Smoking, really? (quitting smoking, plague, doctor, diet pill)

[pvande55]

Although only about 10% of US residents smoke, some in the medical field talk as if smoking is the nation's biggest health problem. Why? Maybe they are a disproportionate number of the patients?

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Although only about 10% of US residents smoke, some in the medical field talk as if smoking is the nation's biggest health problem. Why? Maybe they are a disproportionate number of the patients?

I haven't heard anyone in the medical field talk about this in a long time. Crickets.

Maybe about vaping?

[burdell]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Although only about 10% of US residents smoke, some in the medical field talk as if smoking is the nation's biggest health problem. Why? Maybe they are a disproportionate number of the patients?

Maybe what they mean is it's the most easily avoided health problem?

And as a former 2 pack a day smoker, I truly believe that quitting is more a mental thing than anything else. If you really want to quit, it's not all that bad doing so.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by burdell

Maybe what they mean is it's the most easily avoided health problem?

And as a former 2 pack a day smoker, I truly believe that quitting is more a mental thing than anything else. If you really want to quit, it's not all that bad doing so.

Yeah, but that's the thing. We didn't really want to quit. We knew it was unhealthy and it made us smell bad and we were throwing our money away.

But smoking also made us feel good, lifted our moods, made our minds work faster and sharper, and those were the hard things to give up.

Last cigarette for me was December 12, 2011. I will never smoke again, but I will always remember how good it felt when that nicotine hit my bloodstream and brain.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by pvande55

Although only about 10% of US residents smoke, some in the medical field talk as if smoking is the nation's biggest health problem.

I thought obesity was our nation's biggest health problem.

[Lodestar]

There seems statistically to have been huge success in terminating the habit of smoking. As someone who was raised post WWII when literally everybody was smoking, I would have never believed it could be possible.

I also suspect there are more covert smokers than statistics indicate. I remember when the percentage was down to about twenty percent in Minnesota and I was surprised it was that high because I never or rarely saw anyone smoking. When dealing with addictions there will always be hidden behavior.

Minnesota had a lot of success not only via education but also by social disapproval and stigma. It was ugly but it worked.

I dunno, going to make a guess. Maybe no one wants to touch obesity because it's so pervasive even in our health system. The clinic I go to has a lot of overweight staff.

Did the cessation of smoking contribute to the obesity epidemic?

Where else are you going to focus? Alcohol? We're already changing our attitude on mood-altering chemicals but alcohol may be the black sheep of the happy hour family.

It will be interesting to see where Biden's ideas on drinking go. Major backlash among the middle-aged and older crowd, I suspect.

We hear a lot of people saying prohibition doesn't work but it seems to have been relatively successful regarding smoking.

Two more things about the anti-tobacco campaign that may have given it a boost: An increase in sensitivities to chemicals in the population and increased pollution. And another guess - was this a way to decrease the power of the Republican movers and shakers? A large amount of their money was being made by the sale of tobacco. Was the motivation as much political as it was for health reasons?

Where does political power lay in regard to obesity/alcohol dependence? What are the connections? Who benefits?

[allthatglitters]

Maybe it's because quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and quality of life. Non-smokers have a much lower risk of getting dozens of smoking-related diseases.

I started my quit journey 7 months ago...I really enjoyed smoking, but then a medical emergency occurred and I had to give it up. I'm doing great now - reaping many benefits and will never again line the pockets of the tobacco industry executives (scumbags, IMO) with my hard earned money.

[Mikala43]

Many more people vape, both nicotine and pot, which is found to be pretty darn unhealthy too. So that may be the issue.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Lodestar

... Where does political power lay in regard to obesity/alcohol dependence? What are the connections? Who benefits?

It would be easy for a conspiratory enthusiast to assume that there must be some cabal behind it.

Since we seem to be in the midst of an obesity plague there should be a corresponding marketing campaign for a miracle diet pill.

I see ads in my email nearly every day, but when I attempt a deep dive into any of them, they all appear to be scams.

I have read many times, about child movie stars in the 1940s and 1950s, where studio doctors freely handed out pills to keep the movie stars thin and on task. So logically I know said pills exist, where are they?

If the Pharma industry were behind this obesity issue, then they should be marketing it and making huge profits.

I do not see where an obesity or alcohol epidemic is making any sector wealthy or in any greater 'power'.

[Deserterer]

I have observed smoking to be alarmingly common among semi-independent persons with serious disabilities, and by that I mean people who can still get out and about on their own to buy cigarettes but live in subsidized or group homes. Same for very poor people seeking assistance for housing and homelessness issues.