Smoking guns, and tobacco

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Pedestrians pass by a smoke shop on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles in 2014. (Los Angeles Times)

In the wake of the San Bernardino attack, liberals are in a total panic over guns. The New York Times broke a 95-year precedent to editorialize about gun control on its front page. But the Times seems restrained compared with the full-on meltdown at the New York Daily News, which has taken to calling the head of the NRA a “terrorist.”

I have no desire to rehash the all-too-familiar debate over whether such policies would have their intended effects or whether they'd pass constitutional muster. Let's just stipulate I am skeptical on both counts.

But it is worth contemplating why the gun-control movement has been a complete failure. And it might be constructive to compare the war on guns to a regulatory war liberals actually won: the war on tobacco.
For a long time, smoking cigarettes was seen as even more American than owning a gun.-


For a long time, smoking cigarettes was seen as even more American than owning a gun. Hollywood's golden age is like a celluloid smoking lounge. The opening scene of “Casablanca” is a close-up of an ashtray with a lit cigarette. The camera pans out and Humphrey Bogart takes a nice long drag.


Cigarettes, much like guns, were deeply tied to notions of masculinity — remember the Marlboro Man? But they were also symbols of urbane sophistication, for men and women alike (Marlene Dietrich in “Morocco,” Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany's”). James Bond was a chain smoker. In the books, he smoked 60 a day. Sean Connery cut back, just a bit, for the movies.

Now cigarettes are so widely reviled that the MPAA includes smoking along with violence and sex in its warning language.

There are, of course, a great many reasons why we've seen such a remarkable shift in such a short span of time, though medical science is probably the biggest. But there's another factor that doesn't get its due. Smoking was, until recently, a very bipartisan habit. City mice and country mice alike would walk a mile for a Camel.

'Culture bundling' and other obstacles to a real gun control debate

The universality of smoking made it possible to proselytize against it without unleashing a full-blown kulturkampf. Sure conservatives and libertarians complained — often correctly by my lights — about lost liberties, but an attack on smoking, backed up by solid evidence, didn't simultaneously feel like an attack on one cultural group by another.

Because non-smokers knew smokers, the war on tobacco could be fought face-to-face in our homes, businesses, movie theaters, planes, trains and automobiles. And when non-smokers pleaded with their friends and loved ones to give up tobacco, they at least understood the appeal of smoking. Cigarette America wasn't a foreign country. You can't say the same thing about Gun America.

My wife grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, where gun ownership was nearly as common and natural as snow shovel ownership. I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and I never knew anyone who owned a gun. When my mother was an auxiliary mounted policewoman, she was not permitted to carry one.

The absence of guns in urban liberal environments leads to a kind of Pauline Kaelism. Kael is — apocryphally — credited with saying she couldn't believe Richard Nixon won the election because she didn't know anyone who voted for him.

Likewise, many urban liberals only hear about guns when they're used in crimes, and simply can't imagine why anyone would want one. As a result, they're tone deaf in their arguments.
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Even worse than the tone-deafness is the condescension. In the 2008 campaign, when Barack Obama tried to explain why some rural voters were not supporting him, he infamously said that it was out of bitterness — a bitterness that caused them to “cling” to their guns and their religion. Obama has been trying to unring that bell ever since.

To urban liberals, guns are like cigarettes — products that when used as intended only hurt or kill people. The real reason the war on guns has been such an abysmal failure is that they aren't alike after all. You can't hunt or, more importantly, defend yourself or your family with a cigarette. That's why, in the wake of San Bernardino, millions of Americans didn't think “We've got to get rid of guns.” They thought “Maybe I should get one.” I know I did.

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Smoking linked to earlier menopause and increased risk of infertility by new study

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Smoking and living with heavy smokers brings on the change quicker before the age of 50 than non-smokers

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Bad habit: Smoking is linked to many diseases and conditions


Being exposed to second-hand smoke causes the menopause to start up to two years earlier, a study has warned.

Smoking and living with heavy smokers brings on the change quicker before the age of 50 than non-smokers.

And one of the largest studies of its kind found an increased risk of infertility.

Current or former smoking was associated with a 14 per cent greater risk ofinfertility and a 26 per cent heightened risk of menopause before the age of 50.

The average age at the start of the menopause was significantly earlier among smokers than it was among those who have never smoked and who hadn’t been exposed to second-hand smoke.



Current or former smoking


14%

Greater risk of infertility


26%

Raised risk of menopause before age 50

Roswell Park Cancer Institute



For heavy smokers, defined as over 30 a day, the menopause arrived almost 22 months earlier for those who said they had started smoking before their 15th birthday and 18 months earlier among those who smoked at least 25 cigarettes a day.

Women exposed to second-hand smoke at the highest level - 10 or more years of living with a smoker as a child, 20 or more years of living with a smoking partner who smoked at home, and 10 or more years working with a smoker - were 18 per cent more likely to have had infertility problems than women who had never been exposed to passive smoking.

The highest level of passive smoke exposure was associated with the arrival of menopause 13 months earlier than those never exposed to it.



Highest level of passive smoking versus never exposed to it


18%

More likely to have had infertility problems


13

Earlier arrival of menopause in months

Roswell Park Cancer Institute



Danielle Smith, of the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in the US, said: “Our study demonstrates significant associations between lifetime tobacco exposure - by active smoking of current and former smokers and by independently studied secondhand smoke exposure - and women’s health issues of infertility and menopause occurring before the age of 50 years.

Difficult time: Menopause (picture posed by model)



“It is one of the first studies of this size and statistical power to investigate and quantify active and passive smoking and women’s health issues.

“It strengthens the current evidence that all women need to be protected from active and passive tobacco smoke.”





The study was based on lifetime smoking habits, fertility problems, and age at natural menopause of 93,676 women taking part in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study.

All had gone through the menopause and were aged between 50 and 79 when they were recruited to the study between 1993 and 1998.



Details of tobacco exposure and fertility including that of the partner were available for 88,732 women.

And 79,690 had had a natural menopause.

Although the clinical significance of earlier menopause was not clear other studies have linked earlier menopause to a heightened risk of death from any cause.


PADeadly: Fags



And there are plausible biological explanations for the results as the toxins found in tobacco smoke are known to have various deleterious effects on many aspects of reproduction and to disrupt hormone production and activity.

Ms Smith added: “Our findings support the association between active smoking and infertility.

“The suggestive dose-response relationship between heavier smoking and infertility found in our analysis are similar to measures of association found in another large prospective cohort study.

“Associations between secondhand smoke and infertility have been studied since the 1980’s with mixed results, perhaps due to small sample sizes and/or methodological limitations.

“Using data from a large prospective cohort, our study adds to the evidence base by demonstrating significant associations between the highest secondhand smoke exposure during reproductive life and delayed conception.”

The study was published in the journal Tobacco Control.
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Smoking, secondhand smoke tied to infertility and early menopause

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A woman smokes a cigarette in a restaurant in Munich, December 31, 2007.
REUTERS/ALEXANDRA BEIER

(Reuters Health) - Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke is tied to infertility in women and early menopause, according to a new study.


Compared to women who never smoked and those exposed to the least secondhand smoke, women who smoked or were exposed to the most secondhand smoke were more likely to have problems getting pregnant and more likely to enter menopause before age 50, researchers found.


Andrew Hyland of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, who led the research, said earlier studies had linked smoking to reproductive issues in women, but few had looked at links between secondhand smoke and infertility and early menopause.

"The literature really wasn’t clear – particularly with secondhand smoke," Hyland told Reuters Health.

Hyland and colleagues analyzed data on 88,732 U.S. women who enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study between 1993 and 1998, when they were between the ages of 50 and 79.

Based on questionnaires the women completed at the start, about 15 percent met the criteria for infertility, which is the inability to get pregnant for at least a year. About 45 percent also met the criteria for early menopause, which occurs before age 50.

Compared to women who never smoked, researchers found that those who reported being active smokers at some point in their lives were 14 percent more likely to have infertility and 26 percent more likely to enter menopause early.

Women who smoked the most reported entering menopause about two years earlier than women who didn't smoke, the researchers report in the journal Tobacco Control.

Women who never smoked but were exposed to the most secondhand smoke were 18 percent more likely to have problems getting pregnant and to enter menopause at an early age, compared to women who never smoked and were exposed to the least amount of secondhand smoke.

While an 18 percent increased risk may seem modest, Hyland said it's large considering infertility and early menopause are not uncommon.

"There are a lot of events that could be attributed to these exposures," he said.

Hyland cautions that the study can't prove smoking causes these problems. The research team did, however, adjust the data to account for other factors that would be tied to infertility and early menopause.

The study also can't say what may underlie the link between smoke exposure and infertility and early menopause, but Hyland said other research suggests that smoke exposure may affect hormone levels.

It appears the association is driven by smoke exposure throughout a woman's lifetime, he said.

"As for a recommendation to clinicians, you should advise women of reproductive age to limit their exposure to minimize these outcomes," said Hyland.
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Cigarette Smoke Might Cause Infertility, Early Menopause, Study Shows

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A woman smokes a cigarette at her home in Hayneville, Ala on March 2, 2013. Dave Martin / AP, file

Tobacco smoke might do more than cause cancer, heart disease and lung damage. It might also injure fertility in women, researchers reported Tuesday.

Women who smoked the most, and who started at the youngest ages, went through menopause almost two years earlier than women who never smoked, Danielle Smith of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and colleagues reported.

Women who remembered breathing in the most secondhand smoke went through menopause an average of 13 months earlier than women who didn't think they'd ever breathed any in, the team reported in the journal Tobacco Control.

The team studied more than 93,000 women taking part in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study between 1993 and 1998. They filled out very detailed questionnaires on lifestyle habits, health problems and medical diagnoses.

They found that women who smoked 100 cigarettes or more in their lives had a 14 percent greater risk of infertility and a 26 percent greater risk of going through menopause before they turned 50."TOBACCO TOXINS ALSO SEEM TO LOWER THE AGE OF NATURAL MENOPAUSE BY REDUCING CIRCULATING ESTROGEN."

The study helps confirm otherstudies that have linked smokingwith early menopause.

Women who grew up with a smoker in the house for 10 years or more, those who lived with a spouse who smoked for 20 years or more, and those who worked with smokers for 10 years or more were 18 percent more likely to have had infertility problems than women who had never been passive smokers.

Overall, about 15 percent of the women said they had struggled to conceive for a year at a stretch or more, and 45 percent said they went through menopause before they turned 50.

There's a debate over whether fertility rates have fallen, and many people have blamed chemicals known as endocrine disruptors in cans, bottles and in water supplies. But tobacco also contains these.

The toxins in tobacco smoke can interfere with the production of hormones related to fertility cycles, they can damage the production of egg cells, they can hurt the embryo before it gets implanted in the wall of the uterus, and they can restrict the processes that prepare a womb for pregnancy, the researchers said.

"Tobacco toxins also seem to lower the age of natural menopause by reducing circulating estrogen," they wrote.

Smoking can also affect men in specific ways. For instance, it seems to damage the male Y chromosome especially badly.

Smoking is on the wane in the U.S. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the percentage of U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes declined from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 16.8 percent in 2014.

And smoking bans have made secondhand smoke in the workplace and public areas a thing of the past in most states.


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Quitting smoking at any age reduces risks

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Q: Am I at risk for lung cancer even after I quit smoking?

A: The risk of lung cancer decreases and continues to decrease the longer you are smoke-free. However, the damage from smoking can never be completely undone.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarettes kill more than 480,000 Americans each year. Quitting while you are younger reduces your health risks more, but quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.

After deciding to quit smoking, the health benefits start immediately, even if you have an existing smoking-related disease. Some benefits include decreased risk of:

  • Stroke and heart attack.
  • Lung function decline.
  • Lung cancer.
  • Diabetes.
  • Pregnancy-related complications.
  • Osteoporosis and bone fracture.
  • Gum disease.
If you are, or were, a longtime smoker, you should get screened for lung cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening for those ages 55 to 80 who have a 30-pack per year smoking history, and who currently smoke or who have quit within the last 15 years.

Symptoms of lung cancer often do not show up until the later stages of the disease, hence the need for screening. They include persistent cough, coughing up blood, unexplained weight loss, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

Most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover a low-dose chest CAT scan. If you fit the criteria or have these symptoms, talk to your doctor about getting screened. Check with your insurer and ask whether there is a co-pay. Additionally, your physician must write a prescription to perform the screening.

Ajay Pillai, M.D., is a pulmonologist at Mercy Philadelphia Hospital and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital


Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthcare/Quitting-smoking-at-any-age-reduces-risks.html#duKCtT2drEuTMrbE.99
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Great American Smokeout Encourages Smokers To Quit Using Cigarettes

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The right time to quit smoking is now. To encourage smokers to kick the habit, the American Cancer Society celebrated the annual Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November.
(Photo : Chelsea Marie Hicks | Flickr)


The American Cancer Society (ACS) annually sets aside the third Thursday of November for the Great American Smokeout, an event that encourages smokers to kick the habit, as part of the Lung Cancer Awareness month.

This year, universities and organizations everywhere conducted the one-day event to support the campaign against smoking. Students from the University of Cincinnati (UC), as well as from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), are among the groups of people that celebrated the 2015 Great American Smokeout on Nov. 19.

The concept behind the Great American Smokeout is that if one person is able to stop smoking, even for just a day, the person will be making an important step toward a life that is much healthier, the ACS said.

Coming Together To Raise Awareness

At the Great American Smokeout in Cincinnati, student organizations, together with representatives from the ACS, accepts monetary donations for cancer prevention services in exchange for hot dogs.

"We have some really great programs that you can get here locally here in Cincinnati that not all facilities have," said community manager Allison Smock of Relay for Life, an organization that holds fund-raising events for cancer awareness.

Ryan Gaffney, a marketing and international business student at UC who helped orchestrate the event, recalled his personal experience relating to lung cancer. Gaffney's mother was diagnosed with the disease.

"It wasn't looking too good and I told her if she could try and keep fighting, I would keep fighting," said Gaffney. "So, she kept fighting and now she is going on five years with beating her diagnoses and she is in remission surviving, and I am still here fighting."


In Alaska, UAA students succeeded in initiating a campaign to make their campus tobacco- and smoke-free. The university bans the use of tobacco and tobacco-related products such as e-cigarettes in the campus premises.

Yesenia Camarena, an International studies and pre-med student at UAA, said they celebrated the Great American Smokeout to encourage students to stop smoking.

"We also encourage them to hash out a plan if they ever decide to quit smoking,"said Camarena.

Quit Smoking - Now

According to the ACS, more than 42 million individuals in the United States still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use is still the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the country. Quitting can significantly reduce the risks for cancer, the ACS said.

"Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death and when we look at helping people quit, it's one of the best things that you can do to promote a long-lived life," explained Dr. Gary Ferguson of Avante Medical Center. Ferguson used to be a smoker who became an advocate against the habit.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasized that quitting the use of cigarettes or tobacco can be the single most important step you take to protect your health and your loved ones' health.

"Just as every journey begins with a single step, so, too, does quitting," the CDC said.
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Why now is the best time to quit smoking

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It's time to face the facts - smoking just isn't healthy. A recent CDC report explains why.

There’s no better time to quite smoking than now, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are here to help you take the first step. According to a report from Philly.com, the CDC has released some of the latest figures on smoking in the U.S., and their findings are a stark reminder of why quitting tobacco is a good idea.

The CDC states that cigarettes are responsible for the death of more than 480,000 Americans every year. They stress that quitting at a young age significantly increases the chances of success in remaining tobacco free later in life. It’s never too late to quit, however, and the CDC recommends that people of all ages not smoke.


The health benefits of quitting tobacco are apparent almost immediately. In addition to feeling more energetic, quitting tobacco has been shown to decrease the risk of stroke, heart attack, decline of lung function, lung cancer, diabetes, complications related to pregnancy, osteoporosis, bone fracture, and gum disease.

Longtime smokers are recommended to get screened for lung cancer, especially if they are older than the age of 55. People who smoked more than 30 packs per years are at a significant risk of developing a smoking related cancer. Symptoms of the disease often take a while to appear, so smokers are at risk even if they don’t notice anything.

Screens for lung cancer are covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare. It entails a low-dose chest CAT scan, and could potentially save lives by catching the disease in its early stages.

The CDC recently organized an event called the Great American Smokeout to raise awareness about the detrimental health risks of smoking tobacco. It happened on November 19, and spread information about how people could take the first steps toward a tobacco-free life. A press release from the CDC describing the event can be found here.
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Pregnant ladies! Start shopping to quit smoking

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London, Nov. 17: A new study has revealed that pregnant women are more likely to quit smoking if they are paid in shopping vouchers.The study of 600 participants found that women who were paid 400 Pounds to buy products gave up smoking quicker than those who were not paid, The Mirror reports.


According to experts, the estimate cost to the NHS of treating the after-effects of smoking in pregnancy, in both mothers and babies, is as much as 87.5 million pounds.In a Glasgow-based trial, participants were all assigned to the NHS GGC Stop Smoking Services, with half randomly chosen to also receive the vouchers as an incentive.The results showed that 22.5 percent of the participants gave up their habit compared to 8.6 percent of the others

David Tappin of Glasgow University and Linda Bauld of Stirling University said smoking in pregnancy accounted for up to 30 percent of low birth weight babies and up to 14 percent of pre-term deliveries, and was associated with increased risks for ectopic pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes, stillbirth, low birth weight and congenital anomalies such as cleft lip.

The researchers concluded that identifying pregnant women who smoke, engaging with them and supporting them to quit smoking during pregnancy was a key international tobacco policy priority.
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Frustrated about quitting smoking? Try these bizarre tricks instead

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Smoking rates are plummeting across the country -- so why are you having such a hard time quitting?

As we recently reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just gave us some great news: over the past decade, smoking prevalence among adults has dived from 20.9 percent to 16.8 percent. So if everyone else is doing it, why are you having such a hard time quitting? Maybe you need to change up tactics.

The CDC’s new report is part of an effort to drive down smoking prevalence among adults to 12 percent or less by 2020, and things are progressing quite nicely thanks to a combination of media campaigns, new laws, and smoking cessation products. But there is still a stubborn sector of Americans who cant kick the habit, and you may very well be one of them.

You’ve tried everything: going cold turkey, taking the nicotine gums, throwing out your last pack — but you still find yourself reaching for that cigarette at some point. So what’s the solution? Maybe you just haven’t found the tactic that’s right for you.

Many people quit in entirely different ways, and sometimes it has to do with your personality. For some people, cold turkey works best. For others, gradually weaning oneself off of cigarettes is the trick. But for you, it might be time to get creative, and keep trying new tricks until you find something that works.

Maybe for you it’s peer pressure that’ll work. Perhaps you can hire someone to keep you accountable, or talk a buddy into it, or enter into a no-smoking challenge with the rest of your workplace — it might sound a little desperate, but you’re desperate to quit this habit, right? You’d be surprised at just how effective peer pressure can be, and it works for a lot of people


But for other people, it might be as simple as a piece of candy and a mantra. When you get that craving, you might pop a piece of candy to suck on while repeating “NOPE, not one puff ever,” as one woman did in this WebMD report. It may seem a little weird, but at least no one has to hear you. And it can bring your desire to quit smoking to the forefront of your mind and potentially overwhelm your desire for a cigarette.

And if all that doesn’t work, run away from cigarettes. Literally. Another individual in the WebMD report said when he felt the craving, he started running until the craving went away. You can imagine the double benefits that come from that.

No matter what you try, remember that everyone is different, and what might work for someone might work for you. So keep at it — you’ll eventually figure it out.
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Offering Pregnant Women Financial Incentives To Quit Smoking Is 'Highly Cost-Effective'

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Offering smoking mothers-to-be a financial incentive to put down their cigarettes may not only be a successful approach but a cost-effective one as well. At least, that's the verdict handed down by a study published this November in the journal Addiction.

The study authors, after analyzing the results of a randomized trial of more than 600 Scottish pregnant smokers, found that the potential reward of a $600 voucher to quit smoking ultimately proved to be both a clinically and economically worthwhile treatment — accruing an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $734 per quality-adjusted life year (QUALY). According to the authors, these costs are well below the recommended threshold of money that should be spent on a preventative treatment capable of providing a person with a healthy year of life — in the UK, that’s £20 000 ($30,000 US), a standard comparable with other high-income countries like the US.

Meanwhile, when compared to a control group, the women offered a voucher were able to abstain from smoking during pregnancy at more than twice the rate (22.5 percent to 8.6 percent), and their self-reported relapse rates six months after pregnancy were lower as well (33 percent vs 54 percent). “Existing interventions for pregnant smokers are not highly effective; however, this study provides substantial evidence on the cost-effectiveness of a financial incentives intervention to add to existing cessation support,” the authors wrote.

The researchers divided the women into two groups, both given the opportunity to enroll in services to help quit smoking, such as counseling sessions and/or free nicotine-replacement therapy. One group was additionally offered a series of vouchers depending on how many goals they reached: $75 for attending a face-to -face counseling session, $150 for passing a cessation test 12 weeks later, and $300 for passing it 34-38 weeks later.


As noted by the researchers, many efforts at encouraging smoking cessation fall short, and even when they don't, the chances of relapse at any time loom precariously in the distance. But in nearly all the ICER analyses they conducted, using various models that accounted for a high relapse rate, a high gaming rate (essentially, women who cheated), and a larger financial incentive, they still found that the vouchers were a cost-effective intervention. Projected over a lifetime, they found that the voucher program incurred a $26 cost and a gain of 0.04 QALYs per quitter, while within the study itself, the ICER was $1716 per late pregnancy quitter compared to routine care. Most importantly, these costs were roughly comparable to other cessation interventions, if not cheaper.

The authors advocate that more precise long-term research be conducted to determine how successful these vouchers are at sustaining quitting after pregnancy, since the Scottish study only relied on self-reported surveys. Because of that, they’re careful to note that their findings are subject to some uncertainty. Overall, however, they are optimistic about using vouchers as a source of quitting motivation, especially considering that low-income women are more likely to be smokers.

“Identifying pregnant women who smoke, engaging with them and supporting them to quit smoking during pregnancy is a key international tobacco policy priority, and this study provides evidence on the cost-effectiveness of financial incentives as a means to achieving cessation during pregnancy,” they concluded.

Source: Boyd K, Briggs A. Bauld L, et al. Are financial incentives cost-effective to support smoking cessation during pregnancy? Addiction. 2015.
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Expert advice on quitting smoking in time for the Great American Smokeout

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The Great American Smokeout — a campaign launched by the American Cancer Society to challenge smokers to stop the habit — takes place on Thursday.

About 480,000 Americans die every year from smoking-related illnesses — accounting for roughly 1 in 5 deaths — making it the leading preventable cause of death, disease and disability, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention.

But the number of smokers nationwide has dropped significantly in recent years.

Currently, 17.8% of adults in the U.S. are smokers — dropping from the 20.9% of American adults who smoked in 2005, the CDC reported.

FPS
On the third Thursday in November each year Americans all across the country take part in The Great American Smokeout.

For some, quitting only happens when a smoker is ready — and it usually involves the use of a nicotine patch, gum or using e-cigs.


Adam Redondo, 31, of Miami, was smoking a pack every two days for more than a decade when he met his girlfriend, who finally told him to choose between her or the cigarettes.

“She hated the smell and hated the idea that I was hurting myself — it worried her,” he said.

“I tried to hide it a bit for a while, but she could smell it on me. Ultimately, I was only cheating myself when I did hide it.”
SNAP/REX/REX USA/SNAP/REX/REX USA
Iconic figures like Audrey Hepburn and James Dean were rarely seen without a cig dangling from their lip.Enlarge

RON GALELLA/WIREIMAGE
Paul Newman at the Americana Hotel in New York City.Enlarge

Redondo said the key to quitting was to not let a relapse now and then force him back to being a smoker.

“Hold yourself accountable for your decision to quit and ultimately don't give up,” he said.

“That means don't give up in the short term or long term — if you are smoke-free for a week and (then you) smoke a cig, don't beat yourself up over it.”

For some nicotine addicts, it’s not necessarily the physical withdrawal that’s so hard to bear — it’s the mental anguish leading up to the act of quitting that makes it so difficult, according to the highest-selling quit smoking book “The Easyway to Quit Smoking.”

HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
James Dean on the set of 'Giant.'

“Most smokers assume it's going to be really hard to quit and even harder at times when they feel they benefit most from being a smoker,” said John Dicey, CEO and Senior Therapist of Allen Carr’s Easyway method.

“They can't imagine that they’ll be able to enjoy nights out, socialising with friends, or handle stressful situations. It all adds up to a huge sense of fear.”

The Easyway method — which boasts a 90% success rate — focuses on pushing smokers to question why they smoke and works to change their perceptions of smoking.

“What smokers suffer when they try to quit is the panic feeling caused by the belief that they're missing out on something,” said Dicey. “As long as they understand that smoking provided them with no benefits at all — they won't mope after cigarettes.”
CINECLASSICO / ALAMY/ALAMY/SHOWTIME
Back in the day, stars such as Paul Newman and Marlon Brando were the poster boys for smoking.Enlarge

WAVEBREAKMEDIA LTD/GETTY IMAGES/WAVEBREAK MEDIA
The painless physical sensation caused by a nicotine craving is so slight that if a smoker was unaware of its cause, they could easily ignore it.Enlarge

Dicey says it’s important not to avoid thinking about cigarettes when quitting — which is naturally going to occur for an addict — and to ride the cravings out.

“Getting comfortable about thinking about cigarettes or smoking is key,” said Dicey. “If you try not to think about it — you will think about it even more.”

And, most importantly, Dicey said don’t quit for anyone else but yourself.

“You are the most important person on this planet,” he said.

“As soon as you start to think in terms of escaping to freedom rather than sacrificing it — the future looks bright and sunny rather than doom and gloom.”
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Obama Says He Quit Smoking When Health-Care Law Passed

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US President Barack Obama gestures during a press conference following the G-20 summit in Antalya on Monday. ozan kose/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

President Barack Obama hasn’t had a cigarette in 5 years.

In a new interview in GQ, Mr. Obama says that he hasn’t smoked since the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act, his signature health-care law.

“I made a promise that once health care passed, I would never have a cigarette again. And I have not,” he told the magazine.

In June, Mr. Obama was photographed holding an item in his hand that resembled a cigarette pack during a foreign trip to Germany— leading to theories that he was still smoking occasionally. But the White House strongly denied those reports, saying that the president had quit smoking.

Mr. Obama said in a 2009 press conference he had lapsed into having a cigarette occasionally but wasn’t a daily smoker. His doctor has said he has quit entirely.

Interviewed by sports columnist and podcaster Bill Simmons, Mr. Obama also discussed UFO conspiracies, the worst moment of his presidency and the rise of Donald Trump.

On UFOs: “it’s a little disappointing. People always ask me about Roswell and the aliens and UFOs, and it turns out the stuff going on that’s top secret isn’t nearly as exciting as you expect. In this day and age, it’s not as top secret as you’d think.”

On Mr. Trump: “I would’ve enjoyed campaigning against Trump. That would’ve been fun.”

On the worst day in his presidency: “Sandy Hook … Which remains, by the way, the worst few days of my presidency. I went up and visited with those families and—you know, Bill, you’ve still got small kids. These are 6-year-olds, right? And you have 20 of them who’ve been massacred.”
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