This week marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Warren Zevon, the legendary singer/songwriter whom I admired not only for his musical talents, but for his great sense of humor too. Warren passed away from lung cancer at age 56 due to mesothelioma, but exacerbated by years of being a smoker.
Here's what Warren thought after receiving his frightful diagnosis at such a relatively young age.
Folks, don't let your shit become fucked up. Don't let it happen to you before your time is due. Make sure to see your physician for a yearly check-up, and for God's sake, attempt to quit smoking before it's too late, and you find yourself writing a song about the consequences.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Listen To The Lovely Felicia
Not only should you listen to the smart and beautiful Felicia about the financial costs of smoking, but consider the guilt-producing evil-eye that you'll get from your children who know that your smoking will also affect them. Smoking IS NOT worth the costs. If you're upset about it, call to enlist some help.
Source: New York State Smokers' Quitline
Source: New York State Smokers' Quitline
Monday, September 2, 2013
You Can't Hide Your Nicotine Addiction
Because I'm a healthcare professional, I tend to notice the physical signs of sickness or disease in people that others don't see, unless they specifically know what to look for.
As such, I'm writing this post because I happened to watch from my window as one of my neighbors walked her dog the other morning. I live in a large complex and haven't met her before, and don't know anything about her. But she was attractive, had a slim body, and looked to be in about her mid-60s.
But because I've been trained to focus on certain signs, and even though she was about 50 feet away outside my window, I could tell that she was a long-term smoker. Her skin and hair gave her away. I started thinking to myself that she was probably only in her 50s, and that her smoking made her look much older then her actual age.
She had that grayish/orange-colored hue to her skin, and that dried-up, smoked-jerky wrinkling effect that can often be seen in many long-term smokers. Her hair was also thin and fragile-looking. It really detracted from her otherwise good looks.
As I continued to watch her walking her dog, I felt bad for her because I knew that she probably has a long-standing nicotine addiction that she can't kick, and because she probably doesn't realize how bad smoking cigarettes has affected her complexion.
I also felt bad because she's now around that age-stage where the serious healthcare consequences of her addiction are about to manifest themselves, and that she's probably in denial about it.
But you don't have to be a healthcare professional to see how smoking affects smokers in ways that other people can see. This video really does a good job of showing just what those signs look like. If this is what smoking does to the outside of one's body, just imagine what the inside must look like.
Source: Take A Stand Arizona
As such, I'm writing this post because I happened to watch from my window as one of my neighbors walked her dog the other morning. I live in a large complex and haven't met her before, and don't know anything about her. But she was attractive, had a slim body, and looked to be in about her mid-60s.
But because I've been trained to focus on certain signs, and even though she was about 50 feet away outside my window, I could tell that she was a long-term smoker. Her skin and hair gave her away. I started thinking to myself that she was probably only in her 50s, and that her smoking made her look much older then her actual age.
She had that grayish/orange-colored hue to her skin, and that dried-up, smoked-jerky wrinkling effect that can often be seen in many long-term smokers. Her hair was also thin and fragile-looking. It really detracted from her otherwise good looks.
As I continued to watch her walking her dog, I felt bad for her because I knew that she probably has a long-standing nicotine addiction that she can't kick, and because she probably doesn't realize how bad smoking cigarettes has affected her complexion.
I also felt bad because she's now around that age-stage where the serious healthcare consequences of her addiction are about to manifest themselves, and that she's probably in denial about it.
But you don't have to be a healthcare professional to see how smoking affects smokers in ways that other people can see. This video really does a good job of showing just what those signs look like. If this is what smoking does to the outside of one's body, just imagine what the inside must look like.
Source: Take A Stand Arizona
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Be Free From Regret
Almost all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. 88% of adults who smoke daily started smoking by age 18; 99% started by age 26.
Smoking of parents and other relatives leads to a substantial increase in the number of children who were determined to smoke in the future or were considering it.
Smoking of family members significantly reduces the efficiency of school educational anti-smoking activities aimed at children and young people.
Most smokers realize that they're addicted to nicotine, regret becoming smokers, and want to quit.
Would you want your children to follow in your footsteps of being a smoker? Of course not.
Be free from that regret. If you currently use tobacco, you can still make a difference.
Your best move, of course, is to attempt to quit smoking. Meanwhile, don’t use tobacco around your children, don’t offer it to them, and don’t leave it where they can easily get it.
Source: New Lung OC: Be Tobacco Free
Smoking of parents and other relatives leads to a substantial increase in the number of children who were determined to smoke in the future or were considering it.
Smoking of family members significantly reduces the efficiency of school educational anti-smoking activities aimed at children and young people.
Most smokers realize that they're addicted to nicotine, regret becoming smokers, and want to quit.
Would you want your children to follow in your footsteps of being a smoker? Of course not.
Be free from that regret. If you currently use tobacco, you can still make a difference.
Your best move, of course, is to attempt to quit smoking. Meanwhile, don’t use tobacco around your children, don’t offer it to them, and don’t leave it where they can easily get it.
Source: New Lung OC: Be Tobacco Free
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Take Your Freedom Back?
E-cigarette manufacturers will do anything to make their products seem more attractive. They'll even hire celebrity douches to say ridiculous things like "It's time we take our freedom back."
But keep in mind that smoking an e-cigarette doesn't make you look cool, it just keeps you addicted to nicotine, which keeps you buying their products. And perhaps the production of toxic secondhand cigarette smoke may not have been the only reason behind your "freedom".
But keep in mind that smoking an e-cigarette doesn't make you look cool, it just keeps you addicted to nicotine, which keeps you buying their products. And perhaps the production of toxic secondhand cigarette smoke may not have been the only reason behind your "freedom".
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Nicotine Addiction: It's Not A Lifestyle Choice
For nine months, James Capps didn’t have a bite of food. He had to pour nutritional supplements into a feeding tube for nourishment while he underwent and recovered from treatment for oral cancer.
Capps was hooked to nicotine by the time he was 15, and he began "dipping" because that’s what every good Oklahoma cowboy did. "You don’t need that crutch to be someone you want to be,” he says. “You should do it without tobacco.”
Source: The Missoulan and Chew On This
Capps was hooked to nicotine by the time he was 15, and he began "dipping" because that’s what every good Oklahoma cowboy did. "You don’t need that crutch to be someone you want to be,” he says. “You should do it without tobacco.”
Source: The Missoulan and Chew On This
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