GOOD NEWS!
MORE and more Filipino youths are now attempting to stop smoking cigarettes, a 2007 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted in the Philippines revealed Saturday, May 31, 2008.
According to the survey, 86.1% among current smokers want to stop smoking, 87.1% tried to stop smoking during the past year and 85.9% have received help to stop smoking.
The Manila Times, by Rommel C. Lontayao. June 1, 2008.
Despite the heavy campaigns of the Tobacco industry, it is overwhelming to know that a good number of our youth today actually express the interest to quit the habit of smoking. I mean, many of the ads we see on billboards, TV, and magazines lure people, even the youth, to smoke. And that’s not a good image to our society! It’s good that there are an increasing number of people who try to quit smoking because health problems in the Philippines would most probably experience a positive change. This is one step closer to a cleaner and healthier environment.
AND THE BAD NEWS IS??
The GYTS has also found out that some 8.5 percent of those surveyed were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative. The World Health Organization has raised the alarm on the tobacco marketing net that targets half a billion young people in the Western Pacific Region, warning of the industry’s marketing ploys to hook youngsters into addiction at an early age.
The Manila Times, by Rommel C. Lontayao. June 1, 2008.
This is definitely bad news because the Tobacco industries are finding ways to lure the public once more to patronize their tobacco products. And it’s not only the adults, but also the youth whom they are trying to target. I remember I even saw cigarette packs and sticks that come in different colors and flavors to specifically attract the youth. Even my five year old brother, Aga, became curious and wanted to stick it into his mouth. That is not right.
Why am I so against smoking? Simple, really. It KILLS. Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease. Cigarettes cause more deaths than cocaine, auto accidents, AIDS, alcohol, heroin, fire, suicide and homicide combined. It’s nothing but UNCOOL and downright crazy. Well, unless you really want to suffer the consequences.
What I’m really concerned of is that the Tobacco industry’s taking over the minds of our youth today. Even the DOH and other anti-tobacco advocates concede the fact that media and advertising play big roles in luring young people to smoking. The solution? The government and other health crusaders are now campaigning for a total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Now this I should support. I hope the Arroyo administration would really focus on this issue.
Save the youth, quit for the better. Resist the urge =P
4 comments:
hello hello. bragadasho here.i cannot tell a lie. yes smoking is very bad and it has side effects that will harm our bodies. but we will have to fight more intensely to combat this "cultural plague" since a lot of youths adopt the smoking habit to be COOL. we have to resist the urge
IMHO, the funny thing about smoking is that even though it's deadly, there's no use stopping it. Most students these days pretty much think that smoking's the new age's way of attaining true manhood.
There are other reasons why teens smoke:
1. It's cool.
2. Their movie idols smoke (e.g. Constantine)
3. Nicotine's highly addictive. Gives them a rush.
4. There's also "social smoking", usually accompanied with alcohol.
Well, long story short, there's almost a 99% chance that smoking will be totally stopped. 70% of the people that quit smoking started again (it's a fact, look it up.).
The best we can hope for are some minor improvements... or that our President issue a law that condemns smokers to jail... which will produce another People Power Revolution... which will then lead to smoking once more. Bleh.
Smoking is an addiction. It is hard to avoid once you have picked it up.
Fortunately, I haven't smoked yet. But the rest of my family does. Which means, I'm a victim of second hand smoke everyday.
Second hand smoke is more dangerous to our health. (It's true. Look it up.) It's because the regular smokers are used to exhaling the smoke they intake. Second hand smokers usually don't exhale it, which means that the smoke remains in the lungs.
Save lives (not just your own). Stop smoking. Resist the urge!
~David Gonzales
Yep smoking really really is bad for your health. I mean I learned about it during my high school in the states and it's so nasty. You can't believe what happens to the lungs and what it does to your body. And I can't believe anyone is allowed to buy cigarettes easily. I find it very shocking to find very young people smoke at their age. For me it's just not right and they have not properly been taught of moral values. And for me it's worse when someone smokes because second hand smoking is ironically much worse. That and I'm allergic to it haha. Anyways, resist the urge and temptations! No matter what anyone says, it's NOT cool. It's just freakishly deadly! =)
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