LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: SELF-ESTEEM IS AT CENTER OF QUITTING SMOKING

To the Editor,

Once again, I enjoyed Jay Eastlick's editorial in Saturday's (April 22) Southeast Missourian. I empathize with him, being an ex-smoker, regarding the "enjoyment" of nicotine. I can recall the "high" I received as that familiar ache in my chest and the agitation disappeared. In other words, the "enjoyment" in part was relief of withdrawal symptoms of the addictive drug nicotine.

Yes, nicotine is addictive -- as much a cocaine and more so than heroine or morphine. Rats given a constant access to cocaine, nicotine, and morphine will hit on the coke and nicotine until they starve to death, not even stopping to eat. Whereas the "morphine" rat will stop ever so often to eat before resuming his addiction.

It is this addictive nature that is "the basis" for the problems we have trying to get off cigarettes. Having spent over half my life trying to quit (successfully now since 1980, having smoked for 16 years) or trying to get other people to quit, I feel I have some insight to the problems of smoking.

435,000 people every year die of smoke related diseases, i.e., cancer, heart disease, emphysema. This is twice the total of soldiers who died in the Korean Conflict (55,000), Vietnam (55,000), plus all who have died from AIDS (110,000).

This represents 50 percent of what we spend on health care. If we counted the savings from medical costs if there were no smokers and added the increased productivity (Smokers die eight years sooner than non-smokers and miss 2 1/2 times more work.), we would all be able to afford health insurance and cut cost of health care by 50 percent.

Still, knowing all that, I sympathize with the smoker. It's just damned hard to quit. Statistically, about 80 percent of smokers would like to quit. (Ten percent really "enjoy" it. Ten percent "haven't given much thought to it.")

Of those who try to quit, only 10 percent are successful the first time. With various "aids" including the much touted nicotine gum and skin patches, the success rate may double (20 percent). These increased success rates reflect a more committed group.

Jay Eastlick, in his love for wife and children, like many of us would be willing to quit for their behalf. Unfortunately, at least in my personal experience, as soon as one of them disappoints you (and they will) and anger and frustration fill the moment, you say "Where's my cigarettes?"

No, the answer is not more government regulation. It's not taxation. (If taxes on cigarettes get high enough, it will create an underground black market.)

First, we need to accept the truth: Smoking is hazardous to your health.

Then, appreciate yourself. Look in the mirror and recognize the image of God -- that's you. Realize that God made you -- perhaps not what he had in mind in the Garden of Eden -- but, nevertheless, there you are and God loves you. This is a very important step -- to capture the thought that you are esteemed by God.

Why? Because it will generate within you a "response" ability. I believe there is no such thing as "will power." But there is commitment. Commitment comes from "response" ability and "response" ability comes from knowing you are esteemed. (If God esteems us, then we should esteem ourselves.)

Through commitment comes the energy to study your habit/addiction and plot the way to quit. I will not detail all the methods. If you are committed enough, contact the Rehabilitation Department at either hospital for further information.

One thing that we smokers and ex-smokers CAN do is to confess to each other that we wish we'd never started and do what we can to prevent children from being seduced by the tobacco industry and their Marlboro Man and "Joe Cool." (Joe Cool is recognized by 80 percent of six year olds.)

We cannot trust a tobacco industry that denies the medical facts, insists that smoking is not addictive, and tries to cast doubt on 50 years of undeniable research. In the 50's when only men had been smoking, 90 percent of the lung cancer (the number one cause of cancer deaths) occurred in men and 10 percent of women. Twenty years after World War II (when women began smoking) the rate of lung cancer for men and women is the same. (A massive, undeniable, well-controlled study.)

Smokers, ex-smokers, and non-smokers should all be interested in stopping the spread of this addiction.

Presently, 29 percent of 18 year olds smoke 1/2 pack per day or more -- the same has climbed from 15 percent to 29 percent since 1960 -- whereas in the general population it has dropped from 43 percent to 29 percent. This should tell us something about the tobacco industry and the target.

If they can "hook a kid" they have an 80 percent chance of having a customer for life. This is a tremendous tax burden to society and the taxes paid by the customer can never equal the cost to society.

In our approach to the problem, let us be tolerant of each other, smokers and non-smokers. In the meantime, let us confess to our children our foolishness to begin smoking and try to limit our cigarettes for their sakes as well as for our own sake.

Most of all, let us enforce the 1993 law against selling cigarettes to minors and educate our generation to come of the addicting nature of the weed tobacco. Without enforcement of this law, it becomes a farce, and if one law is a farce, why obey any law. The law seems to simply define our impurities.

Let's begin to show some esteem to ourselves and each other, thereby generating responsibility which will lead to commitments to quit smoking.

RICHARD A. MARTIN, MD

Cape Girardeau