OVER
by Iorraine Graves
"Mind if I smoke?"
"Yup."
"What? 'Ihat's not the way it's supposed to work."
"Oh yes, it is. Welcome to anti-smoking week."
"Oh God, here comes the propoganda."
"You betcha boots. We tend to be inundated with the pro—smoking propoganda in many subtle ways. It's sexy to snoke, right? The Aerospace medical laboratory states: "Any amount of cigarette snoking not only affected endurance performance, but also limited the response to training."
The report goes on to say that not only could the non—smokers go a geeater distance on the tread mill but they did So with less fatigue, as did those with sports back- grounds. A point of interest is that a higher proportion of people with a history of engaging in participatory sports are non-smokers. So non— smokers, in general, can do strenuous exercise for a longer period of time while tiring less. This applies to all sorts of participatory" sports " .
This means you'll have more energy left over after you've shoveled out your hovel, run two blocks to get the bus and had to walk hone anyways, or pushed your blessed auto all the way to the gas station.
So you mind if I smoke, eh? You self—righteous non—smokers are a pain in the ass. What business 15 it of yours if I want . to pollute my lungs?
They are my lungs.
Your smoking bothers me too. Is that so? Do you drive a car? Cars add a lot to air pollution; far more than one or two cigarettes and you don't ask my permission to start up that heap you drive.
"I would if I wanted to run it in your living room.“ <
"m" .
"As a matter of fact, one of the damaging elements of tobacco smoke is carbon monoxide. ‘Ihe henoglobin in your blood— stream would mudi rather pick up any available oxygen needed by the body. So that the body is more efficient at gleaning harmful CO from the surrounding air than it is at getting the oxygen to your system. 'Ihe effect
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'Jhe UPEI SUN,'Ihursday,March 16,1978,pa
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is even more concentrated of fetuses, whose mothers are exposed to snoking. It's not just the CO but other deleterious compounds are passed on to the un- born child and the after- math of the mother's smoking during gestation can be seen at birth weight, higher infant nortality’, and nor'e frequent neonatal distress. Did you know that even at age six, the child whose nofllers Stroked during pregnancy are on the average an inch shorter than diildren whose nothers abstained?" ' "Preaching. You're trying to get me to quit. I enjoy snoking and besides if I ever did want toquitall I' dois goto one of those gruesome ‘ displays of blackened lungs. 'Jhat'd scare anycne
into giving up the habi ."
A lot of people will cease to smoke after "shoc "shock" therapy but for a limited time only. mce they get used to and/or forget the gruesome sights they've been ex— posed to, they're usually back to it. The people who stop snoking and stay stopped are the ones with strong self—notiva- tion. Sanetimes it takes a few tries.
"Whidl ways are the most effective? 'lhere are all sorts of gimnidcs and giznoes. Cold"turkey is the only way to quit, right?"
"Not necessarily. Any- thing that helps you to stop or lessen your tobacco addiction, as long as it doesn't harm your health, is fair gate and likely useful for
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smoke was a good feeling right fran the start? 'lherefore, if you can learn to become a smoker, you can also learn to becone a ncn—snoker.
(hoe you've made the decision to quit you have ' the dioice of tapering off or cold turkey."
Iet's deal with tapering off first: The Saskatchewan Interagency Council on Snoking and - Health suggests nine ways of making it a little easier:
1) Keep a daily record of where and when and why you snoke. Inspect it every evening and re- solve next day to cut out the less inportant cigarettes.
.2) Decide to eliminate cigarettes at certain tires or in certain ' places or with certain people-
3) Renfind yourself why you want to quit. If you think you have over— whelming reasons why you should smoke, write them dam alongside the reasons for quitting.
4)Ask yourself 'why am
I I sucking this cigarette."
5) Putyourpack in a' place where you must make; an effort to reach it.
6) Stoke each cigarette halfway only.
7) Buy only one padc at a time.
.8) Don't carry matd'les or a lighter.
9) Snoke only the cigarettes you buy.
And for those who are/ into cold turkey, the council has ten helpful hints:
l) of quitting for mly one day at a time.
sotreone. Anyone who's been hard up for reading material has probably perused a package of cigarettes and 5%1'1 that "Health and Welfare Canada advises that danger to health in- creases with anount smoked." Conversely, danger decreases as your tobacco addiction decreases. ,
"You're calling it an addiction."
"You bet your boots I do, tobacco is a chemical and psychological habit, but you had to learn to Stroke, or are you going to tell that breathing in
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2) Get a buddy or a group of buddies to quit with you. If your spouse or best friend smokes, try to get them to join you in quitting.
3) Avoid carpany or places where tenptation to smoke is strong. ' »
4) Don't carry matches or a lighter. Put all ashtrays away.
5) Keep busy, get plenty of exercise, stretch, walk around the room.
6) Breath deeply once in a while, particularly when the urge to snoke is ‘ greatest.
7) Drink plenty of water or orange juice.
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8) Buy sugarlessgum or candy to use instead of a cigarette“ '
9) mm yourself why you quit. r
10) Many ex-smokers succeed by stopping, startln' g. stopping and finall" y quitting and sticking to it.
"Great, great, but if I quit smoking I'll put. on weight, and then in— stead of damaging my lungs it'll be a strain
"You can put at 60 ‘ pomds before: it is near the danger to your system that a pad: a day habit'is." . p '
"But it doesn't 100K
"Doessnoking?" V
"Well, nyDad usedto smoke I was little
andIthoughtfliat looked
kinda neat."
"Do you realize that there is a direct correlation between parental attitudes to— ward tdoacco use and those of their d'lildren's attitudes even once these daildren reach adulthood? Perhaps one quthe p ' because ,your father. did- And what do you mean he . used to snoke?",-7 ’ '
"He quit after his second heart attack."
Almost all you've said so far has been for the , advantage of tobacco fre— aks, but you said once that most people dcn't smoke. Got anything to say for them? ' ' -
Uh huh. ' BE VOCAL. Pleasantly ask People 81" mind you who are snoking to be considerate of your 7 sensitivity to tobacco smoke.
'Ihat's it? 7
No. let rte finish. I've other suggestims for non- smokers. Be visual by wearing a but" ton. Post "no; staging" signs in appropriate Pla- ces. In your car ask pas- sengers to refrain from smoking. When travelling always request the ncn- smokers' Where . such facilities are not , provided or are inadequate, or when snoking regula- tions are not being en- forced, register a CC!!!" plaint with the proper ' authority. In eating places ask for the non— . snoking area. Register catplaints if smoke inter- feres-with your dining . pleasure. In waitingand reception roansr urge Your physician or dentist to