Abstinence not healthier than low-risk alternative

[Vocalek]

Great article by Dr. Carl V. Phillips:

Abstract | Debunking the claim that abstinence is usually healthier for smokers than switching to a low-risk alternative, and other observations about anti-tobacco-harm-reduction arguments

The above links to an abstract, but you can access the entire article.

http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/pdf/1477-7517-6-29.pdf

 

[olderthandirt]

"Thus, discouraging a smoker, even one who would have quit entirely, from switching to a low-risk alternative is almost certainly more likely to kill him than it is to save him."

Good find vocal!

 

[Dolly]

Fantastic!! ^_^

 

[olderthandirt]

I just skimmed the entire article, some of the logic arguments were a bit involved for me to follow so I'll need to study a bit closer.

vocal, if the html version of this is posted it would be a great digg!

 

[jamaesi]

Great find, thank you for sharing!

 

[kinabaloo]

Then there are also two related issues:

sudden withdrawal may negatively impact health in some cases

that at least some people will be affected long-term by complete withdrawal from nicotine, to an extent that is health reducing

 

[Vocalek]

I just skimmed the entire article, some of the logic arguments were a bit involved for me to follow so I'll need to study a bit closer.

vocal, if the html version of this is posted it would be a great digg!

The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.

I tried and Digg would not let me link to a PDF.

The good news is that this article is Open Access, which means that we can post it on the CASAA Web site. I will do so.

 

[martha1014]

I for one would have never quit cigarettes and I know alot of you are the same as me. I don't know the statistics of how many people quit smoking each year but I bet its not as many as those that start smoking.

But I see they don't let us know what that figure is. How many of you would have stopped smoking without electronic cigarettes.

 

[Kurt]

I for one would have never quit cigarettes and I know alot of you are the same as me. I don't know the statistics of how many people quit smoking each year but I bet its not as many as those that start smoking.

But I see they don't let us know what that figure is. How many of you would have stopped smoking without electronic cigarettes.

I would have quit tomorrow for the rest of my life.

 

[weatherbug]

For me, smoking almost always became a habit. That is, the act of smoking was a pacifier and gave me an opportunity to "stop and smell the roses" per se.

What I mean is that I would bet smokers find that it's the distraction, not the smoking of tobacco itself, which is a relief in our way stressed out and complicated lives. When we smoke, we allow ourselves time to step outside, feel the sun on our faces and take in the scenery for 5-10 mins. Not to mention, hang out with other people we have things in common with.

Not smoking for me meant distracting myself and burying myself in work, school, or something else (since I no longer had the urge to smoke), but I MISSED actually smoking.

I'd argue that vaping (nicotine or no nicotine) could actually be GOOD for us by relieving a bit of stress and forcing us to take a few minutes away from our complicated world. Of course the down side of vaping is that we don't actually have to step outside to do it and we're back to the same argument... ARRRGGGG

I for one, choose to step outside and vape... if for nothing else but to keep me sane.

Great article and I couldn't agree more.

 

[Kurt]

Great article by Dr. Karl Phillips:

Abstract | Debunking the claim that abstinence is usually healthier for smokers than switching to a low-risk alternative, and other observations about anti-tobacco-harm-reduction arguments

The above links to an abstract, but you can access the entire article.

http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/pdf/1477-7517-6-29.pdf

Really nice find vocalk!! You must really be tearing up the bandwidth searching for things like this! This is now added to my electronic library.
Thanks so much!

 

[Oliver]

This to me is the absolute key paragraph (from the abstract) that underlines the medical community's misapprehension behind e-cigarettes:

One common misleading claim is a risk-risk
comparison that has not before been quantified: A smoker who would have eventually quit
nicotine entirely, but learns the truth about low-risk alternatives, might switch to an
alternative instead of quitting entirely, and thus might suffer a net increase in health risk.
While this has mathematical face validity, a simple calculation of the tradeoff -- switching
to lifelong low-risk nicotine use versus continuing to smoke until quitting -- shows that
such net health costs are extremely unlikely and of trivial maximum magnitude. In
particular, for the average smoker, smoking for just one more month before quitting causes
greater health risk than switching to a low-risk nicotine source and never quitting it.

Now that's a rebuttal that we should be shouting out over and over again.

Awesome article - good find, Vocalek.

SJ

 

[Stubby]

This is an article about the article. A good condensing of whats in the PDF, but more then the abstract.

New Study Reveals Quitting Smoking is Good but Switching to Low-risk Nicotine Products is Usually Better

 

[skinnie]

Nice article. Really lays it out plain and simple. Alot of the things we do in our daily lives pose a health risk, whether its driving a car, motorcycle, or eating unhealthy foods. But they dont ban these things they offer seatbelts, helmets and non fat products to reduce the risk to our bodies! So why not just use common sense when it comes to smoking. I use to hate going to the doctor simply because " you need to quit smoking" wasn't an option for me, I KNEW that! And very few of them even suggested the patch (not that it worked for me) but i found that quit or die attitude very annoying. Thank You Vocalek.

 

[TropicalBob]

A great article and the message should be adopted by CASAA. Thanks for finding and posting it.

 

[MaxUT]

I use to hate going to the doctor simply because " you need to quit smoking" wasn't an option for me, I KNEW that! And very few of them even suggested the patch (not that it worked for me) but i found that quit or die attitude very annoying.

I still hate going to the doctor. Last visit, my blood pressure was lower and my lungs were clear. I told him I was vaping instead of smoking. He said "Those things aren't FDA approved. You need to stop using nicotine. I can write you a prescription for Chantix."

No thanks, doc.

I've been addicted to nicotine for over forty years, at least since I was 16 years old. I believe my central nervous system adjusted itself to the repeated daily doses of the drug as I grew to maturity and after these many years may not be able to function "normally" without the nic.

I like nicotine. It's a comfort to me and an aid to concentration. If at some future point I have to grow my own tobacco and extract what I require, then that's what I'll do, doctors and government be damned.

 

[ckc]

That is the best Harm Reduction article i have ever read!

What a great find

 

[Rhaevyn]

For me, smoking almost always became a habit. That is, the act of smoking was a pacifier and gave me an opportunity to "stop and smell the roses" per se.

...I for one, choose to step outside and vape... if for nothing else but to keep me sane.

Just used a portion of your post weatherbug, but I remember seeing a study (now I have to go Googling!) that reported smokers were more productive overall in offices as they took that time to get up, step away from their work, move around and socialize.

Non-smokers tended to sit nonstop at their desk thus becoming more stressed and tense.

Go figure

 

[Brewster 59]

Awesome Post

 

[Brewster 59]

. You need to stop using nicotine. I can write you a prescription for Chantix."

No thanks, doc.

The wierd thing is Chantix is known to cause suicidial thoughts and actions in some people and yet is still prescribed also at Kaiser which is my health plan it is only prescribed for 6 weeks and most people go back to smoking after that yet it is still prescribed.