US adult smoking rate dips to 18 percent

[onehandle]

Source: AP

Last year, about 18 percent of adults participating in a national health survey described themselves as current smokers.

The nation's smoking rate generally has been falling for decades, but had seemed to stall at around 20 to 21 percent for about seven years. In 2011, the rate fell to 19 percent, but that might have been a statistical blip.

Health officials are analyzing the 2012 findings and have not yet concluded why the rate dropped, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The CDC released its study Tuesday.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. It's responsible for the majority of lung cancer deaths and is a deadly factor in heart attacks and a variety of other illnesses.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/report-us-adult-smoking-rate-114627925.html

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Good news.

[Ter]

1. Still way too high

I think it's a location thing, too. Where I work I'd say it's 40% or more, and there are roughly 70 workers here.

[ctsnowman]

2. Well of course

the number of smokers is down since we made it illegal and started throwing people in jail. Oh wait.

Thanks for the post.

Education will set us free, no wonder the GOP hates it.

[Earth_First]

3. 15 months cigarette-free here!

Ill never look back!

[brett_jv]

14. I'm at 6 days cig/tobacco-free ...

Somewhat unfortunately, still addicted to nicotine ... but I feel MUCH, MUCH better about using a personal vaporizer to inhale my nicotine instead of those nasty-ass cigarettes. The last few times I tried a puff off of an 'analog' (i.e. tobacco cigarette), which was last week, it was literally disgusting.

It took me less than 1 month to transition from a (between a 1/2 and a whole, for the most part) pack a day habit (maintained for the past 12 years) to 'vaping' only, and feeling like cigs are freaking gross. I actually probably COULD have switched entirely to vaping on day 1, but I didn't feel compelled to make it difficult.

But from day 1 with the vaporizer (1 month ago today) I never had >5 cigs a day again, and within 1 week I was down to 1-2 cigs a day, at two weeks I was down to 3 puffs a day, and at three weeks I was going 'why am I even having this 1 drag a day? I don't need this shit!'. I've also already lowered the nicotine concentration of my 'juice' down from 24mg to 18mg.

I'm here to tell ya, if you smoke, and you want to, but haven't been able to ... quit ... switching to 'vaping' is the way to go.

I would actually guess that the additional 3% drop-off is due to e-cigs/vaping. I tell ya what, the store in Phoenix (it's called Butt-Out) that sells the vaping gear is ALWAYS packed, every time I go in there.

[Earth_First]

31. Go get it!

I know nobdy wants to hear the whole "if I can do it..." meme...but yes, if I can do it. Anyone can.

Best of luck!

[alcibiades_mystery]

30. 17+ Months here...feels so effin' good

The ancient Greeks had it right: addiction is slavery. I'm done paying for the mansions, cars, and political candidates of conservative rich, white Southerners!

Anyone who tells you smoking is about individual choice and liberty is a sad little dupe. They been had. Pity them.

[Earth_First]

32. +1 nt

[Auggie]

4. U.S. tobacco companies make up for the drop in overseas sales

[onehandle]

5. They still market smoking as a thing that cool, heroic figures do, in America.

Most of the ads over there, show sexy fashionable Americans, smoking with other sexy fashionable Americans.

Nothing near reality.

[closeupready]

9. I was watching "The Hunger" recently - Every Single Person

is smoking, non-stop - at least in the beginning of the film.

Watch other films from the 80's, ditto.

And obviously, Catherine Deneuve was all dolled-up, making it seem stylish.

[rurallib]

6. looks like back in the 50s and 60s it topped out

at around 43% - about the time I started.

Lost both my parents to lung cancer. Very painful to watch.

[former9thward]

7. These results are from polls.

People lie in these polls because they want to say what they think the pollster wants to hear. Also people are conditioned to say they don't smoke because of insurance purposes or 'wellness' programs at their workplace. I live in a university town and the smoking rate is about 50% among the students. The university tried to end smoking on campus and the students staged a 'smoke-in' and the school dropped the idea.

[onehandle]

8. Ah yes. The polls are wrong.

The Romney campaign's only chance.

Almost nobody I know smokes. And the ones who do, are under the age of 28. Which is covered in the results of the poll.

[former9thward]

11. You mean the polls that said the Democrats would do well in 2010?

Yep, they are never wrong... People never lie... Almost everyone I know does smoke. I guess we run in different crowds. I suspect the crowd I run with is a hell of lot more social and fun than yours.

[onehandle]

12. Dunno what polls you were looking at in 2010.

All the polls I saw for weeks ahead of the election said that we were going to get our butts kicked.

House Forecast: G.O.P. Plus 54-55 Seats; Significantly Larger or Smaller Gains Possible

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/house-forecast-g-o-p-plus-54-55-seats-significantly-larger-or-smaller-gains-possible

Smoking makes you 'fun and social?'

[former9thward]

13. "Smoking makes you 'fun and social?' "

I am afraid you wouldn't understand either concept.

[RussBLib]

18. You, sir, are a ....

Think of Cheney, the dark lord.

[former9thward]

20. Hmmmm....

I make a reply to a poster with about 35,000 posts and a member since 2001. Who pops up to defend him/her -- a poster with 457 posts and also a member since 2001. Quite the coincidence. I think not.....

[beaglelover]

22. LOL

That was funny!

[LanternWaste]

29. Not as much a concept as merely a rationalization...

"I am afraid you wouldn't understand either concept..."
Not as much a concept as merely a rationalization.

As a twenty five year smoker myself, I've leaned that a perfect illustration of 'petulance' is often seen when observing another smoker attempt to rationalize the irrational. Now that's quite the concept.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

27. "I suspect the crowd I run with is a hell of lot more social and fun than yours. "

They are also liars, according to your comments in #7

[former9thward]

28. They weren't polled.

[Jimbo S]

33. Wow

Overgeneralize much? Yes, we also run in different crowds. But the crowd I run with doesn't smoke and we're definitely fun and social.

[Baclava]

10. and the suicide rate for baby boomers skyrockets

Carousel?

[Aristus]

15. God willing, it will be down to 0% someday.

I used to worry that my advocacy for smoking cessation was tantamount to putting Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina out of work.

The I read an article that stated that tobacco farmers facing a diminishing market for their crop are turning to the growing of chickpeas, to feed the country's increasing enthusiasm for hummus. So there's that. Trading a deadly, filthy, smelly, and expensive habit or a healthy, delicious snack. Life is good.

[Psephos]

16. Next up: attempts to pass higher taxes to make up for the lost revenue.

Pretty much the same way states are now charging fees to people who drive electric cars or hybrids. Which, of course, they received government tax credits for purchasing.



ETA: I, too, hope the smoking rate goes to zero.

[Ino]

21. Oh yes...

I quit 22 months ago. Somewhere an SCHIP child is suffering from the loss of my taxes. Who among you will make it up to her/him by volunteering to be ultra-taxed on your own guilty pleasure? I have none anymore

[RussBLib]

17. Wife & I quit smoking 12/12/00

The Supreme Court was still "deliberating" when they were going to fuck Al Gore and give the Presidency to Bush. We figured that if we could quit smoking during this stressful time, it would stick.

Sure enough.

We figure we've saved over $25,000 since quitting. Hell if I know where the money went!

[raccoon]

19. "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" nt

[RebelOne]

23. I want to quit smoking so badly.

I have tried everything, even hypnosis, e-cigarettes and anti-smoking programs. It is so hard because I have been smoking since I was 16. I am now 74. I quit twice in my life and that was the 2 times I was pregnant. I couldn't even stand to look at a cigarette because it would make me vomit. But I started back smoking after the birth of my babies because I wanted to lose my baby fat.

[jeff47]

25. What didn't work for you about the e-cigs?

I'm trying to get a relative to switch to them, since they're much less dangerous. Hoping to learn from your experience.

[brett_jv]

26. You should try an APV (advanced personal vaporizer)

Rather than the craptastic 'e-cigs' they sell at the convenience store.

See my spiel above a few posts. I couldn't do it with 'e-cigs' either, but a nice vaporizer and good tasting/high nic juice did the trick! I've already started downward in my nic concentration too.

Try to find an 'e-cig' or 'vaping' store in your area, any store dedicated to either of these things is mainly going to be offering 'vaping' equipment aka vaporizers. That way you can check out the gear, learn how it all works, try out some different flavor/strength juices, etc. THere's a lot to 'learn' about the whole process, trust me.

Vaping is night and day better than e-cigs, though, way more satisfying, dozens of flavors are available, and it's WAY WAY cheaper too once you buy the gear. After initial outlay of $50, I'm spending $35/month on juice ... compared to smoking 15-20 cigs a day prior to that (or using almost-as-costly gas-station e-cigs) the savings is staggering. Make sure you get a battery you can charge and vape at the same time (or two batteries).

I recommend the iSmoka BCC Clearomizer as great starting gear, and at least 24mg/ml strength juice. Here's a video to give you an idea what this gear looks like if you've never seen it.

[olddad56]

34. quitting is easy. I've done it a hundred times.

[LadyHawkAZ]

24. E-cigs, I'd bet

A lot of people are switching over to vaping.

Good news, whatever the cause.

[Pterodactyl]

36. This corresponds with a steady decline in coolness among adults.