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economist suntribune january 20 1988 c3 try weedless wednesdays challenge by alex newman so whats your excuse this year dont have time afraid of gaining weight job too stressful my dont we have a lot of good reasons to keep on puffing well the national council on smoking and health would say those excuses are not only lousy but founded on myth as well the average smoker according to a canada health survey takes 50 per cent more sick leave smoking consumes anywhere from a low eight minutes a day to 1530 minutes an hour statistics show that 23 of those who quit smoking dont gain weight and that 13 actually lose weight be cause of a change in habits start ing with exercise regimens as for stress smoking causes anxiety levels to increase blood pressure and pulse rate rises body temper ature lowers all factors that con tribute to stress today is weedless wednesday for those of you who have missed the message announced on every form of media this year weed less wednesday is aimed at all smokers but at women in par ticular female focus judy hills a program co ordinator from the york region lung association says women are this years target because more and more are taking up the habit and cigarette advertising is in creasingly aimed at the female market hills works within the school system organizing prevention programs and talking to classes from the figures it appears boys are putting down cigarettes while girls are picking them up the focus of prevention prog rams is placed in the schools be cause statistically thats where it all starts many girls complain theyre bored havent much to do because sports activities arent geared to the female stu dent body boys seem to be more into sports and fitness so more teams are organized for them as well many boys have part- time jobs to pay for cars to take the girls out in adds hills when the girls have extra time they go to the corner restaurant have a coke and a cigarette in certain ethnic backgrounds where a more traditional view of male and female roles holds girls see smoking as their only form of independence andor rebellion girls particularly grades 8 9 10 want to appear older more sophisticated says hills in one grade 9 coed class none of the boys smoked while several of the girls did the boys asked the girls why and the answer was to appeal to boys when the boys pointed out they hated the smell of smoke says hills the girls said the boys they wanted to attract were grade 13s not their own classmates in another class of grade 10 girls though hills noted several had quit smoking one because her boyfriend threatened to break off with her another had been frightened by the lung cancer death of an older family member advertising promotes a posi tive image of women smokers the ads are full of slim beauti ful women riding bicycles or en joying outdoor sports in group situations its the women who smoke not the men hills adds that advertising shows upper- middle class women enjoying the good life while in reality the high er an individuals income the less likely she is to smoke generally and surprisingly a significant number of women over the age of 20 have taken up smoking in order to appear tough strong and able to compete in the boar droom women well entrenched in careers already are just start ing the smoking habit thats an effort to take control of their lives but the real control adds hills comes from choosing to quit not in taking the male lead risk to women special risks are taken by women lung cancer is expected to surpass breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women in 1988 women who smoke during pregnancy are sub jecting their babies to known health risks smoking results in an incredible 6000 miscarriages in canada and about 500 babies die shortly after birth due to the carcinogens they were exposed to during growth stages smoking mothers increase risks of prema ture birth stillbirth eye defects and sudden death syndrome a nursing mother who smokes passes on enough nicotine to cause irritability vomiting and poor sleeping habits in her baby smoking is also thought to be a factor in impaired fertility ear lier onset of menopause which helps the onset of osteoporosis three week point so what is weedless wednes day for those who made no smoking a new years resolution that three week point is a vulner able one and former smokers may be lulled into thinking theyre past the danger stage getting through that first 24 hours without a cigarette may provide the shove that many smokers need to seriously consider quit ting for good and its been found that those who stay smokefree on this wed stay that way for at least six months celebrity hotline what is york region doing for weedless wednesday in con junction with the metro toronto lung association a celebrity hot line will be held in the lobby of the sheraton centre volunteers members of the media and poli tical personalities will offer their wit and wisdom to the callers who seek help nana rosenberger of the york region interagency council on smoking and health will be manning a special hotline just for york region the volunteers have been trained to prepare for the ques tions they will have information about smoke cessation clinics antismoking bylaws policies for the workplace facts on smoking and pregnancy celebrities will include jay nel son terry mceliigott roger ashby judy haladay gary lautens sandy hoyt andy bar ry etc as well mayors mel last- man alantonks dave johnston and ontarios minister of health richard schabas will be on the line countdown successful york region holds countdown a five week cessation program that so far has been very success ful an additional program just for women is to be held in york region many corporations are provid ing these programs to employees in an effort to encourage them as well as clean up the workplace air with the smoke in the work place law now in effect a large portion of senior management is also considering taking the prog rams themselves to set examples for the employees york region puts out a selfhelp booklet with stepbystep proce dures for quitting smoking on your own kiddie packs canada health attitudes disco vered that vz of canadian school children by age 12 had ex perimented with cigarettes and h were smoking on a daily basis by 1985 thanks in part to smoke cessation or prevention programs in the schools the numbers of stu dents smoking declined from 323 per cent 1978 to 196 per cent 1985 the other contributing fac tor was cost hills says anti- smoking groups were up in arms when the tobacco manufacturers came out with kiddie packs vz size at half the cost she says she hasnt seen them lately york re gion has a countdown for youth program as well hotline numbers- celebrity hotline toronto 3628145 york region 7736184 limericks help kick the smoking habit weekender january 9 invited readers to send in their limericks on smoking for publication on weedless wednesday today each lyricist published wins a solid gold coupon booklet with savings worth hundreds of dol lars we hope readers will find the rhymes entertaining as well as motivating come to the econom ist and sun office at 9 heritage rd and claim your prize here lies a young yuppie named max who said smoking sure helps me relax he finally succeeded got more rest than he needed- by daily consuming two packs alex williams markham there was a young smoker named kate said ill quit but todays s not the date but her lungs got too dirty that before she turned thirty she died now shes quit but too late sharon baxter stouffville on the 20th lynne went weedless and discovered smokings needless shes since tossed away her two packs a day and hopes you do when you read this lynne plant markham the young girls in this town are so pretty their faces could light up the city but too many it seems ha ve smoke in their dreams early graves would seem such a pity dave baxter stouffville for smoking you think im a twit if i dont give them up soon you will split well get off my back it aint guilt i lack then i might just surprise you and quit this dependence i cant seem to sever and as much as ive tried i might never so familiar to me i might never be free like your nagging it goes on forever diane percy markham there once was a man from cachet who used to smoke three packs a day but his tombstone now reads if twerent for those weeds id not be here rotting away quit smoking and do us a favor plus soon youll be able to savor sootfree clothes and air fresh breath and clean hair and your breath will no longer be labored annemarie marcil markham there was a girl called maybel- line who had a fix for nicotine they said its a crime shes old fore her time and with her no man would be seen connie clow markham in a life spent with people who puff the odd thing and this is no guff i always said no until two years ago now im ready to holler enough margaret stapley stouffville when the groom found his bride in their bed with a war surplus mask on her head she said im afraid that ill choke on your second hand smoke and id rather be ugly than dead before you reach for a nicotine fix why not give that habit the kicks and realize the stuff inhaled with each puff fills your lungs with an unhealthy there once was a fellow named yogi who spent younger years smok ing stogies but luckily he quit to feel healthy and fit hes now as youd say an old fogey donna lee buczkowski markham i smoked because i thought it looked cool sometimes i can be such a fool it causes bad breath and brings early death because it is cancers tool lori myers union ville i feel ten years younger today because i put my cigarettes away playing sports with my friends the fun neverenas when your lungs are with you to stay peter myers union ville i pour out my coffee and light up inhale and enjoy til the last puff sensation so pleasin ill need a good reason to quit and forego all that good stuff its scary the things they are learning that its not just my money thats burning so wednesday ill quit though a nicotine fit will undoubtedly fill me with yearning val tibbenham unionville she sat in a room all alone full of smoke that was all her own she puffed on that fag and soon drag by drag she entered the cancer death zone ronald hudson markham