How do methadone clinics help with addiction?

Methadone is a narcotic drug used to treat chronic pain and opiate addiction from drugs such as opium or heroin. The drug was originally developed in Germany, during World War II, and then introduced to the United States in 1947, and originally used as a long-acting painkiller, and it wasn't until 1950 that it was found to be effective in treating the withdrawal of a opiate and heroin addict. Methadone helps with the addiction of opiates and heroin because it fits into the same receptors as opiates and can relieve many of the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. The difference between methadone and opiates is that methadone does not cause that euphoric high and can actually block the effects of opiate drugs by preventing someone from getting high on opiates or heroin when they relapse. Methadone is not a cure for opiate addiction and is actually addictive, in and of itself. So methodone clinics do not cure the addiction but rather help addicts start on the road to addiction by taking away the negative withdrawal.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/29470-methadone-treatment-work/

Are tobacco companies being affected by all of the negative press about smoking?

by Dan Ritchey

     Most of us have seen the commercials for anti-smoking ads such as the Truth campaign. Are anti-tobacco industry campaigns like this actually having any success? According to the Center for Disease Control, the answer is YES. The recent ad campaign, "Tips From Former Smokers" inspired more than 200,000 people to quit, with researchers expecting at least half of those people to remain smoke-free. The CDC reported, "The percentage of people who tried to quit rose by 12 percent, representing 1.6 million attempts, surveys showed. The toll-free number (1-800-QUIT-NOW) displayed during the ads got 132 percent more calls."

    The director of the CDC's Office on smoking and health, Tim McAffee, stated, "I wish we could make upbeat, happy ads,” but that’s not what smokers said would motivate them to quit...Smoking costs the U.S. health care system $96 billion a year. The ad campaign cost $54 million. That works out to less than $200 per year of life saved, McAffee said."

References:

Creamer, M. (2012, January 16). Advertising Age. Advertising Age  News RSS. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://adage.com/article/news/funding-anti-tobacco-ads-fell-quitting-rate/232111/

Eldred, S. (2013, September 9). Grotesque Anti-Smoking Ads Shown to Work. DNews. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://news.discovery.com/human/health/anti-smoking-ads-that-work-130909.htm

Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative to smoking?

A report on medicalnewstoday.com described a study preformed by professor Christina Gratziou at the University of Athens in Greece. Gratziou and team wanted to study the short term effects of e-cigarettes. How the 'e-cig' affects a person will be different of they're a non-smoker, retired smoker, or current smoker.
The study included 32 volunteers, eight of which are life time long non smokers, and the other 24 are current smokers. Each participant was asked to "smoke" and e-cig for ten minutes. Afterwards a spirometry test was used to detect airways resistance. This study found an immediate increase in airway resistance in both non smokers and current smokers. This resistance lasted ten minutes. 
The medical profession and scientist generally agree that smoking an e-cigarette is safer than tradition tobacco use; however, Christina Gratziou suggests that her experiment proved an immediate negative consequence, and until more short term and long term effects are studied, e-cigarettes shouldn't be claimed as a "safe alternative." 

You can see the full report, along with what an e-cigarette is and how it works here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249784.php





Alecia W.

Motivation

This is another topic that has a ton of resources to look at. Although, the information seems to be very vague. The literature uses a lot of terms like “may,” “sometimes” and “not always.” So it was very hard to come up with a solid conclusion with only one source but explained through a meta-analysis.

In looking through many sources there are some patterns. The biggest, being connect your task or performance to something personal and deep to you. Myself, being a KHP major, I looked at this topic as something connected more to exercise and athletics. So by connecting it to something personal in terms of exercise this would mean to start exercising because to avoid health risks that your family has a history of or start exercising to feel good about yourself. This is one of the more powerful motivators.

I also came across many sources that often talked about motivational speeches and quotes. There are many examples of this such as self-help talks, motivational speakers and more examples where people, companies and other institutions spend thousands of dollars to help motivate themselves and their employees.

There are tons of ways to find to motivation. The purpose of this blog is not to go into an in-depth analysis of all these different ways. I am a firm believer especially after doing this blog the best way to motivate yourself is to do something you love. All the ways explained above for the most part are temporary. Sure they are very effective in short-term but won’t do much in terms of the long run. I think we can all attest to this; when you find something you truly love you don’t need to find motivation, you will already be motivated.

John Snyder

What would be the pros and cons if tobacco became illegal?

Pros and Cons of making tobacco illegal:

Pros:

·         The death rate would decrease

·         Tobacco farming has taking over parts of the rainforest so rainforest deforestation would decrease

·         There would be a decrease in secondhand smoking

·         Healthcare costs would be lower

·         Taxes on cigarettes would decrease

·         Peer pressure among teenagers would decrease

·         Decrease in pollution and fire hazards

Cons:

·         Job losses

·         Government revenue decreases

·         Some argue it’s a violation of person rights

·         It would be hard to regulate

Kathleen Kimmell

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Pros_and_cons_on_downloading_music#slide3

A Cigarette or a Treadmill?

Anysha

Many people smoke for numerous reasons but there are some smokers that smoke to help them lose or maintain their desired weight. For some people the cigarette is their treadmill but for others weight loss has no change. Studies show that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. Which means that the more you smoke the less hungry you will be. Tobacco companies use the known fact of appetite suppressant and incorporate this in promotion and propaganda techniques. This helps increase the sell of the product. A study using mice showed that the nicotine stimulated receptor of the Hypothalamus. The Hypothalamus produces chemicals that help speed up metabolism. Surveys show that this may help people lose weight but some people say that cigarettes have or had no effect on their weight.

( Hall, Joseph)        http://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2011/06/10/holy_smokes_study_reveals_why_cigarettes_can_make_you_thinner.html

If a smoker cannot afford to buy products to quit, what is another way to quit?

Quitting smoking can be very difficult and most people cannot successfully quit without the use of products. Those products can be very pricey and not everyone can afford to use them. Quitting cold turkey is not always for everyone but how can you quit without spending a lot of money?
Personal goals need to be set if you are serious about quitting. Being proactive should be the first step. Then you need to set a quit date, tell your friends and family you are quitting, and remove all tobacco products. By doing all this you are ensuring that it will be harder to relapse. Sometimes all this is not enough so make sure you recognize your triggers to prevent a relapse. Chewing on gum or hard candy can help when you have an urge for a cigarette. Make sure you are ready and serious about quitting because it could be a struggle that you're not ready for.


http://www.helpguide.org/mental/quit_smoking_cessation.htm