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Both of my parents were smokers when I was young. In my father's case he had a two-pack a day habit. Mom had a one pack a day habit. They had picked up smoking while in the military in World War II. Many people don't know that military actually provided free cigarettes to soldiers and sailors along with rations of other items.
My parents though were not idiots. Fifty years ago, in 1964, the Surgeon General released a famous report on smoking that was meant for the entire country. The report stated in no uncertain terms that cigarette smoking was conclusively a cause of lung cancer for men. It said that it was "probable" that it was one for women too.
Many people simply chose to ignore the report and kept on smoking. Of course, plenty of people sadly still choose to smoke tobacco despite now overwhelming evidence of the harms that it causes. My mom and dad were different though. They read the newspaper summaries of the report and were deeply troubled. It took my father three years to do it, but one day he gave up smoking cold turkey. He never had a single cigarette after that. My mother quit a year later. I have no doubt that they would have continued without this statement from the Surgeon General.
I think it is extremely likely that at least one of them would have eventually died of lung cancer or a smoking related illness if they had continued. My father died a few years ago of another cause at the age of 84. My mother is still alive at age 95.
Its fashionable to criticize "big government" for just about everything. However, sometimes government gets it right and sometimes it gets thing right in a big way.
Thank goodness the Surgeon General issued that report one January day in 1964. There are thousands of people alive because of it.
If you haven't quit smoking yet do it. My parents are proof that you can heal from the effects of smoking if you stop soon enough. Quitting is worth doing. It can be done. It is not hopeless. Special cessation programs are available in many states because of the Tobacco Settlement.
Congrats to your parents! It sounds like they are living/have lived long and pretty healthy lives! And been a good example to you.
My dad is 85, doing pretty well, and has smoked most of his life. My mom quit smoking in her 50's, yet died of lung cancer 15 years later. A close friend of my husband died of lung cancer in his 40's. He had never smoked and was very physically active.
I just wish I (we) knew what the other causes of cancer are as well. I wish that was more researched. It seems like that research has stopped once we found a 'boogeyman' to point at.
Good thing that there are people who are smart enough not to smoke. Also, good for CVS to prohibit the sale of cigarettes. I hadn't noticed until I was in CVS yesterday and the cigarettes were gone! Let the poor slobs who still insist on smoking go elsewhere for their fix, not in a pharmacy that's supposed to get people well.
Congrats to your parents! It sounds like they are living/have lived long and pretty healthy lives! And been a good example to you.
My dad is 85, doing pretty well, and has smoked most of his life. My mom quit smoking in her 50's, yet died of lung cancer 15 years later. A close friend of my husband died of lung cancer in his 40's. He had never smoked and was very physically active.
I just wish I (we) knew what the other causes of cancer are as well. I wish that was more researched. It seems like that research has stopped once we found a 'boogeyman' to point at.
Smoking is certainly not the only cause of lung cancer, and research on it has not stopped. Many causes in non-smokers have been identified. Not everyone who smokes will get lung cancer, but the vast majority who do are or were smokers. In addition, smoking increases the risk of other cancers and cardiovascular disease.
This posting wouldn't be complete without this update. Much good has been accomplished within the last fifty years and much remains to be done. The percentage of Americans who smoke has dropped from 42% to 20%. Its estimated that over 400,000 of our countrymen die every year from smoking-related causes. This number is way, way too high. What's frightening is to imagine twice that many people dying if the campaign against tobacco had not occurred. The economic cost of smoking to Americans is enormous. It is estimated at $280 billion a year.
Now, that the truth has thoroughly explained, I notice that tobacco companies are now trying to market other tobacco products besides traditional cigarettes. Smokeless cigarettes, loaded with nicotine, have now become vogue.
Of course, cigarette smoking isn't the only cause of lung cancer. However, many non-smokers probably get it from breathing in secondhand smoke from other people who still do smoke.
Most lung cancer though is connected with cigarette smoking and most is preventable.
The Surgeon General's Report on Smoking remains an under-reported and pivotal event in our nation's history. It was the beginning of an enormous positive change. Thousands live who would have died had the report not been issued. Millions more chose not to start smoking at all. Sometimes, the good guys win
The report marked a new era for public health as well. Prior to the report, the focus of public health had been entirely on preventing infectious/contagious disease. The Report seemed an acknowledgement of the fact that there are/were other public health problems (besides infectious disease) that needed to be dealt with.
Last edited by markg91359; 12-27-2014 at 11:35 AM..
The Surgeon General's Report on Smoking remains an under-reported and pivotal event in our nation's history. It was the beginning of an enormous positive change.
Yes. Having grown up in a time when cigarette ads were all over radio, television and print media, I can remember when another major positive change was when tobacco advertising on television and radio was banned in 1971.
I grew up with both parents smoking. My mother quit when I was in college. She said she noticed I complained about my contact lenses when I came home for visits, and she thought it was due to the smoke in the house. My father, at three packs per day, quit because my younger brother started leaving the room if he lit a cigarette.
Both died of heart disease, my mother at age 79 and my dad at 81. Although neither had smoked for many years, I suspect they could have lived longer if they had not been smokers. Neither my brother nor I have ever smoked.
The most positive change I have seen is banning smoking from public places, especially restaurants. I do not voluntarily expose myself to any smoke.
Mark - Your post reminded me of my Grandfather. He too quit smoking cold turkey. It was before I was born. My mother smokes. I tried it when I was very young and quit. I'm glad I did. But every time I am reminded of my Grandfather quitting cold turkey, and hear from other smokers how difficult it is, I am inspired by his willpower even though he is no longer here.
Mark - Your post reminded me of my Grandfather. He too quit smoking cold turkey. It was before I was born. My mother smokes. I tried it when I was very young and quit. I'm glad I did. But every time I am reminded of my Grandfather quitting cold turkey, and hear from other smokers how difficult it is, I am inspired by his willpower even though he is no longer here.
Henry, I was so young at the time. These events would only assume proper significance to me as a I got older. My father quit about the time I was eight years old.
I do remember it was a stressful time in our family and it would not be helped by the fact that my mother suffered very serious knee injuries in a car accident just one year later.
My father was tense, uptight, and often yelled at my sister and I the first couple of years after he quit smoking. There were even a couple of spankings that I associate with his difficulty and moodiness during this time.
Yet, somehow I understood just how important it was for my parents to quit smoking and both my sister and I were willing to make allowances for this to happen. I knew that he was acting this way because of his struggle to end the tobacco habit--not because he was angry at any of us. It became a "family thing" where we were all in it together and were willing to pay the price for both he and my mother to quit.
Years later, after hearing stories of people who cannot seem to "kick the habit" despite all the cessation aids that are available today, I asked him "How were you able to go from smoking two packs a day of filterless cigarettes to not smoking at all without relapsing one time? Dad smiled and told me that looking back on it, he was glad there were no cessation aids. In his mind, it was an absolute thing. You quit or you didn't quit. He didn't believe in "crutches" like nicotine patches. I am inclined to believe that cessation measures do a lot of good. However, what worked for him is what worked for him.
Today, I view cigarettes as something about as evil as illegal narcotics. I honestly wonder how any one could work for a tobacco company or raise tobacco for sale to people who will smoke it. It maybe legal, but it is the ultimate in immorality to me. I could have no respect for such a person.
My mom smoked until I was about 8 - at which point she stopped because she noticed that if I was around her while she was smoking, I'd start coughing and wheezing. Flash forward to my early 20s and I was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer that my doctors link to exposure to 2nd hand smoke as a kid. As a result of my chemo, I now live with serious lung damage and reduced lung capacity. Being around smokers now means that I have a hard time breathing while in their presence and often get bronchitis within days of exposure.
Now you might wonder, "Why on earth would you be around smokers with your lung damage?" My brother is marrying into a family of smokers. Not only that, all of their friends smoke. His fiance recently had several melanomas removed (at 22) and she still smokes half a pack a day despite smoking increasing her risk. Recently, I was at their outdoor engagement party (and as part of the bridal party, I had to give a speech) and EVERYONE smoked. When it began to rain so we all had to gather under a tent, I politely asked my brother's future mother-in-law if she could hold off on her next cigarette. Apparently, that was akin to waging a war so not only did she begin blowing smoking directly into my face, but she went around to all of my brother and his fiance's friends to tell them to smoke. It was unbelievable, childish, and very hurtful. I was told it was "bull****" that others smoking made it difficult for me to breathe or that it could have caused my cancer (and, more importantly, that it put my brother at risk since the highest risk factor for my cancer is having a sibling who had it). His future mother in law bragged about how she cared for her late-father as he died of lung cancer (proudly stating he continued to smoke throughout treatment) and that she didn't care about her body, she only cared about her soul. Yikes!
I left as soon as I could, but ended up sick in bed for a week afterward. Most of the smokers were in their late teens and early 20s - I just couldn't believe it. You thankfully don't see that much anymore.
So there are still pockets out there. Obviously smoking is not the only way someone gets lung cancer, but it is a huge risk factor for not only cancer but other pulmonary ailments and heart disease. It's 2015 - there's no excuse not to at least use e-cigs.
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