Since writing for The Safe Cig, I have shared very little about my life outside of what pertains directly to my smoking and quitting. At the request of one of the company founders, I shared about my school years earlier this week. Tonight, I am sharing some raw emotions after receiving a call about someone [...]

I tried smoking for the first time when I was 11. I had been bullied and found solace in hanging out with a group of kids who had been singled out for one reason or another themselves. Not one of them hid that cigarettes were their vice and while they did not push me to smoke, the offer was always there.

Eventually I had one, two, three, and four. Then I had a few more.

Smoking then was a come-and-go experience. If there were cigarettes around, I would smoke, but I could go months without a cigarette. At that point in my life, I didn't see what the big deal was about smoking. Of course I was at an age where I was invincible and cigarettes were my hobby after an exceptionally difficult day of hearing bullying slurs spew from a group of kids during gym, in the halls, at lunch, and even in class. Those days, that came and went inconsistently, were ones where I would sneak out of school 20 minutes early and hang out on the greenbelt with a group of kids who hated school, classmates, and life as much as I did and light up. Continue Reading

Bullying comes in many forms; teasing, name-calling, hitting, kicking, and spreading rumors are just a few examples. But to be bullying it must happen more than once and over a period of time. Unfortunately, children who are bullied often resort to making poor choices just to fit in with any crowd. For me, smoking was one way to be accepted by someone without hearing or experiencing:

"Oh look! It's the Jolly Green Giant!"

"Hey four-eyes."

"Where did you find that outfit; in the dumpster?"

"It's the stuck-up goody-goody writing in that notebook again. I can't imagine what she's trying to achieve next."

"Just push her down in that puddle of mud."

"She should live in the garbage can. She's just trash."

I was always one of the tallest in my class. I stood on the top riser in choir performances and Christmas pageants. I excelled at high jump. I was a versatile runner with long legs allowing me to sprint and run long distances. With my parents both above 6' tall, genetics were in my favor to tower above those with shorter parents. But instead of seeing what I could do, I spent years being called the Jolly Green Giant and it hurt.

Glasses in the 80's and 90's were not so fashionable as they are today or common. When I was in third grade, I was forced to don these hideous pink, plastic frames on my face to ensure I could see what was on the chalkboard. I listened to four-eyes for months before my glasses happened to not make it home one day after school. I hated wearing them, but hated being teased by the same group of kids that called me the Jolly Green Giant even more than the luxury of seeing. I had many outfits my mom made for me growing up. No matter what was purchased for me, it never fit. I had pants with elastic waste bands and matching shirts as clothing from stores would fall off or be too short in the leg. I never wore clothing from a dumpster, but I certainly donned outfits lacking any style or semblance of fashion. Continue Reading

Amendment to Definition of Smoking in Utah Indoor Clean Air Act

Sponsored by Bradley G. Last and Michael G. Waddoups

Amendment to include electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the definition of smoking.

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On Wednesday of this week, a New York state law went into effect that bans smoking on train platforms, waiting, and ticketing areas. The new ban has not yet seen any summonses resulting from violations, but many from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the American Cancer Society say that's because the ban has been enforced by the most unlikely of people; non-smoking passengers. This interesting twist of events has drawn some lines between people, but has been called empowering by others.

Non-smoking passengers, now knowing that there is a law in place to back them up, feel more empowered to say something to smokers who light up in public areas where smoking has now been banned. So when a smoker decides to light up in a place they may have thought was previously okay, they can certainly expect someone to correct them. Though, of course, the correction is not always approached in the most polite of manners. Continue Reading

Pitt County Health Department is appealing a district judge's decision to reverse smoking fines against four local bars that allow smoking indoors.

A comprehensive smoking ban went into effect on January 2, 2010 that included banning smoking in restaurants and bars with the exception of private clubs operating as nonprofits.

The latest case is an appeal of a decision by Pitt County District Court Judge G. Galen Braddy. In November 2010, Braddy ruled in favor of four Pitt County bars, which had asked the court to review the health board’s decision to uphold the smoking fines levied by Dr. John Morrow, director of the health department. In his decision, Braddy wrote that it was unfair to allow smoking at nonprofit operations, including country clubs, while denying that right to for-profit private bars. He made clear that his decision to allow indoor smoking was limited to those four bars: Club 519, Live, 5th Street Distillery and Mac Billiards.

The Pitt County case is the second in North Carolina. In the first appeal, the Court of Appeals upheld a Guilford County court's decision. In that case, Gate City Billards owner in Greensboro challenged the equal protection clause that allowed private, non-profit clubs the right for smoking to still occur on premises. The court found Continue Reading

According to the CDC's November 11 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68.8 percent of current smokers say they want to quit and 52.4 percent tried to quit during the past year. No matter how many people want to quit or attempt to quit, tobacco cigarettes are still creating an immense risk of many types of cancer including lung cancer.

Nancy Meenan shared her experience with losing her husband to lung cancer in a letter to the Editor at phillyBlurbs.com. The following is her statement:

My husband passed away in July of small-cell lung cancer. He was told by the oncologist that small-cell is directly caused by smoking and is a very aggressive cancer. By the time he showed symptoms, it was too late. The doctor also said there has been no progress in finding a way to cure small-cell lung cancer in the last 20 years.

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Have you noticed that you smoke more when you are stressed?

Every person has a different definition of stress. For one person, they might see normal life responsibilities as stress while another doesn't. As unique as each person is, so are stressors. The top five stressors are; money and finances, jobs or careers, family and children, health, and relationship with a significant other. Finding healthy ways to cope with changes in those key five areas will help reduce stress levels and will keep you from smoking more -- which actually increases stress responses in the body. Continue Reading

What once was a beautiful white smile is now dim and yellow.

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According to a study conducted in the United States, counseling sessions with a school nurse may help some students quit smoking, however the results are short-lived.

Researchers studied approximately 1,000 students who said they wanted to quit smoking. In their report released in the journal Pediatrics, nearly eleven percent of those who received counseling for three months quit. In contrast, only six percent of those who did not receive counseling quit smoking.

Study author, Lori Pbert of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester said, "A school-nurse-delivered-smoking-cessation intervention proved feasible and effective in improving short-term abstinence in boys and short-term reductions in smoking amount and frequency in both genders." A year after the sessions, there was no difference in smoking rates based on what type of assistance teens received.

Michael Siegel, who studies tobacco control at Boston University School of Public Health, said, "It's nice that there was some effect at three months, what we really care about is sustained cessation." Continue Reading