Everywhere I turn, people are asking about my quitting efforts and July 11 quit date. I really feel I’d be letting you all down if I don’t stop smoking.

Now, I’m not going to do this but, if I wanted to fudge and get a quick nicotine fix without smoking a cigarette, there are a lot of ways to get it done.

Nicotine can be absorbed through the mucous membrane of the mouth when you use products like nicotine gum and chewing tobacco–or you smoke a cigar or pipe without inhaling. It also can be absorbed through the skin with a nicotine patch.

None of these products come close to the efficiency of cigarettes as nicotine delivery systems. When you inhale smoke from your cigarette, it travels through your circulatory system and hits your brain in less than 15 seconds.

Smokeless Options

There are a lot of strange nicotine products on the market. There’s the new Nic Lite, a lemon-flavored beverage spiked with nicotine. An eight-ounce bottle will give you the amount of nicotine found in two cigarettes. The bottles look a lot like those used for soda pop or water. Nic Lite isn’t regulated by the FDA because it has been classified as a dietary supplement.

In response to smoking bans, bartenders are making their own nicotine/vodka infusions for the popular nicotini. Nicotine wafers are an option, I suppose, for long communion ceremonies. And, if you’re part of the lollipop league, you may enjoy nicotine lollipops. Lollipops!

Who’s kidding whom? I’ll tell you, I’m really ready to give it up.

My husband, Jeff, and I have been married quite a while now and we’ve gotten pretty good about sharing–household chores, critter care, gardening and the last piece of pie.

Unfortunately, far too often we’ve been sharing something else–my cigarette smoke.

All the major news sources are carrying a new warning made yesterday by Surgeon General Richard Carmona about second-hand smoke. Dr. Carmona spoke at a news conference held to release a new report that updates the 1986 surgeon general’s study on second-hand smoke.

Dr. Carmona calls second-hand smoke an “alarming” public health hazard that causes tens of thousands premature deaths among non-mokers. He also says “the science is clear” that second-hand smoke causes far greater harm that believed in the past and that, for nonsmokers, second-hand smoke increases the risk of:

• heart disease by 25 to 30 percent.
• cancer by 20 to 30 percent.
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) for infants directly exposed to second-hand smoke and infants whose mothers were exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy.

I’m looking forward to spending many, many more years with Jeff–traveling, eventually moving to a warmer climate and launching some entrepreneurial adventure. I surely don’t want to risk his health with my second-hand smoke. JULY 11!

We’ve talked about the impact second-hand smoke has on infants and children. But have you ever considered what smoking does to your pets?

I confess to being a little over-the-top when it comes to my critters–all four of them. Yes…I said four. They are:

Zelda (for Zelda Fitzgerald)
Very fat tortoise-shell cat who has no clue that cats are supposed to be aloof.
Dickens
Old, ailing, ornery Cocker Spaniel who was the most adorable puppy of all time.
Dudley
Half Bassett Hound, half Schnauzer (truly!). We welcomed this traumatized, abandoned fellow into our lives a couple years ago. He has become my shadow and our love is mutual.
Harold “Harry”
We adopted this spunky little Cairn Terrier (think Toto) this winter from (warning: shameless plug) Cairn Rescue USA, a wonderful rescue organization that subsists solely on volunteer labor and donations. Following is a photo of this little guy at his foster mother’s home.

When Smoke Gets In Spike’s Eyes

Before this blog, I knew very little about the impact of second-hand smoke on pets. After looking up the facts, I don’t ever want to smoke around our furry family members again.

• Cats who live with smokers are three times more likely to develop malignant lymphoma that kitties in smoking-free homes.
• Dogs get lung cancer! They’re far more likely to get it in a smoking home.
• If your best friend has a long snout, he or she is two and a half times more likely to get nasal or sinus cancer.
• When pets in smoking households groom themselves, they ingest particulates from second-hand smoke that have accumulated in their fur.
• When exposed to second-hand smoke, birds are at risk for pneumonia, lung cancer, heart disease and infertility.

Consider, too, that the more you smoke and the more people in the household who smoke, the greater the risk to your critters.

If you’re as enamored of your pets as I am, I hope you’ll consider their well-being next time you’re about to light a cigarette.

Speaking strictly as a marketer, I’ll confess to admiring the creativity involved in developing some of the new marketing tactics the tobacco companies have used since Congress banned television and radio ads for tobacco in 1970. That doesn’t say I agree with them.

Hollywood movies have become major vehicles used to gain visibility for cigarette brands. Let’s look at a few facts:

• Of the top 25 movies released each year between 1988 and 1997, 85 percent show tobacco use.
• Of those movies, 35 percent were rated for adults, 32 percent were rated for adolescents and 20 percent were rated for children.
• It’s estimated that less than one third of the movies in the 1970s showed tobacco use. In the 1990s, approximately three quarters of the movies contained smoking.
• The CDC named tobacco in movies one of the major influencers in teen smoking.
• Exposure to smoking in movies quadruples the likelihood that children of nonsmokers will take up the habit, according to a study published in The Lancet in 2003.

Yet, cigarette manufacturers accepted a “voluntary ban” of paid product placements in movies in 1989.

As a smoker getting ready to quit, I know watching someone light up in a movie has always been a big trigger. Guess I’ll have to read a lot more.

A visitor to Callin’ it Quits asked if I could explain how I feel and respond when someone nags me about quitting, and I thought it might be useful to share my answer with you all.

We Want to Quit

You know, most adults are all too aware of risks associated with smoking. They may not know all of the risks or the details of the damage to their bodies, but they do know they’re gambling with their lives.

Also, according to a the National Institutes of Health, 70 percent of smokers want to quit.

Hey…It’s an Addiction

What non-smokers don’t understand is how miserably hard it is to quit. The Royal Academy of Physicians (UK), among other organizations, says nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. In addition to nicotine, many tobacco companies put additives, such as ammonia, acetaldehyde, pyridine and cocoa, in their cigarettes to make them even more addictive.

Given these facts, I feel both guilt (that I haven’t quit successfully) and frustration (because I want to quit and I’m tired of being nagged) when someone prods me to quit. For years, when nagged or lectured, I said I’d quit before my 40th birthday. After my 40th birthday, I said I’d quit “one of these days.” I remember my mother responding similarly, and we really nagged her a lot.

I’m not sure it’s easy for a friend or family member to persuade someone to quit. Studies have shown that it’s more effective when a smoker’s doctor tells him or her to quit. Ultimately, the smoker has to be ready to quit, because the determination and willpower have to come from within–with help from programs like Quit Smoking–Your Way and cessation aids.

Although I’ve not volunteered the information to many people outside the blog, the news about my avowed July 11 quit date is getting around. Although this adds to the pressure, a couple of good things have happened as a result of the news. One: My friend, Debra, says she’ll quit with me on July 11. Two: My boss stopped by to chat and asked what the department could do to support me. I thought both of these gestures were awesome.

Weird Thoughts
Now that I’ve picked my quit date, I’ve been having weird thoughts:

• If I quit smoking will I ever be able to relax again?
• Will I be a different person if I quit smoking after all these years?
• If I quit smoking, will I ever be able to have fun again?
• If I quit smoking, will I gain so much weight that I’ll get diabetes and heart disease and croak?

Speaking of croaking, the following is an excerpt from Tobacco.org. (In this instance, “croaking” refers to my singing voice…of course.)

1947: “SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE! (THAT CIGARETTE)”

Written by Merle Travis for Tex Williams; the release not only saved Tex Williams’ waning career, but also became Capitol Records’ first million-seller. Travis later released his own version. These two are the most commonly heard versions, although Phil Harris also had a hit with the song.

From the New York Times, Oct. 13, 1985

Country-western songwriter and entertainer Sollie “Tex” Williams, a heavy smoker best known for his tune, “Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette,” died after a year-long battle with cancer, his daughter said. . . . her father, who was diagnosed a year ago as having cancer, smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, dropping to about a pack a day before he died. “He tried to quit, but he couldn’t,” she said.

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!(That Cigarette)

Now I’m a fellow with a heart of gold

And the ways of a gentleman I’ve been told

Kind-of-a-guy that wouldn’t even harm a flea

But if me and a certain character met

The guy that invented that cigarette

I’d murder that son-of-a gun in the first degree

It ain’t cuz I don’t smoke ‘em myself

and i don’t reckon that it’ll hinder your health

I smoked ‘em all my life and I ain’t dead yet

But nicotine slaves are all the same

at a pettin’ party or a poker game

Everything gotta stop while they have a cigarette

CHORUS

Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette

Puff, puff, puff until you smoke yourself to death.

Tell St. Peter at the Golden Gate

That you hate to make him wait,

But you just gotta have another cigarette.

In a game of chance the other night

Old dame fortune was good and right

The kings and queens they kept on comin’ around

Aw, I was hittin’ em good and bettin’ ‘em high

But my bluff didn’t work on a certain guy

He kept callin’ and layin’ his money down

See, he’d raise me then I’d raise him

and I’d say to him buddy ya gotta sink or swim

Finally called me but didn’t raise the bet!

–Hmmph! I said Aces Full Pal — I got you!

He said, “I’ll pay up in a minute or two

But right now, i just gotta have another cigarette.”

CHORUS

Now the other night I had a date

with the cutest little gal in any state

A high-bred, uptown, fancy little dame

She said she loved me and it seemd to me

That things were sorta like they oughtta be

So hand in hand we strolled down lovers lane

She was a long way from a chunk of ice

And our pettin’ party was goin’ real nice

And I got an idea I might have been there yet

So I give her a kiss and a little squeeze

Then she said, “Travis, Excuse me Please

But I just gotta have a cigarette.”

I AM GOING TO STOP SMOKING JULY 11!!!!!

I was starting to waiver and stall–which means I need that deadline, that final date, my last puff, my formal quit date. Beware, my family! Beware, my work colleagues!

Andee, my advisor from from Quit Smoking–Your Way!, agreed that it doesn’t make sense to be in the early stages of smoke-free living when my Florida sister, Meg, who just started smoking again, is here for a visit around the Fourth of July.

I’ve figured that I’m better off not starting the process on a weekend, but Monday, July 10–the first Monday after Meg’s visit–is that once a year date that I refuse to celebrate anymore. So, Tuesday, July 11 it is!

Now I’m really nervous. SOS! Does anyone have experience with acupuncture or hypnosis?

It’s bad enough that smoking causes wrinkles that make us look older than we really are. But today, the news is just bursting with reports on a study, the results of which were published yesterday in the British Medical Journal.

It seems British scientists discovered that middle-age smokers who have heavily wrinkled faces are five times more likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than smokers without a lot of wrinkles.

COPD is nothing to take lightly–it represents a group of chronic, progressive lung diseases, including emphysema, asthma and bronchitis. And it’s the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. The American Lung Association says 80 percent to 90 percent of people who have COPD got it from smoking.

If you’d like information about COPD, including the symptoms and testing for the disease, click on the following link and go to the National Lung Health Education Program. They say early detection of COPD is key to helping you continue to lead a normal life.

So…what’s the mirror telling you these days?

To this day, the smell of Juicy Fruit gum makes my stomach churn.

I suffered mightily from carsickness when I was a small child. That’s why my grandmother kept an eagle eye on me when we went on those rollercoaster car rides to their house in the hills of southern Indiana.

As we rose and sank and bobbed and twisted along the road, my grandfather whistled tunes through his teeth and my grandmother hung over the back of the front seat–Juicy Fruit gum in hand. Both puffed away on their Winstons. The minute my face started greening up, Ma-ma would unwrap a stick of that gum and insist that I chew it. They were convinced that Juicy Fruit would cure my carsickness.

Mother was the wise one in this matter. As we careened and bounced through those same hills (Fast! Mother had a lead foot and knew those roads blind), mother puffed away–and I slept. You see, this was the era when Dramamine came in liquid form only. Mother would give me my dose well before we left the house. The stuff was so incredibly vile-tasting that I’d be sick before we got near the car. Then I’d sleep.

I don’t believe anyone even thought about cigarette smoke adding to my discomfort. It was just a way of life at that time.
In my carsick days, smokers’ vehicles always smelled to me like, well, the end result of carsickness. Mine must smell that way now.

Oh blast! I’ve got to get my gumption up and set a final quit date. Given my line of work, I hate to say it, but I need a deadline.

I want two weeks’ lead time so I can do serious cutting down. And there are many other factors to consider:

• Maybe I should wait until after the Fourth of July because my sister, Meg, will be here from Florida for a visit. Meg is smoking again–after quitting for about 15 or 20 years! This makes no sense at all, but heck, you get used to that with Meg.
• I’m not superstitious, but I can’t set a date that has any of these numbers: 3, 6, 8 or 13.
• You know, it might be smart for me to lose a few pounds first.
• Waiting until after our temptation-filled European vacation in September might be very prudent.
• I have some problems with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). That’s the depression one gets when the days become shorter and our bodies long for light. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense for me to quit at that time of year.
• I loathe the cold of our Wisconsin winters. That business of standing outside to smoke might be great impetus.
• My Scottish heritage won’t allow me to waste cigarettes, so I’ll have to be out of stock.
• The winter holidays are so stressful; maybe I should wait until January. Then I could make quitting my New Year’s resolution.

Did I say that I need to set a quit date?