Category Archives: News

Students in Mohave County make strides with no-smoking in public parks.

In the decade that followed the approval of the Smoke-Free Arizona Act, the number of smokers in Arizona has dwindled, down to 14 istock_000003443593small-300x194percent of adults in the state according to recent data from The Centers for Disease Control. That data showed about 200,000 people in Arizona had kicked the habit in the last five years. That’s encouraging news, and it’s no doubt thanks to aggressive rules about where smokers are allowed to light up, as well as changing public attitudes toward tobacco use.
Does that mean further restrictions would curtail that number even more? Maybe. But we’re not convinced it’s necessary. Lake Havasu City is considering a well-meaning proposal that would govern smoking in a public park. A group of about 20 high school students has been meeting for more than a year to teach their peers about the dangers of tobacco and second-hand smoke. About a month ago, they pitched a new idea to the Lake Havasu City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: Eliminate smoking in Rotary Park.
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How to Boost Recovery in 2017

The holiday season is in the rear-view mirror now. Perhaps it was "the most wonderful time of the year" for some, but as a practicing addiction psychiatrist, I see that for many of those I assist with recovery, it can often be the worst time of the year. There are ads and commercials encouraging us to indulge in habits beyond what we can afford and a lack of the routine generally set by demands of work or school. Plus, there's an increased amount of time spent with people we might typically avoid. Together, these factors can reignite addictions that have been dormant for some time.

Whether you or your loved one made it through the holiday season with recovery intact or severely challenged, here are steps you can take now to avoid relapse and make 2017 a year of health:
[See: 14 Ways Alcohol Affects the Aging Process.]
Quit Smoking
Many people battling addiction see tobacco smoking as the least of their worries... quit
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Why do you smoke when you drink?

You're sitting at the bar with your friends, having a great time. A couple of cocktails in, someone pulls out a pack of cigarettes and offers you one. You take it, and light up. That's what you always do.
But why?
It's well-known that alcohol lowers people's inhibitions, but it won't make people do something they never would do, says Bill Blatt, national director of tobacco programs for the American Lung Association. If you're already drinking, you might be more likely to reach for a cigarette instead of holding off. Like alcohol itself, cigarettes can be a social lubricant. girl-smoking Read more...
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How big tobacco targets customers with use of coupons

Coupons are one of the tobacco industry’s top marketing strategies. From 2013 to 2014, the industry doubled its annual investment in coupons, which together with discounts make up more than 86 percent of its entire marketing expenditure in one year.
While the Surgeon General recommends a pack price of $10, the average pack price in the United States is about $6 per pack. It isn’t hard to see why Big Tobacco invests so much in slashing prices: the smoking rate is almost three times higher among households earning less than $20,000 a year compared to those earning more than $100,000 a year. Coupons and discounts threaten to counteract the impact of tobacco taxes and raising the price of tobacco products, which is one of the most effective ways to drive down the smoking rate, especially among young people.
coupons
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