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Cigarette News

StopSmokingCoach — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:02:05 +0000

WILL THIS BE THE END OF THE MENTHOL?
The FDA is discussing on the possibilities on eliminating menthol cigarettes to prevent teens from smoking. Some studies suggest that eliminating the menthol cigarette from the market will have major impact on underage smoking prevention. The counter argument to this has been that the ban will create a black market for menthol cigarettes because there are already a large percentage of smokers that smoke menthol.

THE LAND OF RISING SUN FACES A RISING CIGARETTE PRICE
Cigarette smokers in Japan are flocking to their local retailers to stock up on cigarettes before the unprecedented 100yen (about $1.20) price hike takes place. Considering the largest price hike was only 20yen so far, this is surely a shocker for many cigarette smokers in Japan.

CIGARETTE SMUGGLING – PROHIBITION ANYONE?
A New Jersey man was arrested for transporting 400 cartons of untaxed cigarettes with the intentions to sell them locally. The cigarettes were purchased in North Carolina and he was on his way back to New Jersey to sell them. This is only one of the smaller cases of cigarette smuggling that’s been going on around the country. *(I’m all for quitting smoking, but if there is an upside to cigarette price hike, I don’t think our legislators paid enough attention to the potential downside of the hikes.)

Chantix – What Are The Dangers

StopSmokingCoach — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:55:38 +0000

If you decided to quit smoking, I assure you it was the single most important decision in your life. The next step would be to choose how you will quit and you just might be interested in Chantix. Here’s a short description of Chantix for those of you who are not familiar with this drug. Chantix is basically a non-nicotine pill which is designed to target nicotine receptors in the brain and attach to them. The end result is preventing nicotine reaching the receptors.

In theory and by their own marketing pitch it sounds wonderful, but a mounting number of Chantix lawsuit tell a different story. Some of the side effects disclosed by Pfizer (the maker of Chantix) include, reported changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, let me stop there. No matter how rare, a stop smoking aid product’s side effect should not include suicidal thoughts or actions. The act of quitting smoking should improve the quality of life and not worsen it.

Chantix was approved by the FDA in May 2006 and by May 2009 FDA indicated it received reports of 39 Chantix suicides. The sales number of Chantix has been sliding ever since the concerns have been made public.

If you believe you need help quitting smoking, there are many other quit smoking aids on the market and I would seriously advice you to go with the alternatives. If you don’t want to add anything into your system, you can also try hypnotherapy or acupuncture.

I like to compare the act of smoking as committing a slow suicide, as you can see I am that much against smoking cigarettes. But If I had to choose between chancing with a cigarette vs. a drug that could possibly give me suicidal thoughts, I’d always go with the cigarette. Be wise, choose another path, and always choose to improve your health.

E-Cigarettes – Are E-Cigarettes safer than smoking?

StopSmokingCoach — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:35:50 +0000

E-Cigarette or “Electronic Cigarette” is an alternative nicotine delivery system to smoked tobacco products such as, cigars, pipes, and of course cigarettes. It looks and feels just like a cigarette but it’s actually a battery-powered device. E-Cigarettes utilize atomizers to vaporize nicotine and propylene glycol (a substance commonly found in fog machines) which deliver nicotine and flavoring to the user without the deadly carcinogens found in cigarette smoke.

Lately, there have been floods of news on E-Cigarettes and the trend doesn’t seem like slowing down anytime soon. Many E-Cigarette users have either cut down on their daily smoking or have completely made the shift to E-Cigarettes. So are E-Cigarettes safer than smoking? The attached video will help determine that on your own, but the general consensus among E-Cigarette users is that “it’s a no-brainer”. Simply put, nicotine on its own is not a harmful substance. What make cigarettes deadly are the additives and the byproduct of the smoke. You remove the smoke and the deadly additives out of cigarettes, and you quite literally get E-Cigarettes.

Lastly, the best alternative to cigarette is to quit smoking for good. But if you are one the people unable to quit but not for lack of trying, then perhaps is time to try something different. As always, good luck.

FDA Wants to Stuff E-Cigarettes

StopSmokingCoach — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:34:07 +0000

The public are outraged at anti E-Cigarette special interest groups and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for trying to stop E-Cigarettes on the basis (or so FDA claims) that it’s a drug and claiming it needs regulatory approval.

Many supporters of E-Cigarettes are concerned about the new legislation that gives FDA jurisdiction of tobacco products specifically prohibits cigarettes from being outlawed and countless other harmful products which escape the “sin tax”. This leads to the assumption that our government cares more about tobacco tax revenue than the public health.

E-Cigarette users swear by that they have benefited from using E-Cigarettes and the benefits range from stopping coughing, breathing better, ridding of cigarette smoke stench, and countless other benefits.

Sales and use of electronic cigarettes are illegal in Australia and in Hong Kong, but that hasn’t stopped people from purchasing them online. At this point, it’s hard to say how this battle will end, but for the sake for people who’ve benefited from the use of E-Cigarettes, I sincerely hope the people will be heard this time. Learn about E-Cigarettes Here.

E-Cigarettes – Are E-Cigarettes safer than smoking?

Madonna Being a Mom

StopSmokingCoach — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:32:09 +0000

On the Russia leg of her world tour, Madonna has requested, check that, “imposed” the banning of smoking roadies coming within 50ft of her. This has many entertainment publications criticizing her for being a diva, but the real motivation seems to stem from Madonna just being a mother in this case.

Apparently, Madonna is touring with her children and she’s taken the strict measure especially because her next destination is Russia. If you didn’t know, the Russians are cigarette-obsessed and the banning has many Russian crew members baffled. The Russian crew’s side of the argument is that unless Madonna can build her stage on her own, she’ll just have to suck it up.

Would Madonna get her way? Maybe I’ll do an update on that, but for now, I say she’s just being a mom. If the people who criticize her for being a diva knew anything about Second and Third Hand Smoke, I seriously doubt they could write those chiding articles.

New Moon Smoking Castmembers Quitting

StopSmokingCoach — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:19:16 +0000

Breaking away from the stereotypical young Hollywood stars, the “New Moon” actress Ashley Greene and Nikki Reed have teamed up to quit smoking for their fans.

It’s reported that everyone in the cast smokes cigarettes and since they are among of the most lucrative targets for the paparazzi, needless to say there are tons of pictures everywhere of the cast members smoking. The cast members smoking cigarette of course is nobody’s business, but the problem stems from the fact that the majority of their fans are teens. Apparently a close friend of Nikki Reed has sited the reason for quitting, “An effort to be better role models for their young fans”.

I am a firm believer in personal freedom, nevertheless it’s really refreshing to see a young Hollywood star acknowledging the profound impact they have on their young fans. And what’s more, she’s addressing the issue by giving up smoking.

A Doctor’s Aggressive Stance Against Cigarettes

StopSmokingCoach — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:37:19 +0000

In Poland, about 8 million out of the 38 million populations are smokers. Smoking related disease claim over 60000 poles each year and recently a Polish cancer specialist proposed cigarette boxes adorn pictures of tumor. The doctor is hopeful that the pictures will deter people from smoking.

“A picture speaks a thousand words”, perhaps it has a chance of having success. If I were still a smoker, I don’t think I would be comfortable smoking out of a box showing tumors which can actually be developing in my body as I smoke the box away. Some things you just never get used to and people are easily troubled by graphic images. Visual cue tends to take priority in humans and the effect it has on us can be profound.

If our government was not responsible enough to ban such an addictive and lethal product (if you could call it that) in the first place, it may be time that we do something about it ourselves. If you are reading this article you most likely own a computer and you are just as likely to own a printer. Do a Google image search on tumor pictures, print one and slide it between the cigarette box and the plastic covering it. Make sure you always carry your cigarette box with the picture slid in it and use it as an additional motivational tool. As some pictures may be too graphic for some of our readers, unfortunately we cannot provide you with the pictures on this site. Please be aware that Google images will return many graphic images when you do any query including the word tumor.

Remember, most people fail many times over before they successfully give up smoking. You have to use every tool available at your disposal to aid you in quitting smoking. Generally people who have success giving up smoking tend to have a solid plan before they try quitting. Don’t give up just because you may have failed a few times, what matter is that you are still trying. Continue with “Third Hand Smoke”.

50-50 Chance of Survival

StopSmokingCoach — Mon, 25 May 2009 05:12:58 +0000

A Russian roulette would give you about 5 in 6 survival rates, would you like to guess what kind of odds you are playing with smoking cigarettes? The answer is 1 in 2, that’s right your classic 50-50 survival chance. Tobacco related disease kill 1 out of every 2 smokers.

It’s amazing how people could care less about what could happen to them in 10 to 20 years down the road even if it involved death. No one in their right mind would light another cigarette if it meant they would have a 50-50 chance at getting cancer the next day. And yet if it’s 10 or 20 years in the future the odds start to look pretty good to smokers. How does that make sense to you? Are assuming your life would be less precious 10 years down road? Life is life, and elderliness does not make life any less special than youthfulness. In fact, I would argue in a personal manner that we would have more reasons to live as we age. For most of us, the longer we live, the more we’ve loved and therefore there’s more to love. The people we love make our lives worth living and we have a responsibility to them, to be with them and love them for as long as our natural lives allow us.

The Scottish actor Ewan McGregor quit smoking in 2007. He admitted the thought of explaining to his kids he was dying because he took his health for granted was enough to have him quit smoking. Now I’m not saying you should quit smoking because a Hollywood star has done it. But he displayed a commendable act as a father, an example we can all follow for our own reasons.

If one chamber of a revolver was loaded with a dud bullet and you could play Russian roulette safely for the time being. The only catch being if the dud hits, you have to shoot yourself in the head exactly 10 years future. Would you do it? I don’t think I need to explain to you that you are playing with even scarier odds if you do not stop smoking. Continue with “A Doctor’s Aggressive Stance Against Cigarettes“.

Cigarette Price Hike and its Effectiveness

StopSmokingCoach — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:47:50 +0000

Recent studies show that the price increase of cigarette did little in reducing the number of smokers in the United States. When there is an increase in cigarette price, you will see a spike in the number of people trying to quit. A good example of that would be callers to Quitline increasing by as much as tenfold in the beginning cycle of the price increase. The problem is that only small number smokers who supposedly want to quit follow through. The initial shock fades over time and smokers will once again find their own reasons to keep smoking. Overcome by the fear of giving up smoking, it becomes easy to justify paying an extra 50cents or a dollar per pack.

Most smokers are thought to cut back when there is a price hike in cigarettes. But as a former smoker, it’s hard for me to believe that these smokers will stick to their cut back figures. Unless you are quitting for good, cutting back is temporary measure that is not sustainable. Once nicotine dependency sets in, it becomes a struggle for every minute you go without the necessary amount nicotine in your system. The new smokers control the number of cigarettes they smoke far better than those who have smoked for many years already. In my experience in dealing with smokers, it appeared to me that the longer you’ve been a smoker, the harder it is to quit smoking.

Right now the trending of social norms is that smoking is socially unacceptable. Perhaps instead of price increase in cigarettes, changing how people live should take precedence. Many studies show that public ordinance such as smoking ban in indoor places is far more effective in combating the smoking epidemic. Smokers are losing their space in suburbs and cities across America and the trending will continue without a doubt. I fear that smokers will be pushed and antagonized into quitting smoking in the near future. Whether that’s right or wrong it’s debatable. What is not debatable is the fact that you can choose not being in the middle of this debate. Simply Quit Smoking. Continue with “The Famous Who Died From Smoking”.