Alcohol and cigarettes

EASTAMPTON -- A 47-year-old township man sustained severe burns to his legs
and groin areas Wednesday night when he accidently ignited rubbing alcohol he
was applying to his body with a cigarette that fell into his lap, a township
police clerk said.
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Joseph Russell, of the 600 block of Powell Road near Smithville Road, was
flown to Temple University Hospital shortly after the incident, which was
reported at 11:49 p.m.

Russell had second-degree burns after the shorts he was wearing apparently
ignited from the dropped cigarette.
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Beijing is to impose smoking ban

4-30-08
Beijing is to impose smoking ban so says, Jill McGivering on BBC News. The Chinese authorities are due to ban smoking in most public buildings in the capital Beijing, starting on Thursday.
For every three cigarettes lit worldwide, one is smoked in China. Almost 25% of the Chinese smoke. My goodness that is a lot of Chantix and patches to sell.
The WHO is discussing further measures with the government, like an increase in taxes on cigarettes. But smoking is big business,and business in China is just like here only when there is enough money in it for the CEO's and politicians will things change to the next excess. However, financial loss now could be more than off-set by savings on health care in the future, is one way to think about it. but if the American model is used they could let it go & it will help with the population problem.

Smoking & My Nose

I have sleep apnea, when I first got my air mask last year I was still smoking. I had noticed after a short time the rubber thingyies that went into the nostrils had turned color. I assumed it was just normal. This winter i had to get a new mask & nose pieces and after wearing it for 4 months it dawned on me that the nose pieces never turned brown. It was the nicotine that had collected in my nose, transfered onto the nose pieces. Now no one smokes around here, so no nicotine in the air. Wow !!Tags: quit smoking stop smoking quit smoking storysmoking smoking effects

More Lung Cancer

Right what I needed today a friend was diagnosed with lung cancer.......

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Smoking & Skin Cancer

We all know that ultraviolet sun exposure is the most serious risk factor involved in the development of different types of skin cancer. However, the link between smoking and skin tumors, although well-established, is less obvious to the general public. Previously held research clearly showed that smoking cigarettes could induce an additional risk of contracting squamous cell carcinoma - a dangerous type of skin cancer, typically observed in elderly people. A recent study conducted by researchers from Netherlands has revealed that, in fact, smoking can more than TRIPLE your chances of developing squamous cell carcinoma!

The new study examined a groups of almost 1,000 subjects, both smokers and non-smokers, roughly half of whom were skin cancer patients. The researchers correlated the subjects’ smoking habits with the incidence in developing various types of skin tumours. Although no link has been discovered between smoking and melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer, a strong association has been found between smoking and squamous cell carcinoma. The researchers failed to find a link between tobacco consumption and another type of commonly observed skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.
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smoking & cancer

Genetic link to smoking addiction

Scientists have identified genetic variations that raise the risk of lung cancer for smokers and former smokers.

There is some evidence to suggest that they may make carriers more addicted to tobacco. Three research teams, writing in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics, each pinpointed two key areas of variation on chromosome 15.

The variants are common in the population - but they only raise lung cancer risk in those who have smoked.

Current or former smokers who carry two copies of both variants, one from each parent - about 15% of the total - have a raised risk of 70-80%.

Those who carry one copy of each variant have a raised risk of around 28%.
more......
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Children's Tobacco Use in India

Nearly one in five school children in India use some form of tobacco, according to a survey conducted by the World Health Organization. The figures are part of the second-ever Global Youth Tobacco Survey, carried out in 140 countries.
The Indian report, released by Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, polled 12,000 students and 3,000 school staff in the first half of 2006.
It says nearly 17% of students aged 15 and under use some form of tobacco, most of them cigarettes. Significantly, there is no difference in consumption levels among girls and boys, except in central India.
What has alarmed administrators is that more than a third of school personnel, including teaching staff, use tobacco. Despite a countrywide ban, sale of tobacco and tobacco products to minors have shown no decline over the past three years.

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Public Employee Smokers in Japan Have a Problem

Osaka Governor wants civil servants to work harder, smoke less

Cigarette-addicted public sector employees in Osaka might want to consider a job change. Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto revealed on Tuesday he is investigating the possibilities to enforce a total cigarette ban for prefectural employees during working hours, the Asahi Shimbun reports.

The ban would not only mean the removal of smoking rooms on prefectural government grounds, but also that the 15-minute breaks Osaka’s public workers are given twice daily would be canceled. The former TV-lawyer turned governor hopes this will allow for a workforce more devoted to carrying out their duties.

Hashimoto revealed his plans during a meeting with the prefecture’s Department of Public Health and Welfare, saying “Having a break just for smoking is absurd.“ ..read more..
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Smoking & Happiness

I was doing my daily walk a couple of days ago I noticed an old lady sitting on her front step, so I stoped to talk to her and said, 'I couldn't help noticing how happy you look! What is your secret?''I smoke ten cigars a day,' she said. 'Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food. On week-ends, I pop pills and do no exercise at all.'
'That is absolutely amazing! How old are you?'

'Twenty-four,' she replied

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quit smoking story smoking humor

S. Vitamins =Increased lung & prostrate Cancer in Smokers

Taking multivitamins has become a morning routine for many Americans. However, a new study published recently at the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, warns against taking popular vitamin supplements because of their unpredictable health effects. The study has revealed that synthetic vitamins do not protect us from developing lung cancer and other diseases. In fact, certain vitamin supplementation can put smokers at an increased risk of lung cancer and other malignant tumours. via stopsmokingsteps

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Smokers 'make their children ill'

A leading hospital says up to a third of the children it treats for certain conditions are ill because their parents smoke in front of them.
Dr Steve Ryan, Medical Director of Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, says bronchitis, asthma and ear infections could be cut if parents quit smoking.
He said parents often lied about whether they smoke near their children.
The British Lung Foundation says 17,000 under-fives are treated every year forexposure to second-hand smoke.
Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, he said out of the 35,000 children the hospital treats every year, 2,000 are there because they have been exposed to their parents'smoke.
He said between a quarter and a third of those suffering from certain conditions suchas chest infections and asthma were the victims of passive smoking.

'High intensity'
Parents often know the health implications of smoking around their children, he added.
"People feel guilty," he told BBC News. "If it was easy, they would give up. Looking after children is good fun but it can be stressful and for some, cigarettes are a way of relieving that stress."
He does not think legislation is the answer but believes parents should be aware of the various levels of risk.
The top level, he said, was parents smoking in cars, where children were "trapped" and exposed to a "high intensity" of fumes.
Mothers smoking is a greater risk than fathers smoking, and smoking in the same room as your child is also high risk, he added.
"Having smoke on your clothes is a lower risk," he said.
"But a good tip for parents is always put on another layer of clothes when smoking outside. Our staff are made to put a coat on when they go out to smoke during their breaks."

Medical conditions
Amanda Sandford from smoking campaign group Ash said an estimated half of all children are exposed to smoke in the home.
"It is clearly a widespread problem and I don't think people realise that so many children are regularly breathing in smoke," she said.
"About a quarter of adults smoke and there are more among young adults, people between 25-34, the age at which they are more likely to be parents with younger children."
She added that now smoking was banned in enclosed public places, parents should treat their home like the workplace, and smoke outside.
Research published in 2005 suggested children exposed to their parents' smoking were three times more likely to develop lung cancer later in life.
The government's independent Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health concluded in 2004 that exposure to second-hand smoke can cause a number of serious medical conditions, including lung cancer, heart disease and childhood respiratory disease.

'Banging the drum'
Martin Birchall, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon and professor at Bristol University, said the childhood development period was "precious".
He said: "Passive smoking at home, exposing children to smoke they cannot escape from, increases the risk of them getting ear disease, sticky runny noses and sore throats, and further down the track, some of these ENT symptoms can in due course led on to worse diseases such as asthma."
He added: "We need to keep banging the drum. We need to publicise the fact that every cigarette you smoke is a cigarette that your child is smoking also."
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Second-hand smoke kills. We must continue to help people understand the dangers of second-hand smoke, especially for the health of their children.
"The £56m we invested in NHS Stop Smoking Services last year was money well spent - we are well on track to meet our target to reduce the proportion of smokers in England to 21 per cent by 2010."

source:BBC

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Smoking in Japan

Japan must be one of the politest places you're likely to visit even outdoing "Minnesota Nice". The following sign were made by Japan Tobacco,which is part the worlds third largest tobacco manufacturer. These signs are found in smoking areas, on trains and near ashtrays, there are often signs related to smoking and behavior in crowds. As a no smoking effort, they don't help but suggest proper awareness off others when you are smoking.








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Neat Charts on Cancer Death

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Nigeria Suing Big Tobacco

I don't know why they would delay but Nigeria is delaying a $44bn smoking case The government is seeking $44bn in compensation for the costs of treating smoking-related diseases. The firms, British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris and International Tobacco deny all charges.For decades, tobacco firms have been accused of aggressively targeting Africa as a market, to offset the impact of tougher anti smoking regulations introduced in the west. The firms are also accused of deliberately trying to promote smoking among young Nigerians.

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Smokin' Theatre Night Plays

Minnesota has truly turned into a no smoking state. Find by me, but I have to admire in a twisted sort of way the creativity of bar owners that in discovering a section (some call a loophole) in the law that for "creative reasons " and freedom of speech I assume permits actors on stage to smoke. The result being several bars have staged theatre nights where the patrons are actors and the cigarettes are props. A Prosecutor called it a "knucklehead move" which is bad I guess, I always think of the word knucklehead refers to a old motor style on a Harley Davidson, but that is another story. They suggest bar owners could be prosecuted. Some state lawmakers are considering their next action.

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What Smoking Can do for You

From personal experience smoking was harder than alcohol to quit and quiting alcohol was hell- smoking was the most difficult of drugs to quit.

Smokers who are given differing amounts of nicotine in "study cigarettes" show a remarkable ability to adjust their intake to maintain a stable level of nicotine intake over a day. I used to smoke a half a pack of cigarettes before going to work in the morning. not smoke all day and smoke like crazy after work. In addition, there is an addictive component to the intermittent increases in nicotine levels which accompany smoking a cigarette. This is important when considering some of the means used to quit smoking.

Besides the addiction to nicotine, what else keeps me smoking?

The addiction to nicotine certainly makes it hard to quit, but so do some of the behavioral aspects of smoking. Smoking also provides other side benefits which are real. These are some of the other reasons it's hard to stop. See which of the following areas seem to be important to you, and then note some of the solutions to minimize their importance as you plan to quit.

Stimulation: It helps you wake up, get organized, and get going.
Plan ahead. Organize the day so you won't need a cigarette to get going. Go to bed early, plan some early exercise.
Chew on gum, brush your teeth to give your mouth some stimulation.
Avoid fatigue

Handling: You enjoy some of the rituals of smoking.

Doodle
Handle a coin or rock.
Clean or polish your fingernails
Wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it.

Pleasure: If you enjoy the "luxury" of the feeling that smoking gives you, then

Keep a list of the pleasures of non-smoking.
Keep a list of the displeasures that smoking already or will cause.
Begin an enjoyable exercise program.
Treat yourself to something special.

Relaxation: Smoking can be the classic "crutch" in times of discomfort. You may find it much easier to stop when things are going well, but particularly difficult when things are going poorly.

Try to find other relaxing alternatives, such as listening to music, a walk or a talk.
Take up a hobby or sport.
Take deep breaths. Learn other relaxation techniques..

Craving: Join the club! That's the combination of the physical, mental, and psychological components of this complex and powerful addiction.

Change your routine. Take a different route to work. Drink tea if you're a coffee drinker, etc.
You may benefit particularly from nicotine replacement therapies noted below.

Habit: You smoke automatically. Chances are you don't enjoy many of them.

Throw away your cigarettes, ashtrays, etc.
If your spouse or friends smoke, designate a part of your home as "smoke-free".
Go to places where smoking is prohibited, such as theaters, libraries, etc.
Always sit in the non-smoking parts of restaurants.
Have your car cleaned.

But I've smoked so long . . . why bother quitting now?
It's been said before but it can't be said enough.
Because the benefits begin IMMEDIATELY.

* In 20 Minutes:
o Blood Pressure and Pulse return to normal
o Temperature of hands and feet returns to normal
* In 8 Hours
o Carbon Monoxide levels are already back to normal
* In 24 Hours:
o Your chance of Heart Attack has already decreased significantly
* In 48 Hours
o Smell and taste return toward normal
o Walking becomes easier
* In 2 Weeks - 3 Months
o Circulation improves
o Lung function can increase up to 30%
* In 1 - 9 Months
o Coughing, sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease
o Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing the ability of the lungs to resist infection
* In 1 Year
o Your risk of heart disease is one-half of what it was one year ago.

You see, it really does not matter how long you've smoked. These are reliable changes which you will enjoy.

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I Mean it. NO Smoking Here !

An angry anti-smoker in Germany was so peeved when his girlfriend lit up that he emptied a fire extinguisher to put out the cigarette, caking her and their apartment in powder.'My colleagues said it looked like a bomb had gone off in there,' said a spokesman for police in the western city of Bielefeld, raising concerns about the ability of the German police to tell the difference between charred rubble and flame-retardant powder.'He managed to put the cigarette out though.'via Metro.co.uk
Now this is going to create a real riff in this relationship. Don't you think. Do you think he had the right to do this ?

Got a permit to Buy Tobacco ?

In Great Britian smokers would be forced to pay £10 for a permit to buy tobacco if a government health advisory body ,Health England, gets its way.
Apparently no one would be able to buy cigarettes without the permit,which you would buy yearly. I would rather see more help to help people quit then fines like this,

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Qwitter no smoking

If you are acquainted with Twitter or not this is looks like a pretty cool Qwitter stop smoking aid. WHOO whooo my wife and I are 5 months into freedom from nicotine !!! with about $2,000 in savings from not smoking.
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Smoke-Free Olympics-NOT

BEIJING - Beijing's first smoke-free restaurant chain faces going out of business after its customers deserted it in droves after the ban was enforced, state media reported on Friday.The Chinese people smoke. I find it interesting that a country communist country. A restaurant chain has lost about 80 percent of their business to other restaurants across the street" after it banned smoking in October. In spite of waitresses telling people not to smoke, customers would lock the staff out of rooms so they could smoke.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is promising a "smoke-free Olympics. The people are not cooperating. Beijing authorities have written to 30,000 restaurants asking them to put smoking bans in place, but not a single one had taken up the suggestion. read more
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Hi-Tech Smoking Jacket Has Lungs

Another example of hi tech design gone crazy. designed for the polite smoker who doesn't want to fumigate non-smokers in the area. When exhaling, the wearer of the Smoker Jacket can blow down the side of the collar into a tube. The smoke is then sent through a channel of filters, making the clear fake lungs on the outside of the white jacket haze over. The more smoke goes through the lungs, the darker they get. Over time, they'll eventually turn an icky black, reflective of the smoker's lungs. It was designed by Fiona Carswell and is meant to act as a health awareness. via Trendhunter

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Main biochemical pathways in drug addiction discovered

From The Economist A group of Chinese scientists from Peking University, led by Wei Liping has discovered the main biochemical pathways in drug addiction.
Dr Wei's group looked at the four most addictive drug types : alcohol, cocaine, nicotine and opiates. Of 1,500 genes implicated with addiction . Five genes, were common to all four types, and these five pathways therefore look as though they are at the core of the process of addiction.
The existence of these five central pathways helps explain a lot about addiction.
First, it gives weight to the belief that some people are more susceptible to all sorts of addiction than others are. That contrasts with the thought that addictions are substance-by-substance phenomena, though the two ideas are not mutually exclusive since changes in the 13 substance-specific pathways clearly also result in addiction. In other words some people are prone to addictive substances
Second, the particular pathways involved help to explain why addiction is so hard to reverse.
Addictions are hard to break. Several of them take part in strengthening the connections between nerve cells, which is the underlying basis of learning. Unlearning something by breaking these connections is hard.
Third, Dr Wei was able to link the five central pathways together into a network, and show that this network has four positive-feedback loops in it.
None of this, of course, directly helps the addict, though it reinforces the message that it is better not to start taking these drugs in the first place.
The answer is don't start doing drugs But working out how the addiction machine operates may point those looking for therapies in the right direction. And this study also shows that the old cry “more research is necessary” is not always true. Sometimes all you need to do is look at what you already have in a different way. The red text is my notes
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Live Longer ! Quit Smoking

We’ve heard for years that these actions will help us live longer, but this study actually quantifies their collective impact.
Between 1993 and 1997 the researchers questioned 20,000 healthy British men and women about their lifestyles. They also tested every participant’s blood to measure vitamin C intake, an indicator of how much fruit and vegetables people ate.
Then they assigned the participants — aged 45-79 — a score of between 0 and 4, giving one point for each of the healthy behaviors.
After allowing for age and other factors that could affect the likelihood of dying, the researchers determined that people with a score of 0 were 4-times as likely to have died, particularly from cardiovascular disease.
The researchers, who tracked deaths among the participants until 2006, also said a person with a health score of 0 had the same risk of dying as someone with a health score of 4 who was 14 years older.
The lifestyle change with the biggest benefit was giving up smoking, which led to an 80 percent improvement in health, the study found. This was followed by eating fruits and vegetables. via changing-aging

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Employees Fired for Not Smoking

Now here is a twist on the general direction of workplace rules. I'm sure it will be just a matter of time.
BERLIN (Reuters) - The owner of a small German computer company has fired three non-smoking workers because they were threatening to disturb the peace after they requested a smoke-free environment. The manager of the 10-person IT company in Buesum, named Thomas J., told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper he had fired the trio because their non-smoking was causing disruptions. Germany introduced non-smoking rules in pubs and restaurants on January 1, but Germans working in small offices are still allowed to smoke.
"I can't be bothered with trouble-makers," Thomas was quoted saying. "We're on the phone all the time and it's just easier to work while smoking. Everyone picks on smokers these days. It's time for revenge. I'm only going to hire smokers from now on."
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Pushing Tobacco on the web: is YouTube telling or selling you something?

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$3.4 Million Brand Icon Photo - Marlboro Man Sets New Record

I find this in a way to be incredible, but remembering the country that I live in. Very believable.




Marketing alone made this the most valuable photograph in the world. It sold for over $3.4 million dollars because of its iconic status. You recognize it as the foundation for the long-running Marlboro Man.

Richard Prince took the photo and ensconced him in the halls of American photographer fame.
The record-breaking Prince image is from his untitled cowboy series – in which Prince photographed sections of Marlboro cigarette ads and enlarged the photos to an enormous size. The photo sold at Sotheby's measures 100 by 66 inches and was one of an edition of two plus one artist's proof. It is dated 2001-02. (pdnonline)

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No buying cigarettes at #1 rated supermarket chain

It's going to be harder to even find a place to buy cigarettes in New York State as a report in the Buffalo News reports that Wegmans Markets, the #1 rated supermarket chain in the US, will stop selling tobacco productsis stamping out sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products at its supermarkets, becoming the first grocery chain in New York State to do so.
The Rochester-based company, which has 10 stores in Erie and Niagara counties, announced it will halt tobacco sales effective Feb. 10. Wegmans will continue to sell tobacco products until then, but will not replenish its inventory.
“It will now be a matter of how other businesses respond to what [Wegmans] decided to do,” said Rebecca Marion, a council spokeswoman. Target Corp., based in Minnesota, halted cigarette sales back in 1996.
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He Didn't Quit Smoking-To prove A Point

Bryan Curtis started smoking at 13, never thinking that 20 years later it would kill him and leave a wife and children alone. In his last weeks, he set out with a message for young people. He never quit smoking and neither did his family that watched him die.

one mans storya better ending quiting story
group of stories A group of stories from about.com of peoples quiting stories.
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Quit Smoking to Get NHS Benefits ?

According to a article in The Guardian-Smokers could be required to quit in exchange for NHS rights British Prime Minister Brown is to make a speech on preventive care later this month. a bill of rights for patients which will establish the "rights and responsibilities associated with an entitlement to NHS(national health service) care" with a debate on whether patients should be expected to play their own part in reducing their burden on the health service. In other words not smokng or being obese.
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