 cigarette vending machines, the young can easily buy cigarettes.
* It's estimated that about one in eight deaths is due to smoking, (about 100,000 deaths a year). Smoking may also contribute to four of the five leading causes of death.
* Lung cancer is the leading cancer, with more than 50,000 deaths a year.
* More Japanese men die of lung cancer than suicide. The rate of lung cancer deaths is 46 per 100,000 people while the suicide rate is 30 per 100,000.
* Japan has some of the weakest anti-tobacco laws for a developed nation, with few smoke-free public areas.

(Resource: WHO)

CHINA

2008-10-04T08:16:00.000+07:00

* About 67% of men smoke, and 4% of women.
* Among youths, about a third of male teens smoke and nearly 8% of females.
* One of every three cigarettes consumed worldwide is smoked in China.
* Smoking will kill about a third of all young Chinese men alive (under 30 years).
* About 3,000 people die every day in China due to smoking.
* There are more than 300 million Chinese smokers - more than the entire US population. They consume an estimated 1.7 trillion cigarettes per year - or 3 million cigarettes every minute.
* China is the world's largest tobacco producer, accounting for about a quarter of the global tobacco leaf production.
* China used to be closed to tobacco multinationals. But in the last two decades, with the opening up of the Chinese economy, multinationals have been aggressively fighting for a piece of the Chinese market, seen as a "prize" market.
* In 1990, 68% of male physicians were smokers and 65% of teachers.
* Smoking contributes to four of the five leading causes of death in China today.
* In 1993, WHO estimated that while China gained $5 billion in tobacco taxes, the country lost $7.8 billion in productivity and additional health care costs.
* A study in Minhang district found smokers spent an average of 60% of their personal income and 17% of household income on cigarettes.
* In Hong Kong, tobacco companies spent an estimated $63 million on all forms or advertising and promotion in 1995.

(Resource: WHO)

CAMBODIA

2008-10-04T08:12:00.000+07:00

* Studies show that about 67% of men smoke in urban areas (Phnom Penh), while in rural areas, where most people live, about 86% of men smoke.
* Men's smoking prevalence seems to peak among older men, (50 to 70 years). Some older men began smoking during Pol Pot's regime in the late 1970s, because smokers were given 10-minute breaks every hour from hard labour by the Khmer Rouge.
* Smoking prevalence among monks is high, particularly in rural areas.
* Tobacco companies are major advertisers, accounting for 13% of all advertising in 2000. In 1997, half of all street advertising was for tobacco products.
* Street advertising of cigarettes rose by 400% between 1994 and 1997.
* In 1997, it was estimated that cigarettes comprised 30% of all imported goods.
* Support for tobacco control is high. A 1997 survey in Phnom Penh found about 80% of respondents believed the government should ban cigarette advertisements.
* The toll from smoking is hard to estimate due to inadequate data, but a 1997 (WHO/MOH) study estimated that 6,000 Cambodians die annually from smoking.

(Resource: WHO)

General: Youth, Health, Ads

2008-10-04T08:06:00.002+07:00

28 May 2002

* About a third of the male adult global population smokes.
* Smoking related-diseases kill one in 10 adults globally, or cause four million deaths. By 2030, if current trends continue, smoking will kill one in six people.
* Every eight seconds, someone dies from tobacco use.
* Smoking is on the rise in the developing world but falling in developed nations. Among Americans, smoking rates shrunk by nearly half in three decades (from the mid-1960s to mid-1990s), falling to 23% of adults by 1997. In the developing world, tobacco consumption is rising by 3.4% per year.
* About 15 billion cigarettes are sold daily - or 10 million every minute.
* About 12 times more British people have died from smoking than from World War II.
* Cigarettes cause more than one in five American deaths.
* Among WHO Regions, the Western Pacific Region* - which covers East Asia and the Pacific - has the highest smoking rate, with nearly two-thirds of men smoking.
* About one in three cigarettes are consumed in the Western Pacific Region.
* The tobacco market is controlled by just a few corporations - namely American, British and Japanese multinational conglomerates.

Youth

* Among young teens (aged 13 to 15), about one in five smokes worldwide.
* Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking every day - roughly half of whom live in Asia.
* Evidence shows that around 50% of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years.
* Peer-reviewed studies show teenagers are heavily influenced by tobacco advertising.
* About a quarter of youth alive in the Western Pacific Region will die from smoking.

Health

* Half of long-term smokers will die from tobacco. Every cigarette smoked cuts at least five minutes of life on average - about the time taken to smoke it.
* Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death. It is a prime factor in heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease. It can cause cancer of the lungs, larynx, oesophagus, mouth, and bladder, and contributes to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys.
* More than 4,000 toxic or carcinogenic chemicals have been found in tobacco smoke.
* One British survey found that nearly 99% of women did not know of the link between smoking and cervical cancer.
* One survey found that 60% of Chinese adults did not know that smoking can cause lung cancer while 96% were unaware it can cause heart disease.
* At least a quarter of all deaths from heart diseases and about three-quarters of world's chronic bronchitis are related to smoking.
* Smoking-related diseases cost the United States more than $150 billion a year.

Advertising

* US-based multinational Philip Morris - the world's biggest cigarette company - was the world's ninth largest advertiser in 1996, spending more than $3 billion.
* A survey a few years ago found that nearly 80% of American advertising executives from top agencies believed cigarette advertising does make smoking more appealing or socially acceptable to children.
* Through advertising, tobacco firms try to link smoking with athletic prowess, sexual attractiveness, success, adult sophistication, adventure and self-fulfilment.
* A survey in the UK found about half of smokers think that smoking "can't really be all that dangerous, or the Government wouldn't let cigarettes be advertised".
* A 1998 survey found that tobacco companies were among the top 10 advertisers in 18 out of 66 countries surveyed.
* In Asia, tobacco companies are among the top 10 advertisers in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
* In Russia, according to press reports, foreign tobacco companies are the largest advertisers, accounting for as much as 40% of all TV and radio advertising.
* In 1997, the tobacco industry's spending on advertising in the United States was about $15 million a day ($5.7 billion for the year).
* The tobacco industry has changed the way it advertises in the last 30 years. Now, only 10% of advertising expenditure goes to print and outdoor advertisements, while more than half goes to promotional allowances and items, such as t-shirts for young people or lighters and key rings.
* After the entry of foreign multinational tobacco firms into Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, youth and female smoking rose significantly.

(Resource: WHO)

Idris Harta: Yogyakarta, Indonesia

2008-09-21T11:26:00.003+07:00

Here is the way I quit Smoking.
It was 1981. I lived in the dorm of Teachers Training College, Bandung Indonesia.

First: I promised to one of my roommate not to smoke when I was around him. He had a right to remind me about my promise.

Second: After several weeks, I had another promise to other roommates. They had right to remind me too. Even harder, they had right to take my cigarette.

Third: I continued to make promise to all stusents in the dorm, my classmates, my closed friends, and people who might around me a lot.

Finally: After 2-3 months, I was free from smoke.

What is your way to quit smoking? Tell the world we can stop smoking.

Tq,
Idris Harta, Indonesia

TIPS: The first week

2008-09-21T10:59:00.000+07:00

You Can Quit Smoking
Tips for the First Week

By Terry Martin, About.com

Updated: February 23, 2004

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
See More About:

* nicotine withdrawal coping skills
* how to quit smoking
* personal quit stories

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Nicotine is a powerful addiction. If you have tried to quit, you know how hard it can be. People who are trying to quit smoking go through both physical and psychological withdrawal. Here are some tips for quitting.

Cravings

Drink a lot of liquids, especially water. Try herbal teas or fruit juices. Limit coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol - they can increase your urge to smoke.

Avoid sugar and fatty food. Try low-calorie foods for snacking - carrots and other vegetables, sugarless gum, air-popped popcorn, or low-fat cottage cheese. Don't skip meals.

Exercise regularly and moderately. Regular exercise helps. Joining an exercise group provides a healthy activity and a new routine.

Get more sleep. Try to go to sleep earlier and get more rest.

Take deep breaths. Distract yourself. When cravings hit, do something else immediately, such as talking to someone, getting busy with a task, or taking deep breaths.

Change your habits. Use a different route to work, eat breakfast in a different place, or get up from the table right away after eating.

Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot shower, read a book, or exercise.

Psychological Needs

* Remind yourself every day why you are quitting.
* Avoid places you connect with smoking.
* Develop a plan for relieving stress.
* Listen to relaxing music.
* Watch a funny movie.
* Take your mind off a problem and come back to it later.
* Rely on your friends, family, and support group for help.
* Avoid alcohol. It lowers your chances for success.

Tips for the First Week, You Can Quit Smoking.March 2001.
Courtesy of: US. Public Health Service
Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention.

TIPS: 20 Quick Tips

2008-09-21T01:44:00.000+07:00

20 Quick Tips to Help You Quit Smoking

By Fred H. Kelley

1. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think about
some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and
realize that you have the guts and determination to quit
smoking. It's up to you.

2. After reading this list, sit down and write your own list,
customized to your personality and way of doing things. Create
you own plan for quitting.

3. Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting):
live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell
better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about
smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on
paper and read it daily.

4. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit.
Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let
them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and
even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.

5. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your
cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare your
mind for the "first day of the rest of your life". You might
even hold a small ceremony when you smoke you last cigarette, or
on the morning of the quit date.

6. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance
from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.

7. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible
with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body
recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary,
start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day. Build up to
30 to 40 minutes of rigorous activity, 3 or 4 times per week.
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

8. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe
in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few
seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth. Try doing
your breathing with your eyes closed and go to step 9.

9. Visualize your way to becoming a non-smoker. While doing your
deep breathing in step 8, you can close your eyes and begin to
imagine yourself as a non-smoker. See yourself enjoying your
exercise in step 7. See yourself turning down a cigarette that
someone offers you. See yourself throwing all your cigarettes
away, and winning a gold medal for doing so. Develop your own
creative visualizations. Visualization works.

10. Cut back on cigarettes gradually (if you cut back gradually,
be sure to set a quit date on which you WILL quit). Ways to cut
back gradually include: plan how many cigarettes you will smoke
each day until your quit date, making the number you smoke
smaller each day; buy only one pack at a time; change brands so
you don't enjoy smoking as much; give your cigarettes to someone
else, so that you have to ask for them each time you want to
smoke.

11. Quit smoking "cold turkey". Many smokers find that the only
way they can truly quit once and for all is to just quit
abruptly without trying to slowly taper off. Find the method
that works best for you: gradually quitting or cold turkey. If
one way doesn't work do the other.

12. Find another smoker who is trying to quit, and help each
other with positive words and by lending an ear when quitting
becomes difficult. Visit this Bulletin Board and this Chat Room
to find a "quit buddy."

13. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look and
feel and plan to keep them that way.

14. After you quit, plan to celebrate the milestones in your
journey to becoming a non-smoker. After two weeks of being
smoke-free, see a movie. After a month, go to a fancy restaurant
(be sure to sit in the non-smoking section). After three months,
go for a long weekend to a favorite get-away. After six months,
buy yourself something frivolous. After a year, have a party for
yourself. Invite your family and friends to your "birthday"
party and celebrate your new chance at a long, healthy life.

15. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway, and most
people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine and
other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce
cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.

16. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such as
stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar, etc.
Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative
ways to deal with the triggers.

17. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace
cigarettes. Consider drinking straws or you might try an
artificial cigarette called E-Z Quit found here:
http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezquit.htm

18. Write yourself an inspirational song or poem about quitting,
cigarettes, and what it means to you to quit. Read it daily.

19. Keep a picture of your family or someone very important to
you with you at all times. On a piece of paper, write the words
"I'm quitting for myself and for you (or "them")". Tape your
written message to the picture. Whenever you have the urge to
smoke, look at the picture and read the message.

20. Whenever you have a craving for a cigarette, instead of
lighting up, write down your feelings or whatever is on your
mind. Keep this "journal" with you at all times.

Good luck in your efforts to quit smoking. It's worth it!