Tobacco | Smoke Free Methods

AntiSmoking: Stop Smoking to Protect Children From Eating Cigarette Butts

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Young children will put anything and everything into their mouths. They don’t care what it is or what it tastes like they will put it in their mouths and likely swallow it. What starts out as a way for children to explore their surrounds can quickly turn into a dangorouse act.

Did you know that over 500 children every year are taken to the emergency room because they ingested a cigarette butt?

Smokers who were careless or not paying attention, discarded their cigarette butts around the child. When the parent or loved one was not looking the child picked it up and placed it in their mouth. It caused them to swallow it. In many of the cases the parent or loved one did not even know if the child swallowed the cigarette, it wasn’t until the child was sick that they knew something was up.

In a study conducted by the Rhode Island Department of Health, it showed that over 40 children ages 6 to 24 months, in one year were admitted to the hosptial as a result of ingesting cigarette butts or partial cigarettes. These children exhibited signs of coughing, stomache aches, withdrawal and vomitting. No child was fatally injured due to this problem but it did cause illness.

While the effects of swallowing a cigartte as a child are not known, it is very concerning to many people who study public health. The first issue to come up is what happens to the body because it is coming into contact with such harmful chemicals directly. The other issue is that of where the cigarette butt came from. Sometimes the cigarette butt did not even come from the house of the child, there are concerns over STDs and other types of diseases that can be contracted via the transfer of body fluids. In this case the cigarette butt into the body.

Prevent children from eating cigarette butts and consider the ability to start on your journey to quit smoking.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Health, Rhode Island Department of Health, Tobacco

How to Talk to Your Kids About Smoking

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There are several approaches you can take when you talk to your kids about smoking. Try to have this conversation regularly as your child grows up so you can gauge his or her feelings and thoughts. Add in more statistics and health information depending on the age of your child. This can help prevent your kids from ever trying a cigarette. You can also use this conversation to help your kids or teenagers stop smoking.

Find out what your child knows about smoking. This will turn it into a conversation instead of just a lecture. It also helps you understand the peer pressure that exists. Try role playing with your child so they know exactly what to say when offered a cigarette.

Research together. You don’t want to scare your children. Just let them know the truth about the harmful effects of cigarettes and tobaccos. You can find lists of all of the chemical compounds and health risks. Assure your child that their medical care is safe with an Rx card, but they also need to take steps to be as healthy as possible.

Get help from their school. Many schools have anti-drug and anti-smoking campaigns and clubs. You can get literature and help from these organizations about how to talk to your kids about smoking. If the school doesn’t have one of these programs then consider starting one.

You’ll need to dispel myths to have an effective conversation. Ask your child what the appeal of smoking is. Talk about how it might appear like a popular fad, but it can have addictive properties. In addition to the health effects, you can review the cost of cigarettes both in terms of healthcare and the actual cost of the product. You can also talk about the ways it affects the outward appearance such as coughing or discoloration of the teeth.

Filed Under: Addiction, General, Health Tagged With: Child, Cigarette, Electronic cigarette, Health, Smoking cessation, Substance abuse, Tobacco, Tobacco smoking

The Eletronic Cigarette: What is It?

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Kicking the habit of smoking isn’t going to happen overnight. Many people who are addicted to smoking need to be slowly weened off cigarettes through a number of means. Sometimes these people turn to medications that cause you to stop smoking, other times it’s a patch or gum that helps. The latest trend in helping people to quit smoking and kick the nasty habit is the electronic cigarette.

An electronic cigarette is a battery operated device that provides the nicotine fix that people need without the harmful chemicals, environmental factors and other issues that come with tobacco cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes come in a variety of forms from flavored vapors to that of smaller doses of nicotine.

It’s these smaller doses of nicotine that allow electronic cigarettes to become an anti smoking device. Many people will start off at the original dose of nicotine that they used to use and slowly work down until eventually they completely stop all together.

There are mixed reviews whether an electronic cigarette works as a smoking aid or not. Many people believe that it is just a ploy by the electronic cigarette companies to get people to buy into the product. Other smokers swear by the product and believe that it helped aid them through the process of quitting smoking.

There are many different types of the electronic cigarette. Some come in the form of a cigarette and appear to be just like a tobacco cigarette without the tobacco. Others look almost like a pencil or ballpoint pen and have been named a ballpoint pen cigarette. At the moment there are currently, some electronic cigarettes that can be disposed off when they are smoked so that they do not have to be put into the smokers pocket for later.

Whether electronic cigarettes help aid in quitting smoking, one fact remains that it is healthier for you, others and the environment then the tobacco cigarettes.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Electronic cigarette, Nicotine, Tobacco

Anti Smoking Fact Sheet: What is Second Hand Smoke?

It’s a major public health concern. It’s what innocent bystanders breath in when they are standing next to a smoker and it is very harmful to your health. It’s known as second hand smoke.

Second hand smoke, passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke is all same thing. It’s just a different name for the same item. But what is second hand smoke really and what is is made up of?

Second hand smoke is the output of tobacco cigarettes that other people breath in. This smoke contains the nicotine and chemicals that smokers breath in only they are not physically smoking the cigarettes.

Studies have shown that the longer a person is exposed to second hand smoke the higher their risk is of developing all the cancers that are associated with smoking tobacco cigarettes.

The numbers are quite shocking when it comes to second hand smoke. Here are some of the amazing statistics about second hand smoke.

Over 45,000 deaths each year are a direct cause of second hand smoke exposure. These people pass away from cancer, heart trouble and other illnesses that are linked to cigarettes. Many of these people have never smoked a cigarette in their lives.

Over 300,000 cases of infections of the lungs such as pneumonia, bronchitis and other issues are a cause of second hand smoke. Many of these infections every year are in children ages 18 months and younger.

There are over 3,500 cases of non-smoking lung cancer cases in people who have never smoked a cigarette.

With all the risks that come from second hand smoke it is understandable why states are banning and stopping the ability to smoke indoors. Innocent people who are exposed to second hand smoke are being put at risks for illnesses and diseases that they do not expect to be exposed to at all. The only sure way to protect against second hand smoke is to ensure that there is no smoking at all around a person!

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Tobacco, Tobacco smoking

How E Cigarette Starter Kits Help Increase Libido

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Impotence is one of those conditions that are grossly under reported. Hesitance in sufferers to acknowledge that the have a problem and seek help means that impotence cases may be much higher than what statistics show. While men face erectile dysfunction, women too can face a loss of libido. Impotence can wreak havoc in a person’s life by creating embarrassing situations, breaking relationships and greatly impacting self esteem. For the treatment of impotence, it is vital to identify the cause first.

There can be several causes of these conditions. Hormonal disorders, obesity, stress, drugs, injury and aging are just a few of them. Impotence is also often attributed to heavy smoking. Compared to non-smokers or light smokers, chain smokers or people who smoke more than a pack a day are more likely to develop some form of impotence or the other. This would be loss of libido, failure to maintain erections or even failure to have an erection at all. Beating the addiction to tobacco can go a long way in treating impotence.

Tobacco alternate products like nicotine patches and chewing gums have been developed to help people quit smoking. Another such product that has become the rave is the electronic cigarette or e cigarette. These are cigarette shaped devices that vaporize a flavored liquid containing varied levels of nicotine to be inhaled by the user. The e cigarette looks, tastes and feels like a real cigarette but no have most of the harmful effects. E cigarette starter kits help first time users get a hang of using the device, allowing them to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke in a day. The lesser the number of cigarettes smoked, the lesser its impact on a person’s body and systems. Lowering of the quantity of tobacco smoke or complete eradication by using an e cigarette greatly improves the treatment of impotence and libido loss.

Filed Under: Addiction, General, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Effects, Electronic cigarette, Health, Nicotine, Specific Substances, Tobacco, Tobacco smoking

The Appeal of Smoking

The appeal of smoking cigarettes goes back many, many years. There was a time when smoking was considered attractive and classy. You probably remember those black and white movies with a woman smoking a cigarette held in a long cigarette holder. She was beautiful and sophisticated and she smoked, too! In those old movies, almost everyone smoked at some point in the movie. Those popular times are gone and the ugliness of smoking cigarettes has come out.

Those fancy cigarette holders were more than just a fashion accessory. They were used to help prevent yellowing of the fingers. The holders are not as common today, but the yellowing caused by cigarettes is still rampant. Not only do your fingertips turn an ugly shade of yellow, but your teeth change color, too. Nicotine stains are difficult to remove even with all of the whitening products available. If you are a smoker or thinking about smoking, you need to ask yourself if smoking is worth risking the normal color of your teeth and fingers.

Smoking cigarettes was once the “in” thing to do if you wanted to fit in with certain groups, especially in high school. Again, you can watch older movies and see how the athletic kids did not smoke, but the rough and rowdy groups did. Today, that standard still exists. Many of the popular, sporty youths do not smoke, so their friends do not smoke. However, smoking is common in other high school cliques. Teens wanting to fit in start smoking. Once the habit takes hold it is hard to break.

One aspect that anti-smoking campaigns need to focus on is the media. When smoking is made to look okay in popular television shows or movies, young people are more likely to follow in the steps of their favorite actor. If television and the movies stop glorifying smoking, fewer teens will start the habit.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Smoking, Tobacco

Chewing Tobacco: Not an Option for People Trying to Stop Smoking

Many people believe that chewing tobacco is a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Many trade cigarettes for chewing tobacco. They believe that the tobacco is better for their health than cigarettes. Unfortunately, this is not true. Chewing tobacco is not a safe way to stop smoking. It is just as harmful to your health as cigarettes. If you are a smoker, do not turn to chewing tobacco instead of cigarettes. You need to quit all forms of nicotine in order to save your overall health.

Chewing tobacco comes in a variety of forms. Most involve putting the tobacco in between your lip and gum. You spit out the tobacco juice. There is nicotine in chewing tobacco so you will still be addicted to nicotine. You may not be inhaling harmful smoke into your lungs, but you will still be swallowing some of the juice. This often leads to various kinds of cancers, including throat and mouth cancer.

In addition to cancer, chewing tobacco causes your teeth to decay. It can lead to gum disease and cause painful sores in your mouth. When it comes to appearances, having a lump of tobacco in your mouth is not attractive. Neither is the constant spitting that goes with it. There are new packets of tobacco that make it possible not to spit, but the health risks from the tobacco are still present.

In order to successfully quit smoking, you must wean yourself away from cigarettes. Chewing tobacco in any form is not a safe way to stop smoking. It is just as addictive and harmful to your health as smoking. Quitting cigarettes is a challenge, but it can be done. Commit yourself to letting go of the cigarettes and leave the chewing tobacco alone. Your health will improve and you will not have that unsightly bulge in your mouth.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Chewing tobacco, Smoking cessation, Tobacco

The Impact of Cigarettes on Public Health

A serious public health concern is involves smoking cigarettes. Not only are cigarettes harmful to the individual smoking, the secondhand smoke is harmful to innocent bystanders. This harmful nuisance has been addressed for years. Scientists discovered the harmful effects of smoking and began putting warning labels on packages of cigarettes. But the discoveries did not stop there.

With further studies, scientists began to see the effect of cigarette smoke on non-smoking individuals. People that had never smoked a cigarette in their life began developing cancer and other health problems. Even small children with smoking parents were being affected by secondhand smoke. These public health concerns triggered anti-smoking campaigns.

The Surgeon General recognized the risk, informed the public and began changing laws pertaining to tobacco products. No longer were minors allowed to buy cigarettes. Warning labels were rewritten to include information about the effects of smoke on unborn children. The public responded to the new laws by enacting their own restrictions. Restaurants and other places of business began enforcing strict “No Smoking” policies.

Today, smoking is still a habit for millions of people. However, there are more and more products on the market to help people quit. Pills, patches, chewing gum, and lozenges are just a few of the items people can buy to help them curb their nicotine cravings. While giving up cigarettes is not an easy thing to do, people everywhere are trying. The risk of emphysema, lung cancer and other cigarette-related problems overrides the desire for nicotine.

The public once believed that cigarettes were not harmful. Smoking was allowed in all places of business, even hospitals. Today, smoking is banned from almost all public businesses. Even bars and nightclubs are starting to shut their door on cigarette smoke. Science changed that belief and the public responded, proving that public health is an important issue.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health, Medication Tagged With: Cigarette, Tobacco, Tobacco smoking

Antismoking Campaigns Targeting Youth

Antismoking Campaigns Targeting Youth One of the hardest addictions to beat is the addiction to cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes leads to some very serious health problems, including cancer. With warning labels clearly printed on each pack of cigarettes, people still start the habit. Even though it is common knowledge that smoking can kill you, some young people still believe that it makes them look cool and helps them fit in. Anti-smoking campaigns have swept the country with the sole purpose of deterring people, especially youth, from smoking cigarettes.

Peer pressure is one of the most difficult things to overcome for young people. When a youth is surrounded by friends that smoke cigarettes, it is difficult to not follow suit. Anti-smoking campaigns stress the importance of being able to stand out from the crowd. These campaigns try to talk to youth in words they can understand. They do not focus only on the risk of cancer and emphysema. Young people do not always think about the future, so they are less likely to worry about long-term effects. The campaigns point out things like bad breath, yellow teeth and fingernails and the stench of smoke.

These types of things are likely to make young people think twice about smoking. Teens live in a very material world and appearances are important in school and social settings. By appealing to their desire to look good, anti-smoking campaigns have a better chance of getting through to the younger generations. If the number of young people smoking is consistently reduced, the number of smoking adults will keep decreasing, as well.

Public health depends on anti-smoking campaigns to help keep society healthy. Without preventative measures in place, teens would keep lighting up, leading to future health risks. Smoking is a public health problem that may not ever be entirely eliminated. With continued efforts, it can be dramatically improved.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Health, Tobacco

Smoking: Damaging to Society’s Future Health

Smoking: Damaging to Society’s Future Health The young people of the world have a problem. That problem is smoking. Too many of today’s youth are turning to cigarettes for a multitude of reasons. These reasons include trying to fit in with their peers, curiosity and following their parents example. It is essential that local and national governments continue to take action to help young people avoid this unhealthy habit. Anti-smoking campaigns must continue to target the youth or the long term effects could be disastrous to public health.

If the youth of today’s society continues to smoke cigarettes, they will smoke when they reach adulthood. This means that the number of smoking adults will not decrease. Smoking is linked to various health conditions so the future public health is at risk of facing the same risks of today. Younger generations of the future will also be at risk for smoking if their parents are still smoking. The cycle of smoking is just a vicious circle that will continue to turn if society does not lay down the law.

Already, laws and rules are being enforced to cut down on the number of places where smoking is allowed. Unless changes are made that will force people to stop smoking, the laws and regulations will only help the non-smoking public. Smokers are going to smoke, regardless of if they can smoke inside a building or not. They will simply go outside and find a place to get their fix of nicotine.

It is not likely that smoking will ever be against the law. However, more regulations might lead to more people trying to quit. If it is not easy to smoke, especially in public, smokers may be more inclined to get help for quitting rather than trying to fight the system. For the health of the future, it is important to continue encouraging people to stop smoking.