Tobacco Use Prevention & Cessation Program

Regular exposure to secondhand smoke actually increases a person’s risk of lung cancer by 20-30% and heart attack by 25-30%! Restaurant and bar employees are exposed to dangerous levels of secondhand smoke. Scientists have shown that an eight hour shift in a smoky bar is equivalent to smoking 16 cigarettes. The Clean Indoor Air Act will protect these employees from the health effects of secondhand smoke.

Revenues in other states that have gone smoke-free before us have actually increased because of the new regulations! Approximately 78% of Marylanders are non-smokers. Many of these folks will actually dine out more because they won’t be exposed to secondhand smoke.

The purpose of the CIAA is to protect everyone’s right to improved indoor air quality, including service industry employees. After New York’s comprehensive smoking ban was implemented hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarctions (a type of heart attack) fell below the expected amount. And, the resulting drop in hospitalizations was associated with savings of $56 million in direct health care costs. This means– these regulations are saving lives. And that’s exactly what the Wicomico County Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program is working toward.

Restrictions on smoking in places that are commonly associated with the behavior, like bars and restaurants, may encourage smokers to seriously think about quitting and to make a quit attempt. (If you have tried quitting before– think about your triggers– is going out to a bar with friends and a drink in hand a trigger to smoke?) After going smoke-free in NYC, adult smoking rates dropped by more than 3% (from 21.5% to 18.4%) or 200,000 smokers. Again– that’s saving lives!

All the time folks say that they need a cigarette to calm them down for all kinds of stress. However, smoking does not relieve stress! Nicotine is a stimulant, meaning that smoking actually stresses the body more. When taking a drag of a cigarette, the user’s pulse increases, blood pressure increases, and tremors in the muscles increase. That’s not relief– that’s more stress! The reason that it feels like smoking reduces stress is because the nicotine is filling a craving and withdrawal symptoms (agitation, irritation, and a strong desire to smoke). Also, think about it, when the smoker goes back into the situation – is the stressor gone? Probably not. Taking long, deep breaths, calling a friend, or going for a quick walk will help reduce stress much better than grabbing a smoke. It’s easy to talk about, but this will take practice. Try it out.

Another argument that often comes up when people are deciding whether it’s really worth the trouble to stop smoking, is the one about good old Grandpa Earl/Aunt Mabel. These bold, indomitable characters smoked three packs a day from the age of 10, drank a bottle of whiskey every night, and still lived to the ripe old age of 93, without suffering a moment’s ill health! It’s amazing how many people seem to have met these hardy souls, and a few of them must exist somewhere. But, sadly, the truth of the matter is that for every Uncle Leroy, there are thousands more lifelong smokers who die younger, sicker, and sadder as a result of their addiction….Don’t let those stories about exceptional cases fool you.

Ironically, a great many otherwise confident, talented people remain convinced that it’s only possible to give up smoking if you’re born with large amounts of that most desirable commodity: willpower. Memories of past failed attempts, and the skepticism of friends and family when you announce, ‘I’m really going to quit this time,’ seem to chip away the self-esteem of many stoppers. Unfortunately, ex-smokers sometimes make matters worse by claiming to have stopped without much effort, ‘just like that!’ It would seem that they merely had to turn on the old willpower faucet and then it was just a walk in the park. The reality for most stoppers is that they are unsure and anxious to start with. But each day they manage not to smoke, their conficence and self-esteem go up a notch. There are tricky times, of course, when they need to use a variety of strategies to stay on track. For the most part, however willpower seems to grow with you progress, day by day.