What's New: 2011 - 2014
December 2014
New videos added to Joel's Library:
- 30 years of nicotine gum - 12/28/14
- Is your New Year's resolution to quit smoking? - 12/27/14
November 2014
- Smoking breaks - 11/06/14
- Every quit is different - 11/04/14
October 2014
- Joel's Halloween Fearfest - 10/31/14
- Is relapsing on nicotine a good learning experience? - 10/29/14
- After quitting smoking is there such a thing as the "quitters flu?" - 10/22/14
September 2014
- Be proud that you quit smoking - 09/13/14
- "What should I do with my leftover cigarettes?" - 09/12/14
- Well meaning offers for cigarettes - 09/09/14
- What about using herbal cigarettes to quit smoking? - 09/04/14
- Joel, how do you remember so many program details? - 09/04/14
- Prolonging nicotine withdrawal - 09/03/14
August 2014
- "I made a conscious decision to smoke" - 08/08/14
- "I think I have decided to go back to smoking" - 08/08/14
New videos added to Joel's Library:
- Are doctors taught about nicotine recovery? - 08/29/14
- "It's inevitable, some smokers are going to relapse" - 08/25/14
- A thirty year success story - 08/22/14
- "Should I reset my quit meter?" - 08/21/14
- The Freedom from Nicotine Support Board - 08/15/14
- "What did they do to you to make you quit smoking?" - 08/11/14
- Introduction to "The Fan Letter" - 08/08/14
- Introduction to the "The isolation of the widowed smoker" - 08/07/14
- Intentional relapses - 08/06/14
- Quitting smoking is an option - 08/05/14
- "Please don't smoke" - 08/04/14
July 2014
New videos added to Joel's Library:
- My work in the field of smoking prevention and cessation - July 31
- Why I no longer conduct stop smoking clinics - July 30
- Quitting smoking out of fear - July 29
- Are you stronger than your cigarettes? - July 27
- Are you smart enough for an IQ pin? - July 26
- "Should I let him know that I know he is smoking?" - July 25
- "After I lose weight I will quit smoking" - July 24
- The urge hits - July 23
- The power of nicotine addiction - July 22
- Fear of failure - July 19
- Fear of success - July 19
- Fear of relapsing - July 19
- How would you deal with the following situations? - July 17
- Are you a nicotine junkie? - July 17
- Words that translate into RELAPSE - July 16
- "You mean you haven't had a single puff off of a cigarette? - July 15
- Good reasons to take puff on a cigarette after having quit smoking - July 13
- "My support group is responsible" - July 12
- Thoughts for cigarettes that may seem worse than when first quitting smoking - July 11
- "Miracle" aids for quitting smoking - July 5
- Resources explaining interaction between nicotine and stress - July 2
- Keeping cigarettes to deal with stress - July 2
- "I smoke because I'm self-destructive" - July 1
Embracing Crave Episodes: John's 2001 crave coping thread at Freedom entitled "Embracing Crave Episodes" has been updated and added to WhyQuit.
Thoughts that seem worse than urges experienced the first few days: A 2000 relapse prevention article by Joel explaining why thoughts about wanting to smoke can seem worse weeks or months after quitting has been added to Joel's Library.
2014 U.S. Surgeon: The health consequences causally linked to smoking: While smoking is suspected of causing additional cancers and diseases, Figure 1.1A of the 2014 Surgeon General's Report shows the cancers and chronic diseases that we know with medical certainty are caused by cigarette smoking.
June 2014
- No need to apologize for not posting for a while - 06/28/14
- Resources regarding quit smoking aids - 06/27/14
- "I'll have to use willpower for the rest of my life not to smoke" - 06/27/14
- Smoking does not help you overcome stress - 06/23/14
- Come share your strength, come recognize your vulnerabilities - 06/20/14
- Lost long term quits (video) - 06/17/14
- "Don't beat yourself up for smoking" - 06/12/14
- For people who think quitting smoking is the hardest thing they have ever done - 06/12/14
- "Is this an unlucky day to quit smoking?" - 06/13/14
May 2014
- WNTD cover image
- WNTD profile image
- WNTD blog/article image
- Small WNTD icon - just 17.5k
New videos added to Joel's Library:
- If you quit smoking with a lousy attitude... - 05/17/14
- "I don't have a choice, I have to quit smoking" - 05/15/14
April 2014
CDC Looking for Ex-Smokers for New TIPS campaign: Has your smoking resulted in colorectal cancer or macular degeneration, or has some serious smoking related harm resulted despite e-cigarette or little cigar use? If so, the take a look at these other requirements as the CDC may be looking for you.
Where have all the smokers gone?: A new motivational YouTube video which shares WhyQuit victim photos.
March 2014
- Smoking is easier than not smoking - 03/28/14
- The importance of quitting for yourself - 03/07/14
February 2014
- Crave or thoughts for cigarettes that occur over time - 02/28/14
- Quitting smoking can make you calmer, happier and healthier - 02/28/14
- Carrying mock cigarettes - 02/26/14
- The fallacy of "good cigarettes" - 02/26/14
- Fixating on a cigarette - 02/26/14
- "Smoking a cigarette will help me secure my quit" - 02/26/14
- Disorientation that may occur when first quitting smoking - 02/08/14
- Because now it really hurts! - 02/07/14
- Using cigarettes as rewards - 02/06/14
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
The Great American Quit Smoking Sham: The American Cancer Society, founder of the Great American Smokeout, falsely suggests to smokers that most successful ex-smokers quit smoking by use of nicotine replacment therapy (NRT) products or approved medications. It does so while accepting donations from pharma companies who make those products.
WhyQuit Director Published in British Medical Journal: John's November 19 BMJ letter suggests that NRT studies are sham and that NRT is costing lives. "Despite 39 years and billions spent on marketing, only one in 100 US ex-smokers credit nicotine gum for their success, with all approved products combined accounting for only 8% of successful cessation. How much closer to consumer fraud can approved products get?"
October 2013
Philip Morris International's annual report boasts selling 12 billion additional cigarettes worldwide in 2012: PMI's 2013 annual report is troubling. Apparently the Marlboro Man has been retired in favor of a new "Maybe" campaign that taps into a teenager's dreams of a wonderful life. PMI boasts that the campain is effective, and that means one thing, that teens are getting hooked at an accelerated rate. If "Maybe" Marlboro advertisements are appearing in your country (I've seen none as yet here in the U.S.) we'd greatly appreciate you sending high resolution photos to john@whyquit.com, indicating the date and location each photo were taken, and we'll share them online with the world. Sincere thanks in advance.
Ten reasons to try smart turkey before e-cigarettes: Many are trying to convince smokers that it's simply too hard to quit, that they are hopelessly hooked and should give up on "real" quitting. While true that there is no more deadly nicotine delivery vehicle than cigarettes, it's also true that fully arresting your addiction is vastly more do-able and far more wonderful than your wanting for that next fix suggests.
New video added to Joel's Library:
- "Nicotine Addiction"
September 2013
Ten reasons to turn Stoptober into Smarttober: Imagine a focus makeover for the UK National Health Service's (NHS) 2nd annual October Stoptober quit smoking campaign. Instead of making the pharmaceutical industry richer by purchasing "free" yet highly ineffective replacement nicotine for all, imagine transforming Stoptober into Smarttober and encouraging England's smokers to become more dependency recovery savvy than smoked nicotine's influence upon their brain.
America's face of smoking cessation, Terrie Hall, laid to rest: There may never been a more courageous ex-smoker than 53 year-old Terrie Linn Hall, the 13-year cold turkey quitter and laryngectomee made famous by the CDC's March 2012 Tips from Former Smokers campaign.
Student Warning: Nicotine addiction can be quick and permanente: All experts agree, nicotine is highly addictive. But what does "highly" and "addictive" mean?
Three new videos added to Joel's Library:
- "The President and nicotine gum"
- "E-cigs as effective as nicotine patches"
- Dual use of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes
August 2013
Gallup Poll: cold turkey 48 times smarter than Nicorette: A 2013 Gallup Poll finds that 92% of successful ex-smokers did not use the nicotine patch, gum, Zyban, Chantix or Champix, that most quit smoking cold turkey.
Two new videos added to Joel's Library:
- "Gallup Poll: most quitters credit cold turkey"
- "Whatever you do, don't quit cold turkey"
July 2013
- "Boy, do I miss smoking"
- Medication adjustments that may be necessary after smoking cessation
- "Will this get better?"
June 2013
Seven new videos added to Joel's Library:
- Nicotine is nicotine is nicotine
- There is no legitimate reason to relapse
- Tell a newbie how many seconds a day you want a cigarette
- My personal, brief views on Chantix or Champix
- Carrying replacement nicotine in case of emergency
- "I am trying to quit"
- Past "successful" quits
May 2013
Joel's "How to quit smoking" video logs 50,000 views: Created eight months ago, Joel's basic 14 minute quitting tips video has become his most popular yet.
April 2013
March 2013
WhyQuit launches WhyQuit Facebook page: WhyQuit's new Facebook page will feature breaking news, new studies and key recovery tips.
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Sadly, lung cancer kills twice as many women as breast cancer. One cause is championed while the other all but ignored. Why?
September 2012
August 2012
Pharma bias destroys ITC quit smoking medication study: Imagine being a paid consultant to both Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline - the two stop smoking product giants - while at the same time conducting medical journal research into the most effective quitting methods. Imagine the conflicts created. This article shares a review by physician-professor Michael Siegel as he dissects a study co-authored by a financially conflicted researcher.
"Freedom from Nicotine - The Journey Home" Revised: Incorporating the latest study findings, John devoted July to a substantial update of Freedom from Nicotine - The Journey Home.
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
Helen Bradford, age 40, dies: Helen was a WhyQuit friend and volunteer who at the above link shared with us her battle with lung. On December 22, Helen's sister Maurren posted of Helen's passing on Helen's Facebook page. There she wrote, "Yesterday we sadly lost another family member. Helen Bradford will be sadly missed by so many people. I hope my sisters are partying it up in heaven tonight. So deeply missed." She lives on in our hearts and minds. Peace be with you Helen.
Chantix study joins negative findings omissions club: The practice of quit smoking product researchers omitting negative findings from study summaries that might be harmful to the economic interests of Pfizer or GlaxoSmithKline continues.
November 2011
Dying Truths About Quitting Smoking Methods: This article shares the quitting histories and living nightmares of two ex-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer during 2011, Neil, now deceased, and Helen, and what each learned along the way.
"Suicidal Behavior and Depression in Smoking Cessation Treatments": This free full-text study reviewed 2,925 varenicline, 229 bupropion and 95 nicotine replacement reports of suicidal/self-injurious behavior or depression to the U.S. FDA and concludes that "findings for varenicline, combined with other problems with its safety profile, render it unsuitable for first-line use in smoking cessation."
October 2011
September 2011
July 2011
Chantix/Champix's missing risk-benefit analysis: Polito's attempt to stir debate in Canada's largest medical journal (Canadian Medical Association Journal) over the fact that there have been 36,342 U.S. adverse event reports to the Food and Drug Administration, including 272 completed suicides, 323 suicide attempts and 63 cases described as suicidal behavior, and still no proof that Chantix is effective as a stand-alone quitting aid.
June 2011
May 2011
100 Reasons Why CVS Should Stop Selling Cigarettes: CVS pharmacists are being forced to work at stores that sells America's leading cause of disease, disability and death. They article is part of a campaign to stop the sale of cigarettes at pharmacies.
January 2011
Joel's How to Stop Smoking Videos Celebrate 3 Million Views: Discover why Joel's 64 free videos are so popular.
"Smoke Remedy" infomercial: a fraud, hoax and scam?: The Smoke Remedy infomercial repeatedly suggests to smokers that Smoke Remedy eliminates cravings, while the use instructions at the Smoke Remedy website state, 'At each craving or desire to smoke .. spray 3 times into your mouth.' Which is it?
Chantix / Champix Worth Questioned: A letter in the Journal Addiction questions whether or not Pfizer's controversial quit smoking pill varenicline is worth it. Also, the latest English varenicline quitting rate data suggests that Pfizer is vastly overstating the odds of success that real-world quitters should expect.
New Year's quitters swamp WhyQuit: On January 3, 2011 WhyQuit recorded nearly a quarter of a million hits (requests).
Test your quit smoking IQ: How much do you know about smoking and quitting? Use this short 10 question quiz to test your stop smoking IQ.