Category — Quit Smoking

Spotted this popular but somewhat unscientific demonstration of the effects of one cigarette on the lungs.

Do You Smoke? U Got To Watch This…

Certainly doesn’t look very nice but was anyone expecting it to?

Another step in the right direction happened today. The legal smoking age has been raised to 18 years old from 16. The horrifying figures from the Department of Health state that a smoker that starts at 15 is twice more likely of being killed by their lifelong addiction.

I’m hoping that this will make a difference to the amount of kids starting smoking at a young age. If it doesn’t we’re going to see a lot more teenagers outside shop-fronts asking adults to ‘buy us some ciggies’.

The Department of Health have created a dedicated website, how nice of them, which explains the Tobacco Age Change. It includes information about the law, faq and downloads.

Anything that tries to dissuade smoking is good in my book. This is a welcome measure.

So what’s the plan? The government have decided that the textual warnings just aren’t cutting the proverbial mustard and have stepped up their game with adding lurid images. The packets will be getting a wide range of off-putting imagery – 15 in total. One includes a healthy pair of lungs beside a cancer ridden pair. Not nice. Another shows someone’s open mouth with some rather black rotting teeth telling the viewer that cigarettes can contain benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde, and nitrogen cyanide! Some images include real people going through bad times with smoking related illnesses.

The cigarette companies only have to show 1 image on their packets by the end of next year. I think that’s a bit poor. They should randomise the full range of images. That would certainly bring a whole new concept to the collection cards that cigarettes of yesteryear used to include in them. “Collect all 15 ways to die and we’ll send you a free epitaph book”

Now as we all know this is certainly going to make all new and old smokers have a think. Obviously it’s the former that will be affected most. If the pictures can deter the younger generation from starting/continuing smoking then this will be a very valid campaign indeed. This with the smoking age going up to 18 from 16 (in England and Wales) soon is a step in the right direction.

At Nicorette Smoke Free you can get your own custom smoke free signs and posters. ‘So what’ you’re probably thinking well these are really neat posters that aren’t just blatantly nagging you to stop. Registering with the site will give you lots of cool tools to help create better, more positive ways to tackle smoking in the workplace.

The site also allows the workplace to create their own online site and office policies too. Their posters are great which explain in layman’s terms how you can cut down to stop, understand Nicotine myths and provide some fantastic tips to help. These are all downloadable and available to print out in PDF format.

Nicorette also provides support with their online Active Stop programme.

Chantix, the trade name of varenicline, has been said to have potential to be better than other drug treatments for alcoholism. Chantix is more commonly known as the new drug from Phizer which helps smokers kick the habit.

However it’s early days yet as the treatment has only been tested on rats. In what I think is quite funny experiment whereby rats are plied with alcohol for a few months and then given a dose of Chantix. The tests showed that the rats consumed less alcohol after just one dose. So we have a drug that can help you cut smoking and alcohol… this really should be renamed to something like Halo or maybe Halox. lol

This treatment has got scientists excited at present there is only 3 medications available to help reduce alcoholism.