World No Tobacco Day wrapped up the month of May in style on May 31st.  The theme this year: ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.  World wide people looked over policies regarding tobacco and highlighted the improtance of make changes toward a comprehensive tobacco policies. 

If you or someone you know is looking to quit tobacco check out some of the below smart phone applications... a high tech way to help quit!

1. Since iQuit: This nifty app tells you how long it's been since you tossed your cigs aside, how much money you've saved (in euro, if you you're a super fancy type who buys those Gauloises abroad) and allows you to share your info with the world if you choose via Twitter, Facebook, email or text. Oh, and you can opt for your tobacco of choice: cigarettes, pipes or cigars.]
2. No Smokes: An interactive quiz asking you how long you've smoked, how much you smoke, why you want to quit, when you're quitting. You're asked to choose whether you're Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander or both or neither, though the answers don't seem to change much no matter how you answer this question. At the end of the quiz, which is navigated by a computer-generated voice with an endearing Australian accent, you're given suggestions on how to approach quitting. After that, you're on your own with this one.
3. Zombie Smokeout: A Zombie-themed video game developed by the American Cancer Society. You are the super heroine out to douse the world's secondhand smoke. You jump over smoking Zombies. If you miss, you are enveloped in a deadly cloud of Zombie smoke. It's a distraction. And a pretty good one.
4. My Last Cigarette: This is the "Scared Straight" app. It shows you how much you've reduced your risk of heart attack and lung cancer and the number of people who died from smoking-related deaths since you tossed your cigs. It also tallies your savings and the number of cigarettes you've opted not to smoke. (Downside: Lots of advertisements, though there's a 99 cent version that makes the ads go away.)
5. Quit Pro: A simple interface tells you how much time since you've quit, how much you've saved, how many hours of life you've gained. It also helps you identify triggers -- hunger, stress, boredom -- as well as motivators for continuing to live a tobacco-free life.

Smoking and Mental Illness

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) release a report this month highlighting the connection between smoking and mental illness. The report explains that those with mental illness have an especially high smoking rate. 

1 in 3 adults with a mental illness smoke, compared with 1 in 5 adults without a mental illness. 

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) about 45.6 million people have a mental illness, meaning over 16 million adults with mental illness smoke. People with mental illness generally use smoking as a way of coping with the anxiety and stress of their mental illness and according to smoke experts, smoking has been accepted as part of the mental health scene for decades.

Many people with mental illness are at greater risk of dying earlier from smoking than dying from their mental health condition, Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, told reporters during a teleconference after the CDC released its report Tuesday. "This is a big mental health disparity and a vulnerable population, and we need to do more for smokers with mental illness," Frieden said. 

For more information about smoking and mental illness visit the CDC's Vital Signs at-
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/SmokingAndMentalIllness/index.html#RelatedLinks

Check out the Wisconsin program that helps those with mental health or substance abuse issues quit smoking (www.HelpUsQuit.org), including a video featuring patients talking about the issue. The program's formal name is the Wisconsin Nicotine Treatment Integration Project.

For quitting assistance, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or visit www.smokefree.gov.
Also, visit www.BeTobaccoFree.gov for information on quitting and preventing children from using tobacco.

A GREAT article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -
http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/smoking-more-common-among-mentally-ill-se8lmn4-189949731.html

Youth Smoking Drops from 17.7% (2010) to 13.1%(2012)

It is great to know our efforts are working! A recent release by the Youth Tobacco Survey in Wisconsin declared that high school smoking went from 17.7% to 13.1%. In 2000, these numbers were at a whopping 32.9%!! Using a comprehensive tobacco control program, we have been able to reduce tobacco use and protect the public from secondhand smoke. Comprehensive programs include different approaches to tobacco control, not just one or few.

Having coalitions like re:TH!NK meet with legislators regarding policy change- such as raising cigarette taxes, FACT (Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco) groups around the state encouraging youth never to begin smoking, and WI Wins programs restricting access of tobacco products to minors all make a huge difference in seeing the decrease in youth and teen smoking. Middle school students rates have also went down-from 3.9% in 2010 to 2.5% in 2012. This can make a world of difference in our future as most smokers (90%) start before the age of 18.

We definitely are on the verge of reducing tobacco's burden on our state, resulting in lower health care costs and healthier people who will not suffer from tobacco-related illnesses!

Study suggests that Smoker's Addiction is Left in DNA

A study suggested at the NCRI Cancer conference thast a smoker's addictoin may leave a mark in their DNA, although the genetic code stays the same. This may allow future findings to measure a smoker's risk for cancer. Researchers found that the DNA of the blood can be tagged chemically as the result of smoking. The tags can be detected in lung tissue, and can be used to find the increased risk of cancers related to lung, bowel and breast.

The tags gradually diminsh as someone quits smoking, according to lead researcher James Flanagan of Imperial College London. The tags are found the surface of the DNA. Although the tags may slowly disappear, the DNA of a former smoker will never exactly match the DNA of a non-smoker-something to always think about! Flanagan said that this will give a better story through their life and how their habit has changed throughout the years.

Dr Jane Cope, director of the NCRI, said: “This reinforces the message that smoking doesn’t just affect the risk of lung cancer, it can increase the risk of more than a dozen different cancers. Smokers lose around a decade of life and, along with many other benefits, giving up will mean the added risk of cancer drops off over time.”