gsa@proper.UUCP (George Acton) (06/13/84)
This is in reply to the request for information about smoking.
It is known that nicotine stimulates receptors for the neuro-
transmitter on nerve cells in the CNS. Besides the direct effect
of mimicing acetylcholine (including effects on memory and thinking),
other neurotransmitters are released by the downstream neurons.
These include norepinephrine, which among many effects may
diminish anxiety, anger and dampen response to 'stress', and
dopamine, which decreases appetite and appears to produce
subjective sensations of pleasure--at least it is positively
reinforcing in animals. Another inportant element of smoking
is the fact that positive feedback is so rapid--all the animal
conditioning models say that the briefer the time from response
to positive reinforcement, the stronger the conditioning.
These facts provide some explanation for why people persist
in a habit with such detrimental aspects. They do not explain
why people *don't* smoke. It seems to me that a reasonable
guess is that there are constitutional, plausibly genetic,
differences between individua which explain different
susceptibilities to drug dependencies. It comes down to a
conflict between the objective drawbacks of smoking and the
subjective benefitGiven our ignorance of much of the
biology, and the impossibility of experiencing another person's
internal chemical milieu, let alone their life experiences,
a little toloration and mutual accommodation seems called for.werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (09/09/85)
Since I spending the majority of my time away from postings looking at dead/diseased hearts and lungs, I thought I might break my silence long enough to post the following. |----------------------| | IF YOU SMOKE, QUIT. | |----------------------| I realize this is easier said than done. Consult your local chapter of the American Cancer Society (it's in the phone book) for help. If you need any motivation: Even if you accept the Tobacco Institute's claim that Smoking does not CAUSE Lung Cancer, it does increase your risk of developing lung cancer 600-fold. (you are 600 times more likely to get lung lung cancer if you smoke than if you don't). For women, it increases your risk of breast cancer. Smoking contributes to heart disease. It leaves you more vulnerable to Respiratory infections. Long term use causes Emphysema and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which even moreso than Cancer is a slow painful death. Smoking also costs hundreds of dollars a year. (Even if you don't care about your health, think how much money you'll save.) -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"
bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron Howes) (09/10/85)
As an ex-smoker (5 months and counting after a 20 year habit) I'd like
to throw in a few words about making (or helping) others quit.
The people who *hindered* me most from becoming smoke-free were:
(1) Those who spoke gloom and doom about cancer, heart disease, etc.
(2) Those who looked at my ash trays in disgust.
(3) Those who came and voluntarily closed my office door when I lit
up at work.
(4) Those who grabbed cigarettes out of my mouth and stamped on them
(in smoking areas -- I never smoked in non-smoking areas.)
(5) Those who in some systematic way tried to characterize me as some
sort of weak-willed lesser species of human.
None of the above noticed when I quit anyway.
The people who *helped* me the most were the people who felt concern for me
as a friend, including my doctor (sorry Walt, he's an AMA member.) They
also were the ones who noticed I had quit and congratulated me on it. That
sort of love is the best motivator there is. A little bit of concern for
the other person is worth a great deal more than a whole lot of anger.
--
Byron C. Howes
...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch