jeff@heurikon.UUCP (02/20/84)
Judging from the net discussion (and my mail) regarding smoke
adding weight to airplanes, I gather there are a lot of "militant"
non-smokers like me out there. So, I'd like to suggest that
rather than complaining, we offer some constructive assistance
to those smokers who would like to quit.
I'd like to compile the following lists with the intent
of helping smokers quit the habit.
1. Reasons to not smoke, or to quit.
Examples: It's a health hazard to yourself and others
It costs money
It smells
2. Methods to help someone quit smoking. Personal experiences or ideas.
Examples: Employer sponsored financial rewards (details please)
Medications (what?, from where?)
Peer support
3. Information (and source) on smoking related phenomenon.
Example: 85% of all lung cancer victims are smokers
(Nat'l Cancer Institute)
Please mail me your comments, etc., and I will compile and
post a summary. Also, please indicate whether you are now
(or have been) a smoker. I will consider responses to be
public, unless you indicate otherwise. Thanks.
--
/"""\ Jeffrey Mattox, Heurikon Corp, Madison, WI
|O.O| {harpo, hao, philabs}!seismo!uwvax!heurikon!jeff (news & mail)
\_=_/ ihnp4!heurikon!jeff (mail - fast)twltims@watmath.UUCP (Tracy Tims) (02/21/84)
I just saw the Cannes awards for television ads. There were two wonderful
anti smoking advertisements. I don't know who they were done for.
Ad 1:
A beautiful (really) woman is standing on a train platform.
Several good looking young men are admiring her from a
distance.
Announcer (paraphrased): She's an exotic, attractive woman.
Men just can't resist her. Her hairspray is the
reason, you see. She uses Ashtre [accent over the e].
Ashtre, the hairspray that smells like concentrated,
rancid cigarette smoke.
Wonderful shots here of the woman with an aerosol can spraying
her hair. The can is pumping large volumes of cigarette smoke
into her hair.
The admiring men come up close, smell her, look completely
disgusted, and then leave quickly.
Announcer (continuing): If you never want to have problems
with men again, use Ashtre. . .
Ad 2:
Similar theme. Reversed sex roles. Man uses the cologne
"Stub", steeped in the essence of 40 pounds of used cigarette
butts. Wonderfully nauseating pictures.
These two ads accurately recreated the nausea that stale cigarette smoke
causes. You should catch the film if you can, it has several gems like this.
Tracy Tims {linus,allegra,decvax,utcsrgv}!watmath!twltims
The University of Waterloo, 519-885-1211 x2730betsy@dartvax.UUCP (Betsy Hanes Perry) (02/22/84)
I find this suggestion (posting commonly-known truths about 'why smoking is bad for you') EXTREMELY officious, on a par with all the articles explaining WHY abortion is morally evil/morally admirable in my local paper. (Please, please, let's not raise that corpse!) It seems to me highly probable that anybody over the age of consent has heard all the arguments and counter-arguments ad nauseam. Let's give our fellow beings some credit for intelligence: everybody has read the findings on the hazards of smoking. Smokers will not be encouraged to quit by the 99th reiteration of 'But it's bad for you, Sonny!'. Smokers are also unlikely to be helped by non-smokers' ideas on 'how to quit smoking'. 'Kicking the habit' is NOT a trivial task, and is something that each person has to do for itself. I think that the only gain realized by the proposed posting will be a pious glow in the bellies of those who respond. Not a smoker myself, but tired of pointless arguments, -- Betsy Perry decvax!dartvax!betsy
bbanerje@sjuvax.UUCP (B. Banerjee) (02/22/84)
>>2. Methods to help someone quit smoking. Personal experiences or ideas. >> Examples: Employer sponsored financial rewards (details please) >> Medications (what?, from where?) >> Peer support >> Medications? HA! Peer support? Never! The best way is to quit Cold Turkey. The General Procedure to follow is given. a. Some time when quite disgusted by habit, toss cigs out of the window. (This helps if you live several stories up). When you get the urge to go down and retrieve them either i. Swallow scalding coffee in copious quantities. ii. Eat the junkiest food you can find. iii. Nip your index finger smartly above the first joint. make sure that you have enough restraint not to bite it off. b. Some time during the day you will go down and retrieve the cigs you tossed out earlier (or replace them). At this point you are probably feeling rather guilty, but also quite sorry for yourself. At this point it is permissable to light up to calm the shakes. Take a few deep drags... The guilt will persist while you no longer feel quite as sorry for yourself....NOW toss the lit cig AND the pack out of the window again. c. Try to develop an attitude of martyrdom. It's much easier when you imagine that the entire world would go up in flames if you weaken. Also, whenever you do weaken, as soon as the fit is past, toss the pack (Yes I know that they're expensive!). Anyhow, the first week is supposed to be the worst. Remember, you're trying to break a multi-year habit ! It isn't meant to be easy. Just remember, that if you've been smoking for a while, its cost you on the order of $5K up front (for the cigarettes alone). If you're off for 3 days, the first lapse will cause you to feel dizzy and ill. This should give you the impetus to keep on going. "Four days and still Shaky! " -- Binayak Banerjee {allegra | astrovax | bpa | burdvax}!sjuvax!bbanerje
sebb@pyuxss.UUCP (S Badian) (02/23/84)
One of my friends managed to quit smoking by applying a well-known psychological fact in a unique way. She decided that she would use a little negative reinforcement in her fight against the nicotine. Being a liberal, on her way to radical, she naturally hated Jerry Falwell. She had a little can in her room. Everytime she lit up she would deposit $1 in the can and this money would ultimately go to Mr. Falwell's crusade. And I never saw her smoke another cigarette. It really worked. She associated smoking with a unbelieveably revolting act and she could never smoke again. I think it takes a lot of imagination to convince yourself that you will actually do what you say you will do. But, hey. Maybe it will work for some other slightly wacky person out there! Sharon Badian
avi@pegasus.UUCP (Avi E. Gross) (02/24/84)
Sharon Badian (pyuxss!sebb): S One of my friends managed to quit smoking by applying h a well-known psychological fact in a unique way. She decided a that she would use a little negative reinforcement in her r fight against the nicotine. Being a liberal, on her way to o radical, she naturally hated Jerry Falwell. She had a little n can in her room. Everytime she lit up she would deposit $1 - in the can and this money would ultimately go to Mr. Falwell's B crusade. And I never saw her smoke another cigarette..... This reminds me of a fat-farm that would make you sign a blank check when you entered which was made payable to the organization you hated the most. Examples would be the government of South Africa, the PLO, the KKK, the Republican party, your ex-wife, you get the idea. Then, for each pound below goal you come in, they would fill in another increment (such as $100) and MAIL the check without giving you the opportunity to cancel. Needless to say, this worked wonders. I have heard that this has been applied to smoking, alcohol and other drug-related treatments. The major difference between the above and the story Sharon tells is that you could not CHEAT!!! You couldn't just empty the jar and put the money back in your wallet. I wonder which organization I would choose to send my money to? -- -=> Avi E. Gross @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6241 suggested paths: [ihnp4, allegra, cbosg, hogpc, ...]!pegasus!avi
rjk@mgweed.UUCP (Randy King) (03/05/84)
[{<(+)}>]
dartvax!betsy is tired of hearing about ways to quit smoking. I, for
one, am tired of being exposed to it. It's simple - you keep smoking,
and I'll keep screaming. Let's examine a few points that Betsy makes:
>> Let's give our fellow beings some credit for intelligence:
>> everybody has read the findings on the hazards of smoking.
How many smokers do you know that smoke to enhance their intelligence?
Smoking is not an act of intelligence, but one of ignorance and the
high school need to be cool. "But it calms me down." Suck your thumb.
>> Smokers will not be encouraged to quit by the 99th
>> reiteration of 'But it's bad for you, Sonny!'.
>> Smokers are also unlikely to be helped by non-smokers'
>> ideas on 'how to quit smoking'.
Yes and no. They won't quit based on your chortling, but maybe, just
maybe if you show you *care* for their sake (and yours) you just might
help a borderline smoker go off.
>> 'Kicking the habit' is NOT a trivial task, and is something that
>> each person has to do for itself.
I am in total agreement here.
>> I think that the only gain realized by the proposed posting will
>> be a pious glow in the bellies of those who respond.
Welcome to the Usenet, where pious glows abound (unless you're
dead from lung cancer, in which case you wouldn't be posting.)
I say, POST AWAY! Give those that want it some help, some reasons,
some direction to quit. Give those that need it some ammunition to
hurl at inconsiderate smokers or people they care about and want
to nudge along toward quitting.
Randy King
AT&T/CP-MG
ihnp4!mgweed!rjk