The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) National Education Campaign: Tips from Former Smokers.
The campaign features real people suffering as a result of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.Their compelling stories send a powerful message: Quit smoking now. Or better yet — don't start.
CDC is building on the success of the 2012 Tips campaign by launching a new round of advertisements to continue to raise awareness of the negative health effects caused by smoking, encourage smokers to quit, and encourage nonsmokers to protect themselves and their families from exposure to secondhand smoke.
This campaign will expand upon the first campaign and feature additional health conditions (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], asthma in adults, smoking-related complications in a person with diabetes) and population groups (American Indian/Alaska Native; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) that were not included in the first Tips campaign.
|
Bill’s Story
Bill is angry with himself that he ever accepted that first cigarette. “When I was 15, I started smoking. It was a stupid thing I wish I could take back.” Bill has diabetes. He learned the hard way that smoking makes diabetes harder to control. At 37, Bill went blind in his left eye from a detached retina—damage to the inner lining of the eye. He also had kidney failure. Two years later, he had his leg amputated due to poor circulation—made worse from smoking. “I lost my leg, and that’s when I quit," he says.
His life is very different now. Married and the father of four children, he says he worries that he won’t be able to provide for his family. “Smoking is a nasty addiction,” he says. “It’s not cool, and it doesn’t do anybody any good. Don’t ever start smoking.”
Jamason’s Story 18-year-old Jamason was diagnosed with asthma as an infant. He never really understood the dangers of secondhand smoke until it triggered a severe asthma attack. Jamason never smoked cigarettes. Even when friends tried to talk him into having one cigarette, he would reply, “It’s just not cool to smoke.” Jamason’s worst attack occurred when he was 16, at a fast food restaurant where he worked. He was sweeping close to some coworkers who were smoking, and he started having trouble breathing. He called his mother, frantic for help. She found him at work gasping for air. He was hospitalized for 4 days. |
