By Sara Reistad-Long
Smoking may be forbidden on TV and in many public places, but that doesn't mean Americans aren't still lighting up, being judged for it and that the sex appeal of this deadly habit isn't dying. In fact, when we asked you in our recent smoking survey, 47 percent admitted you'd smoke cigarettes if you knew it wouldn't affect your personal health, while 53 percent of you said you wouldn't. As many as 30,681 readers responded, with 20 percent self-identifying as smokers (a number pretty consistent with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's figure of nearly 20 percent). Fifty-eight percent of you see yourselves as nonsmokers, while the rest of you define yourselves as either in the process of quitting or having quit.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. From attitudes about quitting to feelings about smokers themselves, you really stepped up to our challenge and provided us with a wealth of great survey information. To help get a sense of what these data sets may mean, we've enlisted the help of Tom Glynn, Ph.D., director of Cancer Studies and Trends at the American Cancer Society, and Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a psychology professor at Yale University and author of The Power of Women: Harness Your Unique Strengths at Home, at Work, and in Your Community (January 2010). Read on for the breakdown.
What drives you crazy about smoking?
In terms of what you disliked about the act, 68 percent of you cited a triple whammy of smell, fumes in the face and second-
or third-hand smoke, which refers to the smoke that settles in the
environment after a cigarette has been put out. Interestingly, among
those of you who picked one of these three choices, smell was more of a
concern than the health effects. "This isn't at all surprising," says
Nolen-Hoeksema. "It's like a mosquito or bee in the face. In terms of
what to get rid of first, we're programmed to pick the most immediate
concern. Long-term health problems can seem more abstract." According
to the American Cancer Society, as smoking has become less common, our
sensitivity to its smell has become more acute.
In what ways do you see smoking impacting others?
Sixty-five
percent of you think parents are endangering their children by smoking
around them (versus 23 percent of you who think it's none of your
business). In addition, 55 percent of you would support a ban on
smoking at work, in bars, in restaurants, in public places (like parks)
and at amusement parks and sporting events. Forty-seven percent of
non-smokers resent the breaks their smoking co-workers get. "As smoking
becomes a minority behavior in the U.S., we can accept less and less
tolerance from the majority," says Glynn.
Fascinatingly, smoking while driving specifically bothered just 3
percent of you, compared to talking on the phone while driving, which
upset a full 59 percent of you. To even things out, 35 percent of you
did have a problem with both. "Once again, it's a question of immediacy
and proximity," says Nolen-Hoeksema. "In our cars, we feel safer."
How alluring is smoking itself?
When
asked whether you would smoke cigarettes if you knew they wouldn't have
an impact on your personal health, 47 percent of you said you would,
while 53 percent of you said you wouldn't. That's a pretty narrow
margin. "Even today, there's a certain 'coolness' associated with
smoking," says Nolen-Hoeksema. "In part, we were raised with those
images. It's reinforced because of the behavior pattern smoking
requires; it's easy to feel or appear more nonchalant when you have
something external to do in a social situation." Moreover, she notes
that nicotine is not only addictive as a substance (it even contains
ingredients thought to be soothing to the brain), but the ritual itself
can suck people in.
In your mind, what makes somebody a "smoker"?
Among
those of you who occasionally smoke with friends, at parties or in
bars, 66 percent of you consider yourselves "social smokers," versus 10
percent of you who say you're not. In scientific terms, what actually
qualifies here? "For most smokers, about five to eight cigarettes per
day are needed to maintain nicotine dependence. So in terms of full-on
physical addiction, that's the number to look at," says Glynn. However,
he adds, each cigarette smoked creates micro-damage to a person's
system -- raising blood pressure, constricting capillaries, and
decreasing bone strength. So having a psychological need for even just
a few cigarettes a week does add up in terms of big-picture health.
For former smokers, where do the triggers really lurk?
Being
at parties or hanging around smoking friends were by far the biggest
ways to get those of you who'd quit to start craving again. It was an
even split between the two, with a total of 70 percent of you picking
one or the other. Coffee came in as a strong third, with 22 percent of
you citing it as an instigator.
While sex is often associated
with a jumpstart in cigarette cravings, only 9 percent of you said that
you felt the urge to light up after being intimate.
"There's
strong evidence that the addictive properties of drugs, like nicotine,
become physiologically associated with particular places the person
used the drug, or activities they engaged in while using the drug,"
says Nolen-Hoeksema. "Know you're walking into a situation where you
used to smoke and the stakes are therefore higher than ever."
If
you're dealing with these effects, she recommends setting some
bottom-line rules. For example, if you're meeting up with friends at a
bar, make sure it's at least a place where you, personally, have never
lighted up. Better still, make it a bar that doesn't allow smoking. (If
you're a very new non-smoker, you make want to eschew these situations
altogether and opt for a different activity.) Similarly, if you've just
quit, try drinking tea rather than coffee. Or, try switching in another
"reward," like some totally frivolous Internet surfing, to pair with
your morning cup. Rather than worrying about relapsing, keep a mental
image of how much you like your healthier, non-smoking self in mind.
For those who've quit, what's worked?
Forty
percent of you say you want to quit (compared with just 15 percent who
say you feel no need to do so). Here's what those of you who've kicked
the habit say has been effective: Cold turkey was by far the most
popular quitting method, with 34 percent of you reporting success. The
nicotine patch came in as number two, with an 18 percent success rate.
From there, answers got more abstract. Thinking about "saving money"
and their personal, "long-term health" came in at 14 and 13 percent
respectively. To add to the picture, among quitters, 31 percent
succeeded the first time, and 24 percent were able to do it somewhere
between the second and fifth. Thirty-three percent report they're still
trying to quit.
Speaking to why long-term health ranked so low
on the priority list, Nolen-Hoeksema says that, "in general, health
threats in the future are not very powerful for getting people to
change behaviors." She adds: "These are distant and, often, people feel
they're imposed by others. It's much more effective to have people come
up with their own reasons for quitting as motivations for change,
whatever these reasons may be."
For his part, Glynn adds that,
"people tend to define 'cold turkey' pretty broadly. That's probably
why it ranked so high. Smoking is so powerfully addictive that it's
unlikely somebody woke up in the morning and just opted out." Rather,
he explains, a whole narrative has probably been building. Research
shows than the most effective methods often include social and family
support combined with long-term health, personal growth and financial
motivators.
Electronic cigarettes: Are you sold?
Sixty-nine
percent of you aren't sold on the concept. Electronic cigarettes allow
smokers to get their fix using nicotine flavored vapor, rather than
smoke, eliminating the effects of second-hand smoke. Here's what's
interesting: "E-cigarettes are actually an intriguing concept," says
Glynn. "They give people an opportunity to break quitting into two
steps -- first the nicotine, then the psychological habit. For some,
this could make the process more manageable, but there's no data yet,
other than anecdotal." On the downside, he adds, the Food and Drug
Administration does have some questions about the long-term safety of
some ingredients. And this could become an issue since, given that
e-cigarettes do provide such an appealing bridge between full-on
smoking and just indulging the social habit aspect, some people may
never see a need to quit entirely.
What's the role of brand loyalty in smoking?
Seventy-three
percent of those of you who smoke stay true to one brand. That comes as
no surprise to Glynn, who says that now, especially since it's illegal
for cigarette companies to target teen smokers -- those who are just
starting -- a good deal of the big nicotine company bucks are going
toward retaining existing customers. Moreover, since they're forced to
look within an older demographic to "replace" those consumers who die
(to put it morbidly), they're increasingly competing with each other in
the effort to keep people on board.
How do cigarettes affect other kinds of smoking habits?
About
nine percent of those of you who smoke cigarettes smoke pot as well,
compared to 13 percent of you who don't smoke cigarettes but do smoke
pot. The percentages are smaller, but the parallels are even closer
between smokers and non-smokers with things like cigars, pipes and
hookah. Why aren't cigarettes a gateway into other smoke-blowing
practices? "Questions of legality, cost and social acceptability come
into play here," says Nolen-Hoeksema. "Cigarettes have a huge following
because they hit so strongly, and easily, all three of these; other
ways to smoke are more niche in terms of one or more of the
categories." In other words, it's not comparing apples and apples.
Other kinds of smoking are more of a challenge to do on a daily basis
because of accessibility, social acceptance and other factors.
