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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

New Years Resolution: Quitting Tobacco

Every year the issue of resolutions comes up and this year is no exception.  THE GUARDIAN would offer for your consideration quitting tobacco.  I didn't say smoking as that does not cover the myriad of products that fall under tobacco use.  I have included a couple of graphic photos to help bolster your resolve to quit smoke and smokeless tobacco. 

I am probably one of the most ardent advocates of quitting tobacco and do so as a former smoker.  My last cigarette was in February of 1970.  I got started when I was in the Navy and cigarettes sold for a mere $1.10/carton of 10 packs of smokes, chewing tobacco was $0.25/can of Copenhagen.  A smoke break was a really good excuse to go topside and get some fresh air. 

All the bad news about tobacco and smoking was just starting to take hold with the public after the Surgeon General's Report of 1964 with a direct link between smoking and lung cancer.  Since that time it has been linked to a myriad of health issues.  Tobacco companies know the health issues and they know they are going to lose the battle in this matter but they want to lose it slowly.

My wake up call came when I was still in the Navy and was traveling to New London, Ct. for Submarine School in 1968.  I ran out of tax free smokes and bought a pack of Luck Strikes at JFK Airport for $0.93.  I was making $82/month at that time and it was not hard to do the math.  I could smoke or eat but could not do both on that income level. 

It was not until February of 1970 that I quit cold turkey.  Withdrawal is not a pleasant exercise and has been likened to kicking heroin in some of the journals.  It can be done, and there are millions who have come to grips with this challenge.  You can expect about three weeks of intense withdrawal before the urge to smoke begins to taper off.  It will be different for everyone who takes on this challenge.

Smoking is not something that sustains life, it costs a lot of money and will kill you off at least a decade or more as you continue to age. No matter how you do it, a lifetime of tobacco use will add up to around $100K.  THE GUARDIAN hopes you will consider giving yourself the gift of a longer life and resolve to try and quit the use of tobacco products.

9 comments:

  1. I will help out a little bit here. Seems like I read an article a year or so ago that pointed out that some of that tobacco that is being put in our tobacco products is being imported from China. Who knows what other chemicals are in those smokes. Next time you light up, think about that.

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  2. I worked with people who smoked at work and sucked in a lot of secondhand smoke. It was an annoyance and I would smell like smoke when I got home. I would have to shower and throw my clothes in the laundry every day. When I turned 55 I was diagnosed with emphysema, now I get to use an inhaler in order to breathe. Secondhand smoke was the only cause the doctor could come up with for the cause along with environmental air pollution. Back in the day coal was the main source of heating home and the air would be pretty bad from all the coal burning.

    I see that "vaping" or smoking with those e-cigarettes is the big deal now. Why people will spend good money on tobacco or these new fangled nicotine delivery devices is beyond my capacity to understand. Life is short enough without cutting it short via tobacco and other self abusing methods.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read another article about vaping. There is anti-freeze chemicals in those things. Worse then smoking regular cigs.

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  3. I saw my first "vaping" TV commercial today and it was Jenny McCarthy hawking this stuff. I am once more convinced you can get people to do anything if there is enough money involved. She is the one who thinks her child became Autistic after a immunization he got as a baby. I am also concerned that these ads are on TV and cigarettes are not allowed.

    This is just plain nuts! Once again I see we are appealing to people with self destructive instincts, all in the name of money for those pushing this poison..

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  4. I quit smoking almost 2 years ago....glad I did. NOW...the next chapter...how to lose all the weight I gained after quitting :-(

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  5. Ohh this is very shocking pictures on your blog. Thanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get this tips from you.
    E Juice

    ReplyDelete
  6. That photo should be attached to every tobacco and cigarette pack.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Who is that person in the picture with the neck

    ReplyDelete
  8. Who’s the woman with the hole in her neck

    ReplyDelete

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