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Smoking inexplicably high in Simcoe County
21 August 2008
[indent]While smoking has been diminishing across Canada in the past decade, it seems to have a more stubborn foothold locally. While it's entirely anecdotal evidence, I have encountered more local smokers in the past two years than in the previous 15-plus here in Collingwood. Every day I see people smoking, and several times recently I've seen people smoking while bicycling! Now that's pretty sad.
It's not just the smokers standing outside the stores and offices because they can no longer smoke indoors. I've seen a lot more people smoking everywhere - in cars (yes, even with children in the car, windows all closed...), while walking along the street exhaling clouds of stink, downtown, at the Elvis festival, shopping while pulling children in tow, clumps of youth hanging around the downtown in clumps surrounded by noxious clouds of tobacco smoke. And what surprises me is that a lot of these smokers are fairly young, in the prime of their life, not just the old diehards who are too addicted or too addled to quit.
The good news is that Statscan, our source of national data, has the percentages up to 2005, showing the continuing decline in smokers nationwide: on average only 16.5% of all Canadians still smoke, (males at 18.2%, females at 14.9%, proving again Canadian women are much smarter than Canadian men). But according to the Simcoe-Muskoka Health unit, Simcoe County is way over the national limit, with 31% of the population between 20 and 44 smoking. So I'm not just imagining there are a lot of smokers in town. That's almost double the national average.
The biggest group of recalcitrant Canadian smokers lies between the ages of 20 and 44, which Statscan breaks down into 20-34 and 35-44 year-olds:
Males 20-34: 19.9% (these are the ones I see smoking the most around here)
Males 35-44: 21.0%
Females 20-34: 17.2%
Females 35-44: 18.6%
So, as a nation we don't seem to get wiser as we age - we seem to get more stupid and more suicidal: more of us smoke in our middle years than did when we were young and - presumably - foolish. It's not until the 45-64 age group that the percentages start to fall, showing we're finally showing some smarts and we start quitting. But it's not really a significant decline:
Males 45-64: 19.8%
Females 45-65: 17.6%
So you can't say Canadian smokers get a lot smarter, collectively, with age - perhaps because, as I explain below, research proves smoking lowers intelligence.
You only see the big drop after age 65, probably because by that time smoking has killed off a lot of the heavier smokers. That's not hyperbole, just a simple fact: smokers die sooner. The American Cancer Society reports:
I suppose some smokers feel that, if they've only got one life to live, they might as well pay an international corporation which openly engages in criminal activity* a good deal of their money to make them sick and kill them slowly throughout their time on this earth instead of enjoying a healthier life. Good philosophy for some, I guess.
Ontario, I'm proud to say, has one of the lowest percentages of smokers in the country: an average of 15.7% (Males 17.8%, Females 13.6%).
Once again the best-years-of-our-lives crowd shows the strongest tobacco use 20-34 19.4% and 35-44 20.1% smoke. This is really sad, because it's one thing to be an old fart and smoke because not that many people care as much if you stink, your clothes are speckled with ashes, your hands look like they've been coloured with a highlighter, and your teeth are yellow. But it's quite another to have yellow teeth and fingers, foul-breath and smelly clothes at 25. It really condemns you to a long life with other foul-breathed, smelly-clothed companions. Not a very attractive future, is it? In Ontario on average:
Males 20-34: 24.1%
Males 35-44: 22.2%
Females 20-34: 14.9%
Females 35-44: 17.8%
Compare this to Simcoe County's elevated stats: 31.2% of 20-44 year-olds smoke, and 23.4% of 45-64 year-olds and you can see we're really in a bad way up here. And, the health unit notes, 85% of all smokers started before they were 19 years old: "In the area covered by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, nearly one in five (18%) high school students (Grades 9-12) reported that they smoke daily or occasionally." Why do so many kids smoke? The report also says, "74% of teen daily smokers
reported that one or both parents also smoke.... The percentage of current smokers jumps significantly to 27% in Grade 12."
There are big differences between the men and women in Ontario on average, and at 24.1%, Ontario's male smokers aged 20-34 are among the highest percentage group across Canada. Ontario's women, the numbers show, are much brighter than their male counterparts, it seems, and prove it by smoking less. But not in Simcoe County, I'm sad to say. The health unit reports:
In Simcoe County's stats, young female smokers under 19 are also more numerous than young male smokers.
What accounts for the higher-than-average number of smokers in Simcoe County? Or the significantly higher number of female smokers? I don't know. It's not as if anyone is unaware of the costs or the damage done buy smoking. And 16 municipalities in the county are smoke free. This really heightens awareness of the smoking problem and puts a huge emphasis on non-smoking. As the Simcoe-Muskoka Health Unit notes, the toll smoking has on local residents is too high for anyone - even the most stubborn smoker - to ignore:
The unit's health statistics page has a PDF report about smoking in Simcoe County and notes that smoking-related illnesses are higher here than the provincial average:
I can't explain what accounts for the elevated smoking levels up here, especially why so many more young women would smoke - given the increased threat of breast cancer it causes: "Girls who smoke and have a weak version of a cancer-neutralizing enzyme -- which millions of American women have -- see their risk for breast cancer skyrocket." It certainly contradicts my belief women are generally smarter and more careful than men in health issues. I find it hard to believe that Simcoe County girls want more wrinkles, want yellow skin and yellow teeth, want bad breath and smelly clothes more than their national counterparts.
We have clean air and clean water here - you'd think people would want to enjoy it, not pollute it and themselves. So why are we so much higher than the national average for smoking?
At least the health unit has a positive note: smoking was on a slow but measurable the decline in Simcoe County between 2000 and 2005. But I feel I am seeing more smokers these days than I've noticed in almost 20 years living here. Could it be that, unable to smoke in restaurants, businesses and offices, more smokers are on the street, so they're simply more visible than in the past?
And I wonder: is the decline in percentages due to an increased awareness, stringent municipal bylaws and more people quitting? Or is it due to the accelerating influx of non-smoking retirees from other parts of the province into the area, thus diluting the percentages? I wish for the former, but suspect the latter, since from my own experience, young people are smoking as much if not more than I've ever seen up here.
~~~~~
Smoking, we all know, is a very stupid and harmful thing to do. But what's worse is that smoking actually makes you more stupid. It reduces oxygen flow to the brain. Study after study links smoking with lower intelligence and lower cognitive performance. A study done in 2005 linked smoking with lower IQs:
Also discussed here:
Another study in 2000 showed smoking seniors were dimmer than their non-smoking counterparts:
Of course, since there are some 4,800 chemicals - many of them highly toxic - in tobacco and its smoke, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why smoking diminishes intelligence, but it clearly does as the studies show. Maybe the lower IQ of smokers explains the vast number of SUVs on the roads up here.
Canadians are, in general, less likely to smoke than our American neighbours. A map on The Burning Issue shows most states have higher percentages of smoking adults than here in Canada. But most are not all that much higher, and some are actually lower (Utah at 14.7%). I doubt the difference can be attributed to Canadians being smarter than Americans as much as it can be to the rich and powerful US tobacco lobby.
The American Lung Association notes:
Smokers also suffer from a serious personal loss: flavour. Smoking kills the senses of smell and taste. Food loses most of its flavour. All food tastes like tobacco-flavoured sawdust. Wines, curries, steamed fish, garlic bread, ice cream, pizza, salad, beer, enchiladas, huevos a la Mexicana, fruit, cheese - it's all the same to smokers, differentiated merely by temperature and texture. One of the reason some people refuse to quit is because they're afraid food will taste like it should and they'll like it so much they'll put on weight. The simple enjoyment of taste is lost when you smoke.
Beer drinkers suffer it, too, despite the common association of beer and cigarettes. Beer actually has flavour, but smokers can't appreciate it (which might explain why some of the fermented cardboard passed off as beer is so popular nationally). Play, an online 'zine, had an article about smoking and beer. In it, a brewer and former smoker, comments on how he can now enjoy beer (and food) since his sense of taste has returned:
Smokers are sick more often than non-smokers, and several studies show smokers take more sick time off than non-smokers. A CBC report from 2007 said, "Overall, smokers took the most sick leave, an average of 11 extra days, or more than two weeks of full-time work, compared with non-smokers." Health Canada's report on smoking and absenteeism, smoking also contributes to lower productivity and higher health insurance costs: costing employers on average:
And while Health Canada charts trends showing that smoking is declining in Canada, the trend isn't in a freefall. There is a stubborn and persistent percentage of smokers who blissfully ignore the self-inflicted damage it does to their bodies and minds, the impact on the workplace, and the discomfort of who have to be in their smelly presence or the damage they do to others from secondhand smoke.
Smoking wreaks havoc on your looks, too. While teens still have elastic skin that doesn't show the damage as much, older smokers are inevitably identifiable by their wrinkles. In 2007, Science Daily reported on how tobacco ages skin prematurely, causing wrinkles and damage even on areas not exposed to sunlight. And the UK Department of Health notes that, "Smokers tend to look older than non-smokers of the same age. Smokers' facial skin is more likely than non-smokers to have: wrinkles, crow's feet and a sallow, yellow-grey colouring. Smokers' skin can be prematurely aged by between 10 and 20 years."
The Melbourne Dermatology clinic notes that smoking damages the skin, makes us wrinkle and look more aged, but that with sunscreen protection, it's even worse:
And on Netdoctor.co.uk, the experts respond to a concern about smokers' skin by saying, "Your parents reference to 'smoker's skin' is presumably referring to the fact that constant exposure to smoke does cause skin problems, particularly with regard to its elasticity. This is why some seasoned smokers look older than their years. The smoke particles can also block pores, which could explain why your pores have changed appearance." And on the BBC, doctors explain why smokers' skin is so immediately identifiable:
A woman simply identified as Zoe made an online list of the things she liked and didn't like about smoking. Her list of things she liked had just four items, including "momentary gratification." Her list of what she hated is far more extensive and pretty much sums up the daily life of a smoker:
Of course, many smokers can't help themselves, despite the available evidence and education about smoking's adverse effects, and despite all the programs and counter-aids available to help them to quit. Nicotine is, after all, as highly addictive as heroin, but arguably more dangerous and widespread. But would we as a society be as tolerant if 31% of our population were heroin addicts? Or even 16.5%?
~~~~~
* Ever wonder what would happen if we conspired to defraud the government and avoid millions of dollars in taxes? We'd be sent to jail, right? Tobacco companies were merely fined. None of the executives who admitted to "aiding persons to sell and be in possession of tobacco manufactured in Canada that was not packed and was not stamped in conformity with the Excise Act” went to jail or were personally charged with fraud, conspiracy or smuggling. Would we treat biker gangs smuggling illegal drugs like this? And on what will the government spend that $1.5 billion in fines it gets? Health care? Anti-smoking campaigns? No: combatting cigarette smuggling in the future! The tobacco companies must have laughed themselves raw over that.
[/indent]
The good news is that Statscan, our source of national data, has the percentages up to 2005, showing the continuing decline in smokers nationwide: on average only 16.5% of all Canadians still smoke, (males at 18.2%, females at 14.9%, proving again Canadian women are much smarter than Canadian men). But according to the Simcoe-Muskoka Health unit, Simcoe County is way over the national limit, with 31% of the population between 20 and 44 smoking. So I'm not just imagining there are a lot of smokers in town. That's almost double the national average.
The biggest group of recalcitrant Canadian smokers lies between the ages of 20 and 44, which Statscan breaks down into 20-34 and 35-44 year-olds:
Males 20-34: 19.9% (these are the ones I see smoking the most around here)
Males 35-44: 21.0%
Females 20-34: 17.2%
Females 35-44: 18.6%
So, as a nation we don't seem to get wiser as we age - we seem to get more stupid and more suicidal: more of us smoke in our middle years than did when we were young and - presumably - foolish. It's not until the 45-64 age group that the percentages start to fall, showing we're finally showing some smarts and we start quitting. But it's not really a significant decline:
Males 45-64: 19.8%
Females 45-65: 17.6%
So you can't say Canadian smokers get a lot smarter, collectively, with age - perhaps because, as I explain below, research proves smoking lowers intelligence.
You only see the big drop after age 65, probably because by that time smoking has killed off a lot of the heavier smokers. That's not hyperbole, just a simple fact: smokers die sooner. The American Cancer Society reports:
Quote
according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) done in the late 1990s, smoking shortened male smokers' lives by 13.2 years and female smokers' lives by 14.5 years. Men and women who smoke are much more likely to die during middle age (between the ages of 35 and 69) than those who have never smoked.
I suppose some smokers feel that, if they've only got one life to live, they might as well pay an international corporation which openly engages in criminal activity* a good deal of their money to make them sick and kill them slowly throughout their time on this earth instead of enjoying a healthier life. Good philosophy for some, I guess.
Once again the best-years-of-our-lives crowd shows the strongest tobacco use 20-34 19.4% and 35-44 20.1% smoke. This is really sad, because it's one thing to be an old fart and smoke because not that many people care as much if you stink, your clothes are speckled with ashes, your hands look like they've been coloured with a highlighter, and your teeth are yellow. But it's quite another to have yellow teeth and fingers, foul-breath and smelly clothes at 25. It really condemns you to a long life with other foul-breathed, smelly-clothed companions. Not a very attractive future, is it? In Ontario on average:
Males 20-34: 24.1%
Males 35-44: 22.2%
Females 20-34: 14.9%
Females 35-44: 17.8%
Compare this to Simcoe County's elevated stats: 31.2% of 20-44 year-olds smoke, and 23.4% of 45-64 year-olds and you can see we're really in a bad way up here. And, the health unit notes, 85% of all smokers started before they were 19 years old: "In the area covered by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, nearly one in five (18%) high school students (Grades 9-12) reported that they smoke daily or occasionally." Why do so many kids smoke? The report also says, "74% of teen daily smokers
reported that one or both parents also smoke.... The percentage of current smokers jumps significantly to 27% in Grade 12."
Quote
Research shows the likelihood of becoming a smoker increases if one or both parents smoke.8 Among teen smokers in Simcoe Muskoka, 65% reported they have one or both parents who smoke. Only 34% reported that neither parent smokes. Among non-smoking teens, 60% said their parents were non-smokers.
According to the 2006 Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS), 17% of Simcoe Muskoka households with children under the age of 18 years reported their homes were not completely smoke free.
According to the 2006 Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS), 17% of Simcoe Muskoka households with children under the age of 18 years reported their homes were not completely smoke free.
There are big differences between the men and women in Ontario on average, and at 24.1%, Ontario's male smokers aged 20-34 are among the highest percentage group across Canada. Ontario's women, the numbers show, are much brighter than their male counterparts, it seems, and prove it by smoking less. But not in Simcoe County, I'm sad to say. The health unit reports:
Quote
Simcoe Muskoka had a higher percentage of female smokers than the province (25% locally vs. 19% provincially), thus pushing the overall smoking rate above the provincial rate.
In Simcoe County's stats, young female smokers under 19 are also more numerous than young male smokers.
- Every year more than 450 of our family members, friends and neighbours in Simcoe County are dying from smoking-related lung, heart and respiratory diseases and cancers.
- At least 11 non-smokers in Simcoe County die from breathing secondhand smoke every year and thousands more suffer from illness and disease.
- A March 2000 survey of 6,600 Grade 9 and Grade 11 students showed 22% are daily or occasional smokers. The percentage of teens smoking jumped to 29% by Grade 11 from 18% in Grade 9.
- Smoking is a leading cause of death and disability in Simcoe County
- Smoking kills three times more Canadians than car accidents, suicides, drug abuse, murder and AIDS added together.
The unit's health statistics page has a PDF report about smoking in Simcoe County and notes that smoking-related illnesses are higher here than the provincial average:
- Lung cancer incidence and death rates are higher than the provincial average
- Ischemic heart disease death rate is higher than the provincial average
- Bronchitis and emphysema hospitalization rates are higher than the provincial average
We have clean air and clean water here - you'd think people would want to enjoy it, not pollute it and themselves. So why are we so much higher than the national average for smoking?
At least the health unit has a positive note: smoking was on a slow but measurable the decline in Simcoe County between 2000 and 2005. But I feel I am seeing more smokers these days than I've noticed in almost 20 years living here. Could it be that, unable to smoke in restaurants, businesses and offices, more smokers are on the street, so they're simply more visible than in the past?
And I wonder: is the decline in percentages due to an increased awareness, stringent municipal bylaws and more people quitting? Or is it due to the accelerating influx of non-smoking retirees from other parts of the province into the area, thus diluting the percentages? I wish for the former, but suspect the latter, since from my own experience, young people are smoking as much if not more than I've ever seen up here.
~~~~~
Smoking, we all know, is a very stupid and harmful thing to do. But what's worse is that smoking actually makes you more stupid. It reduces oxygen flow to the brain. Study after study links smoking with lower intelligence and lower cognitive performance. A study done in 2005 linked smoking with lower IQs:
Quote
Smoking can cloud the brain, according to a new study that found long-term tobacco use was linked to dulled thinking and Lower IQ.
The finding contradicts what many smokers claim -- that smoking a cigarette helps them concentrate and feel more alert.
"The exact mechanism for smoking's impact on the brain's higher functions is still unclear, but may involve both neurochemical effects and damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain," lead researcher Jennifer Glass, of the University of Michigan, said in a prepared statement. "This is consistent with other findings that people with cardiovascular disease and lung disease tend to have reduced neurocognitive function."
The finding contradicts what many smokers claim -- that smoking a cigarette helps them concentrate and feel more alert.
"The exact mechanism for smoking's impact on the brain's higher functions is still unclear, but may involve both neurochemical effects and damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain," lead researcher Jennifer Glass, of the University of Michigan, said in a prepared statement. "This is consistent with other findings that people with cardiovascular disease and lung disease tend to have reduced neurocognitive function."
Also discussed here:
Quote
Scientists studied 172 men - 66 of whom smoked - and gave them scores based on how quickly and accurately they responded to the tests. All smokers were allowed to smoke during the sessions, and it was found that in all the tests, smokers scored lower than non smokers.
The impact on memory, problem solving and IQ was most pronounced among those who had smoked for years. Robert Zucker, a professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, said: 'The exact mechanism for smoking's impact on the brain's higher functions is still unclear, but may involve both neurochemical effects and damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain.'
The study adds to a growing body of evidence that smoking may affect mental ability. Last year, researchers found that it could increase the risk of dementia later in life.
The impact on memory, problem solving and IQ was most pronounced among those who had smoked for years. Robert Zucker, a professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, said: 'The exact mechanism for smoking's impact on the brain's higher functions is still unclear, but may involve both neurochemical effects and damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain.'
The study adds to a growing body of evidence that smoking may affect mental ability. Last year, researchers found that it could increase the risk of dementia later in life.
Another study in 2000 showed smoking seniors were dimmer than their non-smoking counterparts:
Quote
The researchers found that smokers were up to four times more likely to have evidence of significant intellectual decline than either non-smokers or former smokers.
<snip>Researcher Martin Prince said: "Our results indicate that persistent cigarette-smoking into late life increases the risk of cognitive impairment."
Smoking contributes to vascular disease and atherosclerosis, conditions which narrow and harden the arteries and impair blood supply to all parts of the body, including the brain.
The researchers suggest that this may explain why smoking has an impact on intellect.
<snip>Researcher Martin Prince said: "Our results indicate that persistent cigarette-smoking into late life increases the risk of cognitive impairment."
Smoking contributes to vascular disease and atherosclerosis, conditions which narrow and harden the arteries and impair blood supply to all parts of the body, including the brain.
The researchers suggest that this may explain why smoking has an impact on intellect.
Of course, since there are some 4,800 chemicals - many of them highly toxic - in tobacco and its smoke, it's hard to pinpoint exactly why smoking diminishes intelligence, but it clearly does as the studies show. Maybe the lower IQ of smokers explains the vast number of SUVs on the roads up here.
Canadians are, in general, less likely to smoke than our American neighbours. A map on The Burning Issue shows most states have higher percentages of smoking adults than here in Canada. But most are not all that much higher, and some are actually lower (Utah at 14.7%). I doubt the difference can be attributed to Canadians being smarter than Americans as much as it can be to the rich and powerful US tobacco lobby.
The American Lung Association notes:
Quote
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80-90 percent of COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths.
About 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking. That means that for every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, there are 20 more people who suffer from at least one serious illness associated with smoking.
Among current smokers, chronic lung disease accounts for 73 percent of smoking-related conditions. Even among smokers who have quit chronic lung disease accounts for 50 percent of smoking-related conditions.
About 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking. That means that for every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, there are 20 more people who suffer from at least one serious illness associated with smoking.
Among current smokers, chronic lung disease accounts for 73 percent of smoking-related conditions. Even among smokers who have quit chronic lung disease accounts for 50 percent of smoking-related conditions.
Smokers also suffer from a serious personal loss: flavour. Smoking kills the senses of smell and taste. Food loses most of its flavour. All food tastes like tobacco-flavoured sawdust. Wines, curries, steamed fish, garlic bread, ice cream, pizza, salad, beer, enchiladas, huevos a la Mexicana, fruit, cheese - it's all the same to smokers, differentiated merely by temperature and texture. One of the reason some people refuse to quit is because they're afraid food will taste like it should and they'll like it so much they'll put on weight. The simple enjoyment of taste is lost when you smoke.
Beer drinkers suffer it, too, despite the common association of beer and cigarettes. Beer actually has flavour, but smokers can't appreciate it (which might explain why some of the fermented cardboard passed off as beer is so popular nationally). Play, an online 'zine, had an article about smoking and beer. In it, a brewer and former smoker, comments on how he can now enjoy beer (and food) since his sense of taste has returned:
Quote
"When I was a smoker, I couldn't smell the stale smell on people who smoke," said Ben Johnson, one of the brewers at Midnight Sun Brewing Co. "Now I'm like, 'God, I used to smell like that?'?"
As you might have guessed, the sense of smell contributes dramatically to our sensory experience of food and drink. Johnson forgot the impact when he smoked, but since quitting a year and a half ago, he can "pick out more off flavors and hop aromas and the small flavors in beer," he said. "I definitely enjoy beer more now, especially the lighter styles."
Yes, big, bitter or bourbon-barrel aged beers might cut through smoke to a degree, he said, but not lighter, more nuanced beers such as Kolsch or pilsner.
"Now I can pick up the tiny flavors, the lighter styles," he explained. "I've really gravitated toward them, too, probably because I can taste them again."
The same goes for food, of course, though many chefs smoke like fiends. Johnson used to cook for a living, too, but believes smokers often overspice or mis-spice food. A dissertation by a student at the University of California Davis a few years ago even postulated that the reason many smokers control their weight has to do with the way cigarettes make food less desirable.
<snip>
Cigarettes always detract from the flavors of beer, said Gabe Fletcher, the head brewer at Midnight Sun. Pairing a good cigar with a glass of port or scotch makes sense to him since the big flavors in those drinks slash right through the smoke and enhance the smoking experience.
Unfortunately, the coupling of habits doesn't enhance the flavor of beer. Johnson used to take a pack of cigarettes to the bar before he quit smoking, but now he actually enjoys the beer more. The way he sees it, "my ability to taste the beer is no longer corrupted."
As you might have guessed, the sense of smell contributes dramatically to our sensory experience of food and drink. Johnson forgot the impact when he smoked, but since quitting a year and a half ago, he can "pick out more off flavors and hop aromas and the small flavors in beer," he said. "I definitely enjoy beer more now, especially the lighter styles."
Yes, big, bitter or bourbon-barrel aged beers might cut through smoke to a degree, he said, but not lighter, more nuanced beers such as Kolsch or pilsner.
"Now I can pick up the tiny flavors, the lighter styles," he explained. "I've really gravitated toward them, too, probably because I can taste them again."
The same goes for food, of course, though many chefs smoke like fiends. Johnson used to cook for a living, too, but believes smokers often overspice or mis-spice food. A dissertation by a student at the University of California Davis a few years ago even postulated that the reason many smokers control their weight has to do with the way cigarettes make food less desirable.
<snip>
Cigarettes always detract from the flavors of beer, said Gabe Fletcher, the head brewer at Midnight Sun. Pairing a good cigar with a glass of port or scotch makes sense to him since the big flavors in those drinks slash right through the smoke and enhance the smoking experience.
Unfortunately, the coupling of habits doesn't enhance the flavor of beer. Johnson used to take a pack of cigarettes to the bar before he quit smoking, but now he actually enjoys the beer more. The way he sees it, "my ability to taste the beer is no longer corrupted."
Smokers are sick more often than non-smokers, and several studies show smokers take more sick time off than non-smokers. A CBC report from 2007 said, "Overall, smokers took the most sick leave, an average of 11 extra days, or more than two weeks of full-time work, compared with non-smokers." Health Canada's report on smoking and absenteeism, smoking also contributes to lower productivity and higher health insurance costs: costing employers on average:
- Increased absenteeism $230
- Decreased productivity $2,175
- Increased life insurance premiums $75
- Smoking area costs $85
Smoking wreaks havoc on your looks, too. While teens still have elastic skin that doesn't show the damage as much, older smokers are inevitably identifiable by their wrinkles. In 2007, Science Daily reported on how tobacco ages skin prematurely, causing wrinkles and damage even on areas not exposed to sunlight. And the UK Department of Health notes that, "Smokers tend to look older than non-smokers of the same age. Smokers' facial skin is more likely than non-smokers to have: wrinkles, crow's feet and a sallow, yellow-grey colouring. Smokers' skin can be prematurely aged by between 10 and 20 years."
The Melbourne Dermatology clinic notes that smoking damages the skin, makes us wrinkle and look more aged, but that with sunscreen protection, it's even worse:
Quote
Smoking is thought to be even more skin-damaging than extensive sun exposure, so what's the outcome when photoprotection meets smoker's skin?
Dr. Yolanda R. Helfrich and colleagues have tested 82 men and women aged 22 to 91 years, and found that photoprotected smoker's skin is readily identifiable and the degree of premature (technically unnecessary) aging — dependent on a smoker's age and the number of cigarettes they smoke each day — is able to be measured.
Implicit in this is the fact that smoking's effects readily damage skin which isn't exposed to light.
"Among the people in the study who were current or former smokers, they had smoked an average of about 24 years. In all, among participants who were 45 years or older, the degree of skin aging was found to be significantly higher in smokers than nonsmokers.
In the 45-65 age group, smokers had an average score on the photonumeric scale of more than two, while nonsmokers had an average score of less than one. In the 65 and older age group, smokers had an average score of about six, while nonsmokers had an average score of approximately four."
The scale referenced above measured fine wrinkling on a scale of zero to eight, where zero indicates no wrinkling and eight indicates severe fine wrinkling.
According to this study, protected mature age smoker's skin is twice as damaged as non-smoker's skin in earlier years, and continues to appear significantly more damaged as time passes, although the difference becomes less marked.
This lends some credence to the notion that smoking while younger, when your skin is naturally better reserved, has a readily observable effect, no matter what skin care or methods you employ.
Without exception, smoking also greatly reduces the effectiveness of better skin care products. So much so, that none of the product descriptions for brands such as Jan Marini, Skinceuticals, IS Clinical and Gernetic remain accurate for people whom smoke.
Dr. Yolanda R. Helfrich and colleagues have tested 82 men and women aged 22 to 91 years, and found that photoprotected smoker's skin is readily identifiable and the degree of premature (technically unnecessary) aging — dependent on a smoker's age and the number of cigarettes they smoke each day — is able to be measured.
Implicit in this is the fact that smoking's effects readily damage skin which isn't exposed to light.
"Among the people in the study who were current or former smokers, they had smoked an average of about 24 years. In all, among participants who were 45 years or older, the degree of skin aging was found to be significantly higher in smokers than nonsmokers.
In the 45-65 age group, smokers had an average score on the photonumeric scale of more than two, while nonsmokers had an average score of less than one. In the 65 and older age group, smokers had an average score of about six, while nonsmokers had an average score of approximately four."
The scale referenced above measured fine wrinkling on a scale of zero to eight, where zero indicates no wrinkling and eight indicates severe fine wrinkling.
According to this study, protected mature age smoker's skin is twice as damaged as non-smoker's skin in earlier years, and continues to appear significantly more damaged as time passes, although the difference becomes less marked.
This lends some credence to the notion that smoking while younger, when your skin is naturally better reserved, has a readily observable effect, no matter what skin care or methods you employ.
Without exception, smoking also greatly reduces the effectiveness of better skin care products. So much so, that none of the product descriptions for brands such as Jan Marini, Skinceuticals, IS Clinical and Gernetic remain accurate for people whom smoke.
And on Netdoctor.co.uk, the experts respond to a concern about smokers' skin by saying, "Your parents reference to 'smoker's skin' is presumably referring to the fact that constant exposure to smoke does cause skin problems, particularly with regard to its elasticity. This is why some seasoned smokers look older than their years. The smoke particles can also block pores, which could explain why your pores have changed appearance." And on the BBC, doctors explain why smokers' skin is so immediately identifiable:
Quote
A study by dermatologists, published in The Lancet, shows that smoking activates the genes responsible for a skin enzyme that breaks down collagen in the skin.
Collagen is the main structural protein of the skin and keeps it elasticated.
It's often possible to detect whether or not a person is a smoker simply by looking at his or her face
Professor Antony Young, of Guys, Kings and St Thomas' School of Medicine, in London
When this starts to disintegrate, skin begins to sag and wrinkle.
Professor Young said: "Smoking exerts such a noticeable effect on the skin that it's often possible to detect whether or not a person is a smoker simply by looking at his or her face.
"Smokers have more wrinkles and their skin tends to have a greyish pallor compared to non-smokers.
"Smoking tobacco activates this enzyme that breaks down the skin collagen.
<snip>
Amanda Sandford, research manager for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said she hoped this would act as a warning, particularly to young smokers.
"It's ironic that teenagers often start smoking in the hope of appearing more mature but it probably never occurs to them by middle-age they will really start to look older than their age.
"For smokers, middle-age starts in their early 30s as the tell-tale wrinkles around the mouth and eyes begin to appear.
"Young female smokers are likely to be wasting money on anti-aging face creams if they continue to smoke.
"The best beauty treatment by far is to quit smoking."
Collagen is the main structural protein of the skin and keeps it elasticated.
It's often possible to detect whether or not a person is a smoker simply by looking at his or her face
Professor Antony Young, of Guys, Kings and St Thomas' School of Medicine, in London
When this starts to disintegrate, skin begins to sag and wrinkle.
Professor Young said: "Smoking exerts such a noticeable effect on the skin that it's often possible to detect whether or not a person is a smoker simply by looking at his or her face.
"Smokers have more wrinkles and their skin tends to have a greyish pallor compared to non-smokers.
"Smoking tobacco activates this enzyme that breaks down the skin collagen.
<snip>
Amanda Sandford, research manager for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said she hoped this would act as a warning, particularly to young smokers.
"It's ironic that teenagers often start smoking in the hope of appearing more mature but it probably never occurs to them by middle-age they will really start to look older than their age.
"For smokers, middle-age starts in their early 30s as the tell-tale wrinkles around the mouth and eyes begin to appear.
"Young female smokers are likely to be wasting money on anti-aging face creams if they continue to smoke.
"The best beauty treatment by far is to quit smoking."
A woman simply identified as Zoe made an online list of the things she liked and didn't like about smoking. Her list of things she liked had just four items, including "momentary gratification." Her list of what she hated is far more extensive and pretty much sums up the daily life of a smoker:
- The after-smell on my clothes, furniture, car, house, everything, yuck.
- Not being able to breathe properly.
- The constant, nagging cough. All day, all night.
- Lots of phlegm, lots of throat-clearing, and losing my voice mid-sentence.
- Painful heartburn every night and every time I drank coffee.
- Feeling winded after extremely mild activity.
- Severe throbbing headaches, occasional migraines.
- Lingering colds and bronchitis.
- Racing heartbeat, more sweating.
- Increased rate of hypertension.
- Dizziness after smoking too fast or too many cigarettes.
- Nausea from smoking too much.
- The constant coppery, ashy taste in my mouth.
- Yellow skin, teeth and fingernails.
- Scaly, unhealthy-feeling skin.
- Anxiety from the fear of what I was doing to myself, and the consequences.
- No relaxation, always feeling in need of something. A constant feeling of not being satisfied.
- Mini-withdrawals throughout the day.
- Feelings of shame while spending time with non-smokers.
- Not accomplishing tasks because of wasted time smoking.
- The late-evening/middle-of-the-night trip to the gas station.
- Going out in bad weather to smoke alone.
- Feelings of inadequacy and substance dependence.
- Driving my cat out of the room every time I lit up.
- Dry mouth and constant feelings of thirst.
- Coughing so hard that I made myself sick.
- Trembling hands and fingertips.
- Fear. Of being unable to quit, of dying an untimely, painful death.
- The stinging feeling in my lungs when I tried to take a deeper or slower breath.
- Getting smoke in my eyes.
- Burning my lips on the filter.
- Trying to light short butts, and feeling my eyebrows singe. Ouch!
- Re-lighting a previously torched cigarette, so I don't "waste" any tobacco.
- Overflowing ashtrays, ashes and dust everywhere.
- Burn holes in my car upholstery, and on my clothes.
- "Will I fall asleep smoking?"
- "Will I catch something on fire?"
- Dry, chapped lips.
- The cost. All that money wasted on ruining my health and well-being.
- My nails and hair grew very slowly.
- Smoking so young probably stunted my growth during puberty.
- It fueled my compulsiveness relating to other bad habits, such as nail-biting, and binge-eating.
- Having to reapply my lipstick after smoking.
- The filthy taste of cheap tobacco.
- Having to crack the car window in the pouring rain. Wet leg, wet arm, water in my eyes.
- Tar build-up on windows and furniture.
- The way my hair and skin smelled.
- Limited motivation and energy.
- Spilled tobacco in my purse, on my dresser, on my computer desk.
- Lighting the filter end by mistake...
- Dropping a cigarette while driving.
- Trying to tap my ashes out the car window...while the window is rolled up.
- Dropping hot ashes or losing the tip of a cigarette.
- Oops! Tapped ashes in my drink.
- Feeling "exiled" in the smoking section/smoking room.
- Dulled sense of taste and smell.
Of course, many smokers can't help themselves, despite the available evidence and education about smoking's adverse effects, and despite all the programs and counter-aids available to help them to quit. Nicotine is, after all, as highly addictive as heroin, but arguably more dangerous and widespread. But would we as a society be as tolerant if 31% of our population were heroin addicts? Or even 16.5%?
~~~~~
* Ever wonder what would happen if we conspired to defraud the government and avoid millions of dollars in taxes? We'd be sent to jail, right? Tobacco companies were merely fined. None of the executives who admitted to "aiding persons to sell and be in possession of tobacco manufactured in Canada that was not packed and was not stamped in conformity with the Excise Act” went to jail or were personally charged with fraud, conspiracy or smuggling. Would we treat biker gangs smuggling illegal drugs like this? And on what will the government spend that $1.5 billion in fines it gets? Health care? Anti-smoking campaigns? No: combatting cigarette smuggling in the future! The tobacco companies must have laughed themselves raw over that.
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