I know this phenomenon is not exclusive to Thailand as I have seen it featured in a number of other countries. I just kind of wonder if they have any sort of impact on anyone.
one of my favorites: it is warning about early-onset-impotence
I recall some stand up comedy from Dennis Leary, who was likely the world's most unapologetic smoker, that was kind of his shtick. I can't find the exact quote but it went something like this
I don't think there is a person on the planet that is unaware of the fact that smoking is just terrible for you. We likely all have someone in our lives that has suffered ill effects from smoking yet millions of people light up every minute of the day. All of these people are very well-aware of what they are potentially doing to themselves. I have smoked off and on for over 25 years and now I am just one of those guys that will have one or two when he is drinking. It's ok to be that guy in Thailand because ciggies are really inexpensive.
There's another winner but I have to say it is more than slightly misleading. The person who these teeth belong to did a awful lot of stuff other than just smoking to end up that way. My teeth look fine after 25 years of smokes and why do you think that is? Maybe because I brush my teeth every now and then?
Australia has a wonderful method of getting people to not smoke. They tax the ever-living crap out of them. When I was visiting there a few months back I didn't smoke because well, you can't really smoke anywhere and when I went to a minimart just out of interest I found that a pack of name-brand ciggies were over $30 a pack. I am very against this sort of social engineering because it primarily targets the lower-income folks. This is a special form of idiocy when you have someone that can barely pay their bills and still they are shelling out hundreds of dollars a week on a bad habit.
source
This one has excellent production value and is warning about the dangers of second hand smoke. When i do smoke in public, even when i was a full-time, 30-a-day type of dude, I was always very self-aware about not smoking around non-smokers. This isn't to protect their health it is called being a decent person.
I got a bit off topic there but the point is that I don't really think that these warnings have much a noticeable effect on the number of people that smoke and I believe that is because they go to such extremes in their warnings. Like the teeth thing. I know a lot of smokers - i don't know anyone whose teeth look even remotely like that. I know older smokers that have no problems "in the sack," There is another one where they show a guy's rotten foot and they claim this was from smoking..... really? Was it? I mean if they were more realistic in their claims rather than going for the one-in-a-million person who lost their foot I think it would be more effective.
source
Such as the statistics of you being 50% more likely as a smoker to be susceptible to all manor of disease. Perhaps show the difference between a healthy lung and a smoker's lung. How about how being smoker leads to other bad habits in life such as not exercising and becoming a giant fat ass (that is what happened to me - i got past it.)
I don't know why I started smoking. It probably had something to do with peer pressure because I admired someone else who was already a smoker. It is a dumb reason, but I can't really imagine why anyone would start otherwise.
There are some studies out there (from the U.K.) that indicated that the presense of the warning labels actually encourages people to smoke MORE. This surprised me. They said that the individual smoker actually appreciated the brands being so forthcoming about the harmful nature of the product and this encouraged brand loyalty and additional purchases. This is a ridiculous conclusion for any smoker to come to because certainly they realize that the brands were forced to do this by the government and if it was left up to the company there wouldn't be any warning at all.
I would contest that the gruesome warning labels likely never encourage someone to quit. Perhaps it encourages younger people to not smoke but I doubt that is the case either. For me, I think if someone wants to smoke they should be allowed to. I like freedom even if said freedom is causing harm to you. I do think that people should be very aware of where they can smoke and to keep their smoke away from others. However, i think that most people would probably do this anyway without being forced to do so.
Hi gooddream. From someone who had smoked for many years and worked for a cigarette company these adverts don't really work. When you are a smoker you see them and know of the dangers and it may stop some , but the most ignore them. Pollution is so bad today it doesn't make a huge difference whether you smoke or not in my book. They say once you stop it takes 7 years for your lungs to repair.
Well it did not work on me.
And like you I am no fan of this social engeeniering as well.
If I want to be a raging alcoholic let me. If I want to smoke let me smoke.
The heavy taxing with the excuse of looking out for my best intrest and paying hospital bills later is not buying anyone anymore.
These are some of what we have on the cigarette packs here in the Philippines.
But the images and the message are not what made me quit the habit.
I stopped smoking to get fit again so I could resume martial arts training.
the same thing happened to me. While training for a triathlon I had very little cardiovascular capabilities, which is obviously something you need in spades to do a Tri. It was very noticeable how my performance changed after stopping.
Most well articulated as to the four corners of any subject-matter and the bottom-line I can only offer being in my 68th yr of existence - I continue to make the choice for daily consumption of tobacco and i am not likely to stop until such time as a this vessel ceases operation. I do abide by the rights of others and prevailing prohibitions when in public etc. The only conflict is with those that transgress on my rights when I am in the right as I wrote about a year ago... a truly unpleasant experience fyi
Addicts, united!
I would stand with you bother, but I get out of breath when I stand up...lmao
Whoa, I read your story buddy. That's horrible!
The big cigar companies only focus on consumption I think the campaign encourages more people to consume, care but they are themselves who finance these campaigns to promote more consumption, personally I think it is a very bad habit fool for the one who adopts it. My regards, friend. A hug.
Warnings and photos on the package make e stressed, work on me so hard that I have to buy another package of cigarettes to calm down my nerves...
Lol
Posted using Partiko Android
I recon the dangers of smoking is way overestimated , personally.
(yes, I know it's a 99% definite that filling your lungs with smoke is not a positive).
Do the math...20 a day (4 mins of smoke in your lungs x 20) = 80 mins a day
7 days a week.
40 or 50 years.
That's a lot of hours of 'bad activity' and still able see so many 'old' smokers..
Maybe we have been socially engineered to believe how bad it is???
note: this is not a scientific observation, just a thought...lol
i believe that there is no way that inhaling smoke is not bad for you but everyone's body handles this stuff differently. Some people can just survive anything. Dennis Leary said "they say smoking takes 10 years off of your life..... great! what am i gonna miss? The drooling years?" haha
The warnings are just for show. They put it there like it's ever stopped anyone. They even make people smoke more. Its either you can or allow it. The warnings makes no difference.
Posted using Partiko Android
I feel that people quit when they want to quit. Smoking is so addictive, so many of my friends do and really can’t stop, one of them gets particularly moody if he doesn’t have a cigarette... it’s a bit annoying to be honest. I stopped about 7 years ago and never want to smoke a cigarette again, I also never wanted to be a smoker so the choice and motivation was there.
i agree with everything you said there. I periodically quit without any real difficulty but for some reason I always end up getting drawn back in on a part time basis at first and later full-fledged user status is mine again.
This phonomena is not working in the world. Day by day number of smokers decreases. Specially in pakistan every young boys smoker. Specially universities boys. And also some girls are smokers. Smoking is not good for our health. Smoking companies only focus on its profit. Hopefully every country government take stick decision for this companies. Smoking banned. Thanks for sharing this valuable post. @gooddream.
It is very difficult to stop smoking, I know cases of people, who have told you to stop smoking or die, and prefer to continue smoking, it is incredible, what dominates nicotine to people. Many people try to quit, and they can never, they get angry even when they can not smoke. sadly it's like that
Dennis Leary, man I completly forgot this guy. He had a funny song too, 200 years ago.