John Mellencamps son trying to get dad to quit smoking through facebook.

[cptrohn]

http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=202540109208

If you don't know the backstory, Recording artist John Mellencamp smokes from 4-5 packs of cigs a day. His 14 year old son has started a facebook campaign and if he can get 1million people to join it Mellencamp has agreed to quit smoking.

So whether you like his music or not, it's cool the kid loves his dad enough to try and do this for him to quit. Maybe we should help him out.

[AllRadioisDead]

Are you serious? It's just another one of those:
If x number of people join, [person] has agreed to [commit act].
I hate those groups and ignore them instantly.

[CJ Master]

Are you serious? It's just another one of those:
If x number of people join, [person] has agreed to [commit act].
I hate those groups and ignore them instantly.

I'm usually the same, but this touched me for some reason.

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

Is it wrong that I have a hard time believing he'll quit just because a facebook group asked him to?

[Chilli Bob]

I'll check it out (no pun intended) even though it's probably a load of Bollox.

While I'm here, I'll say that "Lonesome Jubilee" is an excellent album.

[wilee-nilee]

http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_notes/NNVol13N3/tearoff.html

Like addiction to heroin or cocaine, addiction to nicotine is a chronic, relapsing disorder. A cigarette smoker may require several attempts over many years before that person is able to permanently give up smoking. Less than 10 percent of unaided quit attempts lead to successful long-term abstinence. However, studies have shown significantly greater cessation rates for smokers receiving interventions compared to control groups who do not receive the interventions. Interventions that involve both medications and behavioral treatments appear to show the most promise.

The primary medication therapy currently used to treat nicotine addiction is nicotine replacement therapy, which supplies enough nicotine to the body to prevent withdrawal symptoms but not enough to provide the quick jolt caused by inhaling a cigarette. Four types of nicotine replacement products are currently available. Nicotine gum and nicotine skin patches are available over the counter. Nicotine nasal spray and nicotine inhalers are available by prescription. On average, all types of nicotine replacement products are about equally effective, roughly doubling the chances of successfully quitting.

Another medication recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an aid for quitting smoking is the antidepressant bupropion, or Zyban¨ . The association between nicotine addiction and depression is not yet understood, but nicotine appears to have an antidepressant effect in some smokers. Paradoxically, though, buproprion is more effective for treating nicotine addiction in nondepressed smokers than in smokers who are depressed.

[kelvin spratt]

http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_notes/NNVol13N3/tearoff.html

Like addiction to heroin or cocaine, addiction to nicotine is a chronic, relapsing disorder. A cigarette smoker may require several attempts over many years before that person is able to permanently give up smoking. Less than 10 percent of unaided quit attempts lead to successful long-term abstinence. However, studies have shown significantly greater cessation rates for smokers receiving interventions compared to control groups who do not receive the interventions. Interventions that involve both medications and behavioral treatments appear to show the most promise.

The primary medication therapy currently used to treat nicotine addiction is nicotine replacement therapy, which supplies enough nicotine to the body to prevent withdrawal symptoms but not enough to provide the quick jolt caused by inhaling a cigarette. Four types of nicotine replacement products are currently available. Nicotine gum and nicotine skin patches are available over the counter. Nicotine nasal spray and nicotine inhalers are available by prescription. On average, all types of nicotine replacement products are about equally effective, roughly doubling the chances of successfully quitting.

Another medication recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration as an aid for quitting smoking is the antidepressant bupropion, or Zyban¨ . The association between nicotine addiction and depression is not yet understood, but nicotine appears to have an antidepressant effect in some smokers. Paradoxically, though, buproprion is more effective for treating nicotine addiction in nondepressed smokers than in smokers who are depressed.

That is not necessary true I smoked 40-60 cigs a day for 45years had 2 heart attacks was unable to under go a quadruple heart bypass for 10 years because of chronic bronchitis none of prompted me to stop.
As I'd tried so many times before without success and nothing worked.
In 2004 I remarried a young lady and we had a child, my wife said one day that my little boy would like his daddy to be there when he grows up. So I pondered for a day and stopped.
Smoking is in the mind, if you say I want to give up you won't because you already told yourself that.
If you use a replacement you prolong the withdrawal time and still can fail.
If you really want to stop it is very easy with minimal withdrawal symptoms
I have not smoked since and have never craved since.
On the plus side I had my breathing tested 12 months ago my lungs are now average for my age.
In March this year I had the quadruple bypass and it was a complete success.
So at 60 years old i'm looking forward to a few years with my young family.

[wilee-nilee]

That is not necessary true I smoked 40-60 cigs a day for 45years had 2 heart attacks was unable to under go a quadruple heart bypass for 10 years because of chronic bronchitis none of prompted me to stop.
As I'd tried so many times before without success and nothing worked.
In 2004 I remarried a young lady and we had a child, my wife said one day that my little boy would like his daddy to be there when he grows up. So I pondered for a day and stopped.
Smoking is in the mind, if you say I want to give up you won't because you already told yourself that.
If you use a replacement you prolong the withdrawal time and still can fail.
If you really want to stop it is very easy with minimal withdrawal symptoms
I have not smoked since and have never craved since.
On the plus side I had my breathing tested 12 months ago my lungs are now average for my age.
In March this year I had the quadruple bypass and it was a complete success.
So at 60 years old i'm looking forward to a few years with my young family.

It is great that you were able to stop, but recidivism with addictions in general is around 90% the 1st time trying to quit anything. The site quoted from is using peer reviewed empirical research data.

Addictions can be one of the hardest things to treat for mental health professionals and CDAC qualified counselors.

[ZankerH]

If people want to reduce their projected lifetime while increasing lung cancer susceptibility, let them. The tobacco industry is more important than the health of people too weak-willed to control a non-physical addiction.

[KiwiNZ]

If people want to reduce their projected lifetime while increasing lung cancer susceptibility, let them. The tobacco industry is more important than the health of people too weak-willed to control a non-physical addiction.

It is a physical addiction

[wilee-nilee]

It is a physical addiction

Yes that is somewhat true with all addictions, but there can be a number of compounding factors that bring them into the region where at the least therapy is needed to help people to cope and find answers to these proclivities. Also support groups are a great help to some. There are many ways to get this support some are spiritual based some are anonymous based and others are group therapies.

[Grenage]

If people want to reduce their projected lifetime while increasing lung cancer susceptibility, let them. The tobacco industry is more important than the health of people too weak-willed to control a non-physical addiction.

One day you'll post something constructive, rather than the usual shock-factor, attention-seeking drivel.

[kelvin spratt]

wilee-nilee
I totally agree with the drugs and alcohol it has to be addressed very differently as you can not just stop.
Tobacco is very different as the addiction is more in your mind you don't risk a brain haemorrhage if you just stop its all about mind games with smoking.