People believe that smoking kills, but that’s only part of the story; smoking also disables, disfigures and robs smokers of their independence.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched the “Tips from Former Smokers” national tobacco education ad campaign that depicts the harsh reality of illness and damage real people suffer as a result of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
In these ads, former smokers bravely expose their smoking-related disabilities in advertisements that have begun to run in New Hampshire and will air from March to June. The former smokers in these ads will show you the reality. We must address tobacco use for what it really is: an addiction that causes suffering and death.
Every hour, the tobacco industry spends $1 million to market and promote their products. Their goal is to make smoking look glamorous, sexy and mature.
This is far from the reality. The “Tips” campaign shows smoking in its true light – what physicians like me have seen in their offices. Reality is emphysema, heart attacks, amputations, cancer and lost voice boxes.
Studies conducted by the international scientific community conclude that the most effective counter tobacco advertisements are those that feature emotionally charged messages showing the effects of long-term tobacco use and that also provide information on how to quit.
Bringing these messages to the public is vital if we intend to save people from the devastation of more tobacco-related death and disease. Now is the time to quit.
