U.S. national campaign of scary, stop-smoking advertisements doesn't work and offers no guidance for quitting

Thursday, August 16, 2012 by: S. D. Wells
Tags: stop smoking, advertisements, quitting

(NaturalNews) If you were addicted to cocaine, and you were shown some scary pictures of a drug addict lying in a ditch or gutter somewhere, diseased and starving to death, would you simply say to yourself, "that's it, I'm done with this drug," and be able to quit, cold turkey, with no advice or guidance regarding chemical detoxification, behavior modification, or nutrition?

If you were addicted to heroin, and you were shown a series of pictures of a crazed man in a psychiatric ward, with bruises and needle tracks on his arms, being strapped down to an examining table by nurses, while screaming and throwing a fit, would you be so scared for your own life, that you would never, ever try a single drug again?

The "war" jokes of America

There are three running jokes in America, and they are all called "wars." The war on cancer, which was started by Richard Nixon, is a total fraud and a joke (http://old.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id336/pg1/index.html). The war on drugs is also a complete joke. The pharmaceutical industry has made sure of this for over 100 years, and the machine rolls on (https://www.naturalnews.com/036547_oxycontin_addictions_heroin.html). And the war to "help smokers end the smoking habit" is a complete and utter joke. The U.S. government, the FDA and the CDC have absolutely no intention of "scaring" more than five percent of smokers off cigarettes with the recent "fear and loathing" anti-smoking campaign of advertisements, and Big Tobacco is behind it all, lobbying with hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to keep selling ammonia-treated nicotine, without rules, and without regulations.

Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man

Since the 1930s, the U.S. government, Big Tobacco, the FDA, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) have glamorized cigarette smoking with advertisements. There are brainwashing ads featuring doctors recommending their favorite brands and convincing you that cigarettes aid with digestion; which is a huge lie (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sa_steve/5205878066/). Other ads depicted the Marlboro Man as an idol, and RJ Reynolds even used the ultra "cool" Joe Camel, who was target marketed (subliminally and blatantly) at kids and teens to get them to take up the habit. (http://articles.latimes.com/1997-05-29/news/mn-63716_1_joe-camel)

Now in 2012, the tobacco industry spends more than $10 billion every year, that's $10,000,000,000 a year, and that's ONE MILLION DOLLARS EVERY HOUR, just to market and promote cigarettes in the United States. And the latest $54 million gruesome ad campaign is just a drop in the bucket of money and a futile attempt to deglamorize 80 years of brainwashing and collateral damage that's already been done, and which is still being inflicted.

The new campaign, which launched in March, was only a 12-week television ad blitz, depicting the health risks of smoking in gruesome details. You've probably seen the one with the emaciated, 51-year-old woman getting ready for work, putting in her false teeth, putting on her wig, and covering her tracheotomy tube with a scarf. The CDC says these testimonials from smokers and ex-smokers with horrible health defects and repercussions will encourage smokers to quit and "build awareness" of the damage caused by smoking. At this point, everyone knows what cigarettes can do to a person's health. What's next, a $50 million dollar campaign that shows the dangers of wrestling with crocodiles?

The horror story ads offer no real advice, solution, or successful path for smokers who have the desire to wean themselves off not just the nicotine, but all the horrible chemicals put in commercial cigarettes. It is a fact that 95 percent of smokers who attempt to quit smoking without help will return to smoking within six months, and most of those smoke again within 14 days. Then, once they smoke one, they're dragged back in by the nicotine like a strong undertow drags you into the ocean.

Over three million American high school students smoke

So, is the CDC really accomplishing anything by spending their "pennies" (from their billions) to run a dozen "horror movie" excerpts for a few months, all intended to shock "thousands" of people out of the habit? No, they are not. Over three million American high school students are still smoking, despite the "scared straight" style ad campaign, which includes billboards, radio, television and print ads. Why are they still smoking after being 'scared to death?" A 2009 study from the University of Missouri already proved that advertisements and messages that instill fear AND disgust do not work because they simply turn viewers away. One CDC spokesperson said that since half of smokers want to quit, "Maybe a peek into their future is just the kick in the butt they need." (http://www.everydayhealth.com)

Even if the five percent who are able to quit without help actually quit smoking because of the scary ad campaign, is that ALL THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO OFFER for the single greatest and preventable epidemic of a disease? The CDC knew about the Missouri study and several others like it which show that the "scare and disgust" media blitz barely works, if it does at all. It just goes to show who profits the most from selling highly addictive, cancer-causing nicotine delivery devices, and who's trying to pretend the scary commercials are effective at helping people quit. Kids have no clue how dangerously addictive cigarettes are, and they give smoking a try to be "cool," but before they know it, they're PACK-A-DAY puffers, just dying to find out how to quit. (http://www.youtube.com)

Fear and loathing does not work, but guidance and nutrition does

If the U.S. government really wanted kids, teens, and adults to end the miserable habit of smoking, they would offer help in three ways which have proven results. There are programs which can wean the smoker off of cigarettes in 14 days or fewer, without medication, without patches or gum, and without hypnosis. If you have the will to quit, there is a way. (http://programs.naturalnews.com/14AndOut__TV.htm)

14AndOut has a very high success rate because it covers all the bases. The 60 minute lesson starts with an understanding of the chemical addiction, revealing exactly what chemicals are a part of the cigarette manufacturing process, so the smoker knows exactly what has infected his/her body, and what he/she is actually quitting, besides just nicotine.

The second part entails an empathetic approach to behavior modification, since smoking involves many rituals like breathing patterns, hand-to-mouth motions and usually, environment changes.

The third tier of quitting involves education about nutrition, supplements, and herbs which replenish the malnourished body and helps balance the central nervous system. Certain natural herbs and vitamins can eliminate the nicotine cravings, and incorporating Superfoods can ensure the new "ex-smoker" stays smoke free, even after the first six months. 14AndOut is a revolutionary program which addresses all of these angles to quitting naturally and staying smoke free for life. (http://www.truthpublishing.com/chlorellaspirulina_p/pdf-cat21249.htm)

You may also try reading Allen Carr's book "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking," or go online and check out some positive reviews for hypnosis in your area, but no matter what you do, keep it natural and organic and you can't go wrong. If you're a smoker now and have a will to quit, you can begin now, knowing there is a natural way out. Leave the horror stories for the cinema, and take control of your body, and turn your life into a long, healthy, and most enjoyable adventure.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.empowher.com

http://www.everydayhealth.com

http://old.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id336/pg1/index.html

https://www.naturalnews.com/036547_oxycontin_addictions_heroin.html

http://abcnews.go.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://articles.latimes.com/1997-05-29/news/mn-63716_1_joe-camel

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sa_steve/5205878066/

http://www.hypnosisnetwork.com/hypnosis/quit_smoking.php

http://www.youtube.com