ASH Australia: 
information for smokers

This section contains information on the damaging health and economic effects of smoking, how the tobacco companies are taking advantage of you, where to go to for help when you decide to quit, and how you can prevent your children from becoming nicotine-dependent. 

Far from being in any sense "anti-smoker", ASH seeks more sympathy for smokers in their struggle against our most addictive drug. We support better-funded quit campaigns and cessation services; better consumer protection and more tobacco industry accountability for harming and deceiving smokers; banning smoke from crowded public places and putting tobacco out of sight in shops to help recent quitters stay "clean" and stop tobacco exploitation of children.

We do not support criminalising possession of tobacco, or penalising smokers. 

See below for  LATEST NEWS AND RESEARCH,  HELP WITH QUITTING,  MORE INFO AND RESOURCES  and a discussion of  SMOKERS' RIGHTS.

LATEST NEWS AND RESEARCH    
Think you know all about the dangers of smoking? Most smokers don't know the half of it!  Read the latest research - just some of the latest studies below.

Smoking linked with "Swine Flu" and other influenza

June 2009: Research from US Centers for Disease Control  suggests smoking is linked with influenza:

If you are thinking about quitting smoking – today is the time to take the appropriate steps to do so.

• Some research studies show an increase in influenza infections among smokers compared to nonsmokers.

• There is a higher mortality rate for smokers than nonsmokers from influenza.

2006 study  on links with swine influenza viruses concluded that "workers who... smoked ... most frequently had evidence of previous H1N1 swine virus. These findings may be valuable in planning for pandemic influenza.”

Kate's model face suffers the ravages of smoking
17/6/09: Chain-smoking is robbing top model Kate Moss of her good looks, friends claim.  See story with pic in  Sydney Morning Herald Life&Style feature 17/6/09

Health insurers invest in tobacco, then slug smokers
4/6/09: Research on investments by UK and North American-based health insurance companies shows they invest billions in tobacco companies - then slug smokers with higher premiums.  See letter in  New England Journal of Medicine 4/6/09 

A short walk to quitting?
13/3/07: As little as five minutes of exercise could help smokers quit, says a new study published in the international medical journal Addiction.  It says moderate exercise, such as walking, significantly reduces the intensity of smokers' nicotine withdrawal symptoms.  See  AAP report 13/3/07 

This confirms a study by the American College of Chest Physicians - which found smokers who combine exercise with nicotine gum or transdermal patches are more likely to quit than those who rely on nicotine replacement therapy alone.  See  Reuters report 24/10/06 

Heavy smokers need to quit, not just cut down
28/11/06: Tobacco Control  has just published a large longitudinal Norwegian study which shows that heavy smokers who reduce their smoking, do not reduce their mortality risk. 
See  the study

The take-home message: heavy smokers can't kid themselves they can reduce risk by cutting down. A 50-year doctors' followup study by Sir Richard Doll showed that smokers who quit by middle-age had approximately the same mortality experience as never smokers. And "Social smokers", take heed: even a 1-4 cigarette-a-day habit still trebles your risk of death from heart disease or cancer, says a large new study published in Tobacco Control. See National Heart Foundation media release 22/9/05     See the full study    

Long-term smokers six times more likely to develop incurable lung disease
17/10/06: At least one in four "hardened" smokers will develop Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). A new study in Thorax  journal says persistent smokers are six times more likely to get the incurable condition, which can include emphysema and bronchitis.  See  newkerala.com report 17/10/06      See the  study 

AND MORE GOOD REASONS TO QUIT...

Deborah, 38, faces death from smoking
Having lost both parents to smoking, this young American mother now has late-stage lung cancer and prepares to say goodbye to her children.  See  whyquit release Sept 2007 

Thanks tobacco, you killed my mom 
9-minute US documentary video on YouTube - showing the painful death at just 57 of the film-makers' mother, from lung cancer. She wanted it filmed to deter kids from taking up smoking. Very sad and honest.

Smoking and strokes ads

Smoking Is Bad for Your Wealth 
You probably already know that smoking is bad for the heart, lungs, and the rest of the body. But do you realize what smoking does to savings? The cold, hard numbers appeared in the Feb 2005 edition of Tobacco Control, courtesy of Ohio State University research scientist Jay Zagorsky.

Ghetto Science on smoking
Check this 3 minute  YouTube video  shot in Sydney in which a young American conducts a simple but powerful experiment. Good how it doesn't talk down to you - though it's a bit thoughtless how he flicks the cigarette away. And we DON'T recommend you try it for yourself - unless you want to get that stuff in YOUR lungs.

10 overlooked reasons to quit smoking
OK, so you know it causes cancer, heart disease, emphysema.... but here are ten impacts you might not have been aware of - including Alzheimer's, Lupus, SIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, snoring and heartburn!  

So... 
Why do people keep smoking?
Insightful article in the Washington Post (29/3/05) provides a good window into people's motivation for continuing to smoke when the facts are stacked against it.

HELP WITH QUITTING

Quitline
Call the National Quit Line on its new number: 137 848  (13 QUIT). The call is free and advice, support and kits are available 24 hours a day. 

Quit because you can 
Now on its own revamped site, this is the complete online guide to everything you need to know about flicking the stick. Run by Quit, who really know their stuff.

Quit coach
An interactive program to help you give the flick to the cancer stick! A free computer program which asks you questions and gives you useful ideas for quitting.   

Australian national quit campaign
You can also find help in several languages here. You can also try Quit Victoria
or Quit WA  - sites designed to provide information, advice and assistance on quitting smoking. They have advice on how to undertake a quit attempt, information on assisting others to quit, a history of Quit campaigns and links to tobacco fact sheets, resources and other useful information on smoking.

For more good advice, read  The Cancer Council Australia's Position Paper on Stopping Smoking

More Tips on quitting from the Cancer Council NSW. Includes a basic Q&A, the immediate health benefits and what happens to your body while you're quitting.

Going cold turkey?  Have a look at "The Law of Addiction" on US site  whyquit.com  for good advice on doing it without artificial aids.

Smokers with mental illness
Good advice for these smokers at the SANE website.

MORE INFO AND RESOURCES

Treatobacco
Useful international site with research and background on health effects, interventions and more. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco with input from WHO, World Bank, CDC, Cochrane and others. 
March 2006: There's a new Ask the Experts feature on Treatobacco: "What new stop smoking medications are currently being developed and what is the evidence so far for their effectiveness?"

Health effects of smoking
See the Cancer Council NSW's  brief summary (2007) of diseases caused by tobacco - and note that the evidence is growing all the time!  See also our  latest research  page

It's never too late to quit
How would you rather spend your later years? Great campaign from WA aimed at quality of life for older smokers.  See campaign media overview and poster at Make Smoking History

What happens if I quit now?
Have a look at this "Smoker's Risk" site from the US National Cancer Institute - check your (or friend/relative's) current risk level and how it would be lowered if you quit now.

And if I don't quit?
See this  BBC news story 2006  about a media campaign featuring a 43-year-old UK woman who is dying from smoking - and the shattering impact on her young family. 

View award winning Australian campaign adverts

Cigarette litter is trashing Australia
Don't be a tosser! Did you know that almost 50% of urban litter is caused by cigarette butts and packets? After 9 years of cleaning up rubbish, tobacco litter is still a major polluter of our streets, parks and waterways, says Clean Up Australia.

Smoke Free Zone
NSW-based site of campaign (NSWhealth, Cancer Council, Heart Foundation, Asthma and SIDS) to reduce infant and child exposure to passive smoke in homes and cars. Includes health research and info, news, laws, tips and links.

Is "chop chop" more natural and healthier than shop cigarettes?
No - in fact, mould and fungi are commonly found in chop-chop (rough rolled tobacco sold illegally under the counter) - and smokers are inhaling mould spores directly into their lungs.  See  Chop chop factsheet

Quitting on reality TV
A smoker pursues an attempt to quit in a reality-TV-based ad campaign from the American Legacy Foundation. The campaign has some genuine insights into what works when you decide to try giving up.    See the Bob Quits website

Read our Smokers' Stories
From people like you - who've quit, or tried to, or wish they had, or  just want to have their say about it. Maybe you could send us your thoughts.....

Tobacco Victims 
A worldwide site dedicated to victims of tobacco - run by the international tobacco control community, Globalink. Includes a register, smokers' stories and more. 

And some quit stories from the US...  Why Quit 
Insightful US site run by Joel Spitzer - who's been helping Chicago smokers break free for over three decades. Lots of good stories.

SMOKERS' RIGHTS... or Wrongs?

Smokers, like all consumers, have rights. Five fundamental consumer rights were enshrined in a Consumer’s Bill of Rights in 1962 by US President J.F. Kennedy; and since then, the world consumer movement has added two more.

“Smokers Rights" Groups however, often funded by tobacco interests, are more about protecting the commercial interests of tobacco companies than championing the “rights” of smokers. Use this checklist of rights to reveal how Big Tobacco continues to ignore the consumer rights of smokers. (Our comments are in italics).

1. Right to Safety
Tobacco products are inherently dangerous. When used as intended they cause disease, disability and premature death.   Passive smoking by other people, including children and workmates, also is unsafe and causes harm. 

2. Right to Honesty
The tobacco industry for decades has covered up and denied the truth about their product’s addictiveness and lethalness; and about the industry’s marketing tactics, especially targeting children.

3. Right to Fairness
The price of cigarettes paid by consumers covers cost, profits and taxes. But the costs of compensation for harm caused by the product are not covered. These are additional, hidden costs which come out of the consumer’s pocket later. Tobacco companies pocket huge profits but take no responsibility for these direct costs to the consumer.

4. Right to Know
Dangerous, poisonous ingredients in tobacco have been deliberately concealed by the industry.

5. Right to Choose
The tobacco industry has continued to sell a product whose addictiveness, hidden and downplayed by the industry, compromises consumers’ capacity to choose freely. Most smokers begin as children  – becoming addicted when they are too young to make a fully informed decision.

6. Right to be Heard
Tobacco companies are accused of blocking court cases and using intimidatory tactics and intrusive surveillance to delay and deter action. Tobacco companies and their lawyers have been found to have destroyed documents to stop the public learning the embarrassing truth.

7. Right to Relief
All claims against tobacco companies are defended vigorously by legions of lawyers who use financial power to outspend and outlast plaintiffs debilitated by tobacco diseases and loss of income.      

More on Human Rights - the UN Declaration. How does the tobacco industry measure up to these principles?

Page last updated 22/6/09