Smoking

Most people I know smoke, and some of them are smokers (i.e. can't live without their little flame-y headed friend). Sometimes they express their desire/ need to quit; whether that's something they truly want or it's just their guilt talking, I don't know..
whether they really do get the harm that smoking does to their body.. I don't know..
whether they could use some help (professional or personal) to quit.. I don't know..

and I thought of them when I read this…

"Smokers' Misperceptions About Nicotine Can Hamper Cessation Efforts"



MONTREAL (Reuters Health) Nov 01 - Many smokers think that nicotine causes cancer, and that fear can significantly interfere with efforts to stop, according to surprise findings of a survey reported here today at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians."

The rest of the article talks about how the majority of smokers (63% - 72%) smoke "light" cigarettes thinking that since light means low nicotine, it also means less cancer risk.. WRONG!

Nicotine does not cause cancer, but that is why patients are reluctant to use patches to help them quit, when actually, patches are good nicotine alternative for those who want to quit

So --> Nicotine = addiction.. Cigarette smoke = carcinogens, neurotoxins and toxins.

Also, more women than men expressed fear, guilt and worry about the risks they were taking with smoking. They were also more afraid of failure in their attempts to quit than men. However, quit rates at 30 days were essentially the same for women and men.

The article also states that when quitting, going "cold turkey" has a very high failure rate. A program that involves behavior modification, guided imagery and support systems are helpful, and patches are a very useful tool in the program.

SO what do you think?? :)