Holy Smokes: Americans Have Pretty Much Stopped Smoking

[kpete]

Americans Have Pretty Much Stopped Smoking
Wonk Wire notes the dramatic fall off in cigarette consumption over the past 50 years.


It was the report that showed, without a whiff of doubt, that cigarettes kill. On January 11th 1964—a Saturday, so to not roil the stockmarket—Surgeon-General Luther Terry released a 387-page document entitled “Smoking and Health”. Ten scientists (all men; half smokers) analysed 7,000 studies to assess the effects of tobacco on the human body. Its conclusions were incendiary. “Cigarette smoking is causally related to lung cancer in men,” it said. (“The data for women,” it added, “point in the same direction.”)

The report clearly showed how smokers died younger (see chart 1). A year later, Congress required health warnings on every packet. Public understanding of the risks of smoking changed even faster. Ads in the 1950s had claimed that tobacco was good for you; after the report millions of Americans quit puffing. In the past 50 years cigarette consumption per adult has fallen by 72% (see chart 2). The report called smoking a habit, not an addiction. But apart from that, it hit the coffin nail on the head.

HERE:
http://wonkwire.rollcall.com/2014/01/13/chart-day-52/

[Art_from_Ark]

1. I was too young to be aware of the Surgeon General's report at the time

but I do remember this early anti-smoking PSA which had a big impact on me

[louis-t]

7. One that was striking was the Yul Brynner ad.

It was him discussing his lung cancer. It ran after he died. The quote was "If I had never smoked, we would not be discussing my lung cancer."

[newfie11]

2. Except in Colorado

[onehandle]

3. I had a minor hand in eliminating smoking in the offices of a major American company in the 1980s.

I, and other non-smokers I encouraged to speak up, were treated like freaks at the time by smokers.

It took six months and pretty much ended my career at that company.

No. Big. Loss.

[Politicalboi]

4. I'm still trying to quit

I have an mcig coming soon. You can fill it with weed or tobacco, hash, wax. $10.00 a pop. I will let others know if it's worth the money. It's stock was 20 cents a share last week. Not sure what it's at now. Can't wait till it gets here. I am going to maybe buy another one to use just for tobacco. Buying tobacco buy the bag is "healthier" if that's possible than the pre rolled.

http://www.mcig.org/buy-online/

[msongs]

10. cold turkey is the most effective way. no crutches needed nt

[ChisolmTrailDem]

11. Amen to that. Took me a week until I was out of the woods. Mileage may vary. It's

damn better spending a week fighting off cravings until they begin to subside that spending months or years trying to quit.

[LordGlenconner]

69. You're never out of the woods

It's just like narcotic addiction. One bad day, one bad week, a bad month, whatever, it can happen.

[Politicalboi]

28. But I still like to smoke

And at least the ecig or now the mcig will allow me to do that safer. We just moved to a new place with new carpet, so I smoke outside now. I have cut down a lot during these cold nights even in Ca.

[VanillaRhapsody]

31. You always will

I quit 6 yrs ago...but I still "like to smoke" I decided not to ever again..


My grandmother told me that even after 40 yrs quitting she still had a moment or two every year where she "wished for a cigarette". She told me to quit....you just have to be willing to live with that...and I have. It was MUCH easier than I ever thought it was going to be! (I smoked 30+ yrs)

[NCLefty]

36. I smoked for ~10 years and I don't get those cravings.

I think by the time I quit I had convinced my brain it was 'nasty nasty nasty', however

[VanillaRhapsody]

37. Not cravings....you just think

"damn I could use a smoke right now".

she said she had those moments occasionally for the 40+ yrs she lived that she had quit... I catch myself thinking the same thing after 6 yrs. "In another life...I would sooooo smoke a cigarette right now" but I don't.

[OnionPatch]

38. Neither do I.

I've heard stories about people still wanting one years later but that didn't happen to me. I smoked for twenty years, up to two packs a day by the time I decided to quit. It took about six months to completely stop wanting one. By two years out the smell of them nauseated me and it still does 18 years later.

[VanillaRhapsody]

64. she also told me and I found to be true....that I am still fascinated by them..

I still look at people smoking or a pack with a lighter on a table gets my attention.....and I notice when people smoke on TV or movies often and find my self watching them smoke.

[OnionPatch]

65. I wonder

I used self-hypnosis tapes to help me quit. Basically they're just affirmations you make when you're relaxed. Thing like "I am a non smoker" and "cigarettes smell awful to me".

I never gave them too much credit for helping me but maybe they worked better than I realized.

[cyberswede]

63. I dream about it occasionally...

usually in a social setting, and I light up. I feel SO AWFUL and guilty about it, but then I wake up, and I'm totally relieved. I think it's my subconscious warning me not to do it. I quit cold turkey about 15 years ago & still have the dream once or twice a year.

[angstlessk]

14. I do ecigs...have not smoked for about 10 months..and now I worry cause I don't cough

I think I should cough...I clear my throat about 12 times per day..but do not cough...

[Politicalboi]

26. I cough if my throat is dry

But I do cough less with ecigs. I am hoping to be able to cut my smoking bill by buying bagged tobacco and use the mcig.

[angstlessk]

34. I cut my smoking bill....but not the problem from smoking...namely bronchitis

I still have 10 cartons of 'little cigars' which is really cigarettes with brown papers...but because the 'RICHIES' smoke cigars no extra taxes...

I will not smoke them...cause I don't want to smoke ever again...I cannot say never..but I believe I will not smoke another cigarette/cigar again..

[RebelOne]

45. I am a smoker and do not cough from cigarettes,

but the e-cigarettes make me cough. I am trying to quit, but the e-cigarettes do not seem to be the answer.

[angstlessk]

47. I would do anything to quit cigs...I got bronchitis-twice

and at times felt my lung was the size of a dime...and felt I was going to die if I could not catch my breath...

Luckily my friend had oxygen tanks for her breathing problems ( and she shared)...and she too has gone to ecigs (cause of me)...though she only smoked about 2-3 cigs per day...because she could not smoke in her room because she had oxygen...

I always thought people with oxygen who smoked were fools...till I saw myself smoking cigarettes with an oxygen tank....

TILL I FOUND ECIGS....

[madokie]

16. Please let me know if you would.

I have a friend who I'd like to buy one for if it does work with weed.

[Politicalboi]

21. Well, it is supposed to work with wax too

But as soon as I get it, I will post it. I still haven't gotten the shipment e-mail yet. I ordered it yesterday. I may even post a video.

[madokie]

27. Great

thanks

[Politicalboi]

29. No problem

[TheDebbieDee]

33. I was able to quit using hypnosis 10 years ago.

I greatly recommend it!

[RebelOne]

46. Tried hypnosis, but it did not work for me.

I have tried everything to get rid of this habit. I have a doctor's appointment next week, and I am going to try to get a prescription for Chantix.

[angstlessk]

49. Try Ecigs...I smoked from age 13 to 62.....the only thing that helped was Ecigs...

I am using high nicotine ...24mg...going to down as I order more juice...to 18 mg..then 16 mg..then 8 mg..then 6 mg..then 0 mg...

[dflprincess]

54. Chantix was like a magic bullet for me

I will confess that I took it longer than is currently recommended before I quit smoking - but I got up one day and said to myself "If I'm going to quit - it might as well be today." And with that statement I became a non-smoker (it was 6 years last September). No real cravings but I missed the motions of it all for a little while.

I was lucky and the only side effect I had was really awful nausea but that did subside after a couple weeks. It seemed to help to take the drug on a full stomach. On the other hand, my cousin's son tried it but he had some awful depression problems and had to stop (I believe he had some problems with depression in the past). Just be aware of your moods.

Good luck!

[TheDebbieDee]

58. It was the second try at hypnosis that worked for me...

Maybe you should give it another shot.

I dont even notice that the people around me are smoking.

The smell of a burning cigarette doesn't affect me at all.

I don't even waste time thinking about smoking a cigarette.

Those three suggestions did the trick for me.

[kwassa]

5. Today's NPR story said that 20% of Americans still smoke.

That is still a lot of people. Now paying outrageous prices.

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. IIRC....when I quit, it was reported 23% of Americans smoked

That was in early 1998...
I could be wrong.

At the time it was also pretty clear that anything but smoking in your own home would be banned, sooner or later. When I quit, most offices banned indoor smoking.
It also was clear that as smoking rates decreased, price per pack would have to increase, both by tobacco companies and by various state and Federal "sin taxes".
Lots of factors have contributed to the declining rae.

Chawing tobacco ..now THAT's another story. Seems pretty popular in these parts. *shudder*

[Matariki]

6. I think the bar and restaurant ban played a big part

You used to see a real crowd outside of bars smoking. It seems to have dwindled to just a couple people. At least where I live.

[JaneyVee]

8. I love the bar & restaurant ban on smoking. Huge difference.

[Arugula Latte]

13. Me too. It's ridiculous to allow it in restaurants -- the smoke makes everything in the place stink.

And that includes food. We avoided certain places before Oregon's ban took affect. Now they get our business again.

[Kingofalldems]

12. A heart attack that almost killed me

was enough to make me quit. Surprisingly easy too.

[Skittles]

15. they made it too hard for me to keep smoking

it became too much like work

[demigoddess]

17. As a life long non smoker,

I thank everyone that has quit. Thankyou!!!!!! But I still get sick passing the places where workers of stores are outside the door smoking. Even if they are not there actively smoking, the area stinks. And I have been able to smell a smoker at 20 paces, out of doors and with a stiff wind blowing. It gives me migraines, since childhood.

[TransitJohn]

24. maybe you should get a filtrating respirator to wear around

How does traffic affect you?

[LanternWaste]

66. I doubt that cigarettes are critical in the transport of everything from medical patients to durable

I doubt that cigarettes are critical in the transport of everything from medical patients to durable goods as is traffic.

But then again, maybe there are still some sub-literate idiots who like to equate the cost/benefit ratios of the two as being one in the same...

[leftyohiolib]

44. me too even a little smoke starts my sinuses burning

[charmay]

18. Quitting made my life so much easier.

Two weeks of misery were well worth it.

[DesertFlower]

19. i stopped in '83 -- used hypnosis.

even while i was in a trance i was craving a smoke. stopping was one of the hardest things i've ever done.

[CTyankee]

23. I stopped about the same time. Funny thing, it wasn't that hard for me...

I had never smoked on the weekends, for one thing. Only on week days. When I decided to really quit, as opposed to "thinking" about quitting, I just did that. I stopped cold. I didn't WANT to be a smoker any more. It was dirty, smelly and unfashionable. Ralph Nader, then one of my heroes, said he would never hire a smoker. I didn't want to be somebody Nader wouldn't hire! Silly, I know, but that was a motivation. That was in the 1980s.

I was also in a new relationship, as a new divorcee, with a man who could not tolerate cigarette smoke. Our relationship was a big reason for me to just put a stop to it once and for all. And I did. And I didn't feel any urges or withdrawal symptoms. I just quit.

[DesertFlower]

30. i was smoking about 1-1/2 packs a day when i stopped.

many of my friends didn't smoke and i know it was offensive to them even though they didn't complain. i remember one time we were waiting in the car for someone. the AC was on and when i turned around my friend who was in the back seat was trying to push the smoke away from her.

i also didn't like the idea that it had control over me. i would have gone out in a snow storm for a cigarette.

i found it very hard to stop, but my friends and co-workers were very supportive. hubby was still smoking and every time i said i wanted a cigarette he'd put a dirty ashtray under my nose and say "is this what you want"? it took a few years but he stopped too. he kept trying. said "sooner or later it will work".

now i can't even be near it. makes me nauseous and dizzy.

amazes me why young people smoke. back in my day (i'm 72) we didn't know about the health concerns and cigarettes were not that expensive. when i stopped they had just hit $1.05 in new york. can't imagine paying $6 or more for a pack. i think it's about $12 in NYC.

my hairdresser stopped a few years ago with "chantix". then she thought "well i can have an occasional cigarette with a cocktail". she's back to a full blown habit.

hubby used to say if he smoked just 1 he'd be back to a habit. he did say if he lived to be 80 he'd start smoking again -- figured what did he have to lose. unfortunately he died at age 64-1/2 to an inoperable brain tumor.

[Ghost in the Machine]

20. Thanks to my son, I have cut down from 3 packs PER DAY to less than one pack every day and a half,

mainly due to him buying me a thing called a "Dura Smoke". It's one of those electronic cigarettes, but it's pretty cool. I can buy different flavors of oil that go in it... anything from regular tobacco flavor to exotic or fruit flavors. I'm currently using the Pina Colada flavor, which has been my favorite so far. I've tried blueberry, strawberry, banana and even Smores!

It charges thru a USB port on my computer, and can be charged up to 2,000 times. There's no smoke involved, the oil heats to a vapor which dissipates quickly when you exhale. The flavor oils are only $7.99, and last me about a month. I feel better, breathe better, food and drinks taste better and, best of all, I have saved a ton of money!! I thank my son every day for getting it for me back on Fathers Day.

I'd recommend it to anyone trying to quit, along with a huge dose of good luck!

Peace,

Ghost

[VanillaRhapsody]

32. I'd like that if it weren't for the nicotine!

don't want to ever go back there!

[angstlessk]

35. They have ecigs with 0 nicotine...which I want to get to...

[VanillaRhapsody]

39. that I would like!

let me know where to find...please!

[Ghost in the Machine]

40. Here's a link to some nicotine free products....

"Zero Nicotine is nicotine free smoking (vaping) it has more than 15 flavors like menthol, tobacco, fruit, sweet drinks, flavor"

http://www.bluestarecig.com/Bluestar-Zero-Nicotine

You might find something to your liking there

Peace,

Ghost

[bhikkhu]

22. Good news, and I think e-cigs will be the final nail in the coffin (so to speak)

I know a few people that have switched to them without much trouble. More interesting (thought there's less data at this point), is that the kids who would have smoked before are more likely to just use e-cigs now, and never smoke at all.

I quit five years ago, btw. Used the gum for a month, then was done for good.

[Kaleva]

25. I finally got serious about quiting early last year and went cold turkey.

Good thing I lived alone during that time as I was GRUMPY and I ate from morning till bed time. I had lost 30 some pounds before quitting but gained that back rather quickly.

[TygrBright]

41. Yep, now they're "vaping" instead. Not necessarily an improvement... n/t

[angstlessk]

43. Vaping IS an improvement over smoking...I used to wake up every hour to cough

now I sleep through the night...5-6-8 hours...usually I wake up thirsty...

[Curmudgeoness]

51. It is an improvement IF you are a smoker already,

but if you start vaping when you had not used any nicotine products, that is where the problem arises.

[angstlessk]

53. Who in the hell would want to vape instead of smoking???? Other than former smokers???

If I never smoked a cigarette I would NEVER vape...

[Curmudgeoness]

56. I don't know if there is any truth to it,

but "they" are saying that it is becoming popular with the young crowd. And that is what they are worried about. This could be valid, since I started smoking because "everyone was doing it"....but I have seen no real evidence yet.

I agree with you though, who would take up vaping if they didn't smoke!?!?!?!?

[angstlessk]

55. You go some proof that non smokers are suddenly VAPING???

I bet NOT

[El_Johns]

62. Yes. I saw an approx. 12 year old kid riding a bike & vaping just a couple of nights ago. It kind of

astonished me.

Kids would vape for the same reason they would smoke. It's "cool."

[blkmusclmachine]

42. Long-time smokers have died off.

[Zorra]

48. I'd like to see smoking in feature films made illegal. It's really bad for kids.

Government Subsidies to the US Film Industry Promote Youth Smoking, Argue Researchers

Earlier research shows that young people who are heavily exposed to tobacco imagery in films are about three times more likely to begin smoking as lightly exposed youths. This evidence led the World Health Organisation to recommend in 2009 that future films with scenes of smoking be given an adult content rating, to create an economic incentive for producers to leave smoking out.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823180510.htm

Smoking in Movies Increases in 2011, Reverses Five Years of Progress

Sep. 27, 2012 — Top box office films last year showed more onscreen smoking than the prior year, reversing five years of steady progress in reducing tobacco imagery in movies, according to a new UCSF study.
---snip
"Hollywood has still not fixed this problem," said lead author Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, a professor of medicine at UCSF and director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. "The result of the increase in onscreen smoking in youth-rated films will be more kids starting to smoke and developing tobacco-induced disease."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120927123646.htm

[angstlessk]

57. I totally agree....I thought there was to be no more smoking in movies

then suddenly they smoke again...

And no one who smokes....coughs...though in real life..if you are 50 and smoking since you were a teen...you most likely will cough if you smoke

No smoker coughs....

[Kablooie]

50. Not me. I never stopped smoking.

I never started smoking so I can't say I stopped.

[sorefeet]

52. You know what blows my mind?????

I have known lots of people (not hard to do now days) that have been incarcerated for anywhere from 3 months to 10 years and they are not allowed to smoke. But just as soon as they get out of the slammer they just got to have a fucking cigarette. They don't even consider the fact that they got the damned things whipped then they start all over again. Got a buddy who just went thru the spin dry for a year and he started right back up, now he is trying to quit again. And he knows damned good and well that he already has COPD.

[angstlessk]

59. I was in the hospital for 3 days...no cigs...and never even wanted one

but as soon as I got out of the hospital I wanted a cigarette????

I am now on Ecigs...and will never go back...

[brewens]

60. I'd like to see what the cigarettes sales say. How much are they down? If not

dramatically, I'd say more people are closet smokers of which I know many.

You wouldn't beieve the complaint I got against me one time. Yes I was a smoker and yes at one blood drive I had been outside smoking a cigarette and went back to my registration desk to go back to work. At that time someone must have detected that I had been smoking and said something to one of the women at this hospital foundation. The next time I was there came the complaint. This from a woman there that had a personal problem with me that I won't go into.

She claimed I reeked of cigarette smoke and it even bothered the women upstairs! This is a situation where I'm in a downstairs banquet room and this time none of the women working for the foundation actually came down to donate or saw who was there. If they had, they would have seen that I actually had a supervisor sitting right there with me! Oops! He couldn't beilieve it when that email complaint was forewarded to him. It was an absolute flat assed, stone cold freakin' lie! Not only that. Their CEO had also come in to donate with her HR manager. An HR manager that I had played side by side on our high school football offensive line with. Not only that. Our quarterback and great fiend of mine and her HR manager is a major donor to that foundation. Not only that! Her husband works for that quarterback and major donor to her foundation! Can you say f!cked up! She was out the door if I even felt a little bit like saying so! I know how to play these things and her husband is a really good guy so I let it go, sort of. I do like having my ass kissed when someone knows they messed with the wrong guy!

The point of all that is that if someone smokes a cigarette on a break and you are able to tell they have been smoking, so freakin" what? I have been a non-smoker around smokers, a smoker and then again a non-smoker around smokers. It is a smell and yes you can tell they have been smoking. It is not and will never be anything even remotely equivalent to something like bad body odor or persistent bad breath! About the time 90% of smokers get back to their desk and get back to work, that slight odor you were barely able to detect is gone in a couple of minutes. Yeah there are people that smoke five cigarettes in their car on the way to work that can be a offensive. I wouldn't allow that in my truck if someone were riding with me even when I smoked. That is not what most smokers do.

I would be willing to bet that most people complaining about smoke odor on co-workers have a personal problem with them. Or at the very least, you could show they had no such complaints against smokers they are friends with. For the most part I would say STFU or GrowTFU to those people! Some people smoke. That's the way it is.

[LanternWaste]

67. Cool allegations, bro.

Cool allegations, bro.

[Brigid]

61. You wouldn't know it around here.

Especially at the bus stops.

[raccoon]

68. I think a lot of it depends on your area--and the cost of cigarettes in your area. In SC, we still

have mucho smokers.