Conventional wisdom often discourages the dissemination of information that exposes the extensive dangers caused by cigarette smoking, saying that giving such information is a scare tactic and scare tactics don't work. Video explains that sharing this information is not in fact a scare tactic and its use can be a powerful deterrent to the inception or continuation of smoking.

The use of scare tactics

Scare tactics have a bad reputation because of how they were used or more misused in the past. When you exaggerate the risks of anything, and a person finds out the real facts, it makes the whole message appear to be an exaggeration, if not an outright lie. Saying a dangerous substance does something that it does not do makes the listener disregard what the substance really does.

By this definition, quit smoking materials needs no scare tactics materials developed. The truth is scary. Smoking kills! Smoking causes more preventable deaths than anything else does in America, and the rest of the world is catching up. To illustrate the relative risk of dying from smoking as compared to the risk of dying from other factors, for every thousand 20 year olds that smoke today and don't quit, 6 will die from being murdered, 12 will die from accidents, 500 will die from smoking! This is scary stuff.

But is this a scare tactic? No, it is a fact. Is giving the message to the masses a scare tactic? No it is education. We need education. We need education to prevent the next generation being where smokers are now, we need education getting those of you who are now smoking to break the grip nicotine now holds on them. We need continued education to keep reminding those who have controlled it up to this point to remember, they are a puff away from being a smoker again.

Is that concept scary to you? It better be. You have all got to be terrified of the grip cigarettes can pose on you once again if given the opportunity. Don't ever give them that chance again. Cigarettes are an unrepentant serial killer. Open your door to them and they will slowly poison you until they accomplish their ultimate goal, they will kill you. Scary stuff-you bet. There is only one way to stop this killer-it is simply knowing to never take another puff!

Joel

Related resources:

• "I don't want to see any scary pictures"
• Quitting smoking out of fear
• "What did they do to you to make you quit smoking?"
• "Kids just don't get it"
• The Consequences of Smoking Play List