Thinking 'bout THR Awareness Days
Remembering why we still have work to do!
Below is a list of awareness days for January. Many of these might be specific to the US, as that is where I am located and the direction Google seems to point me in.
Awareness events provide an important reminder that our work is not done. While it is crucial to continue our efforts to prevent youth initiation of adult substances, it is also vital to continue helping people stop smoking or switch to safer alternatives.
That division among advocates always makes me think of one of my favorite papers. I will never tire of mentioning it: Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes. Is there a better time to mention that paper than in the days before January, which is Get a Balanced Life Month?
Someone who knows me well (and my obsession with awareness days) asked me how many awareness days I could tie to smoking or other nicotine use in January. It's a classic “hold my beer” challenge. Let’s do this!
But I’m going to warn you: I love a challenge. I can guarantee that by the time I’m done with this, it will be a long-winded one! After all, I have 31 days to cover!
The month of January:
National Poverty in America Awareness Month - See January 8 - Poverty Day.
International Quality of Life Month - quitting smoking can improve a person’s quality of life and the life of their loved ones. Sounds like winning to me.
Financial Wellness Month - not smoking saves money.
Blood Donor Month - Give blood, save lives. ‘Nuff said! People who smoke can donate blood. It is suggested they don’t smoke before their appointment (blood pressure) or for three hours after donating (to prevent getting dizzy).
Smoking Is Associated with Higher Intraocular Pressure Regardless of Glaucoma. “Current smokers and past smokers have higher IOP than patients who never smoked. This difference is higher in patients with an underlying glaucoma diagnosis.”
Smoking and incidence of glaucoma. “Our results suggest a direct association between current smokers and the incidence of glaucoma.”
Smoking and Thyroid Disease. “On one hand, smoking can worsen symptoms related to hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's disease. But it can also increase the risk of developing disorders like Grave's disease in the first place.”
Smoking and thyroid. “Smoking has distinct associations with thyroid function and size in healthy subjects. It has remarkable and contrasting associations with thyroid function in autoimmune thyroid disease (lower risk of Hashimoto's disease and higher risk of Graves’ disease) and with thyroid size in nodular disease (lower risk of thyroid carcinoma and higher risk of nontoxic goitre and multinodularity). The observed associations likely indicate causal relationships in view of consistent associations across studies, the presence of a dose–response relationship and disappearance of the associations after cessation of smoking. Which mechanisms mediate the many effects of smoking remains largely obscure. Probably, they differ between the various effects. The divergent effects of smoking on the expression of autoimmune thyroid disease are intriguing and reminiscent on the contrasting effects of smoking on inflammatory bowel disease: protective against ulcerative colitis (OR 0·41, 0·34–0·48) but risky for Crohn's disease (OR 1·61, 1·27–2·03).”
Birth Defects Awareness Month.
Maternal cigarette smoking before or during pregnancy increases the risk of birth congenital anomalies: a population-based retrospective cohort study of 12 million mother-infant pairs. “Maternal smoking before or during pregnancy increased the risk of several birth congenital anomalies, even as low as 1–5 cigarettes per day.”
Cervical Health Awareness Month.
Cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in young women: A longitudinal study. “Current smokers were twice as likely to be diagnosed with high-grade CIN as non-smokers, after controlling for HPV status; this risk increased with current smoking intensity, and the magnitude of the effect was consistent with that observed in case-control and longitudinal studies performed in older women.”
Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer. “Women who smoke are about twice as likely as those who don't smoke to get cervical cancer.”
National Mentoring Month. “This month-long observance highlights the value of mentoring relationships in education, personal development, and community enrichment, showcasing how mentors can positively influence the lives of others.”
Polarization Within the Field of Tobacco and Nicotine Science and its Potential Impact on Trainees. “There are important questions that must be addressed, including: (1) as the field continues to conquer a range of research questions on e-cigarettes across a range of disciplines and career levels, how can we work better together toward the shared end goal of eliminating tobacco-related disease and death?; (2) how can scientists who perpetuate polarized viewpoints be incentivized and supported to improve?; (3) to whom can junior scientists turn for help with navigating the polarization in the field?; and (4) how can the academic community avoid contributing to the polarization that seems to pervade the field?”
Caught in the middle: early career researchers, public health and the emotional production of research. “My suggestion to begin addressing these issues is to reflexively consider the way emotion directs our research, our actions, our comments and how these in turn create friendly, safe, hostile or intimidating environments for those just starting out in the field.”
The Role of Peer Support and Mentorship in Addiction Recovery. “Rooted in shared experiences and mutual growth, peer support and mentorship have emerged as vital components in the intricate tapestry of addiction recovery.”
Alzheimer's Awareness Month (Canada) - “The MIND (Memory Improvement through Nicotine Dosing) Study is testing whether the use of nicotine, delivered in patch form, can safely improve memory and functioning in people who have been diagnosed with mild memory loss or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).”
National Staying Healthy Month. Quitting smoking would be a great way to start!
Walk Your Dog Month. It’s good for their (and your) health! But there is more we can do for pets.
Be Smoke-free and Help Your Pets Live Longer, Healthier Lives. “Long-nosed dog breeds like Greyhounds, Borzois, and Doberman Pinschers that are exposed to tobacco smoke have a doubled risk of nose cancer.” “Short- and Medium-nosed breeds, like Pugs, Bulldogs, Beagles, and Brittany Spaniels, have a higher risk of lung cancer.”
Weeks in January:
The third week of January is No Name Calling Week. It's a great week to stop labeling people with derogatory terms and speak kindly of them. Instead of smokers, try people who smoke. Instead of prohibitionists, try people who prefer a nicotine-free society. I can make a much longer list of suggestions! Or, you can read what I wrote about this last spring: In the Ugly Nicotine Debate, Being Kind Isn’t Just Right—It’s Effective.
Jan 20-28 - (Start/end dates vary by country, but most fall in this week). Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. (See Cervical Health Month above.)
Days in January: This will be the “fun” part. My challenge states I must find at least one awareness activity for each day of the month and connect it to nicotine. Ready, set, go go go!!!!
Jan 01 - New Year’s Day. The first day of trying to achieve those resolutions made the night before, including quitting smoking. I’ll write more about this topic in the next News & Views, but y’all already know the punch line. Most people will fail to achieve that resolution.
Jan 02 - is National Science Fiction Day, a genre I’m a massive fan of. But not when it comes to nicotine. It is a fact, not sci-fi, that we need to help more people quit smoking. The misinformation shared in this space is more like a horror story than a good sci-fi book.
Jan 03 - Festival of Sleep Day.
Smoke at night and sleep worse? The associations between cigarette smoking with insomnia severity and sleep duration. “Findings provide evidence that smoking is associated with increased insomnia severity and shorter sleep duration, particularly nightly smoking.”
We won’t talk about the fact that I sometimes wear a nicotine patch to help me sleep. It’s an ADHD thing.
Jan 03 - Memento Mori Day. While this day reminds us that death is inevitable, we shouldn’t forget that people who smoke run the risk of early death.
Jan 03 - Drinking Straw Day. This makes me think of telling someone who smokes to suck on a straw to help deal with cravings.
Jan 03 - Humiliation Day. “This holiday, far from how it sounds, is intended to be a day that “should be viewed as a time to recognize the negativity of humiliating someone or a group of people.” #WordsMatter #SupportNotStigma. Let’s stop shaming people who smoke and help them instead!
Jan 03 - JRR Tolkien Day. One of my favorite authors. Did you know he (and some of the characters in his books) smoked a pipe? He died from pneumonia, which developed during treatment for a gastric ulcer. IDK if smoking a pipe has the same effect on people as cigarettes. Maybe one of you can educate me.
Effects of cigarette smoking on gastric ulcer formation and healing: possible mechanisms of action.
Tobacco smoking increases the risk for death from pneumococcal pneumonia.
Jan 04 - World Hypnotism Day. Some people try hypnotism as a way to help them quit smoking. It appears the possible benefit of this method is negligible. I tried this but didn’t end up “in the zone.” This was as much a failure for me as sucking a straw.
Jan 04 - National Trivia Day. The rates of death and disease caused by smoking make for depressing trivia questions. I have used the CDC number of about 480,000 deaths in the US per year for a long time. It broke my heart when I saw that the new report by the Surgeon General puts that number at about 490,000! It went up, not down. Seriously, folks, this stuff makes me cry. We need a National Give Skip More Kleenix Day. I go through boxes of them!
Jan 05 - National Bird Day. No one can explain this better than the CDC.
Jan 06 - National Bean Day. Now, my brain, which focuses more than the average bear on nicotine, thinks of bean counters. But not the usual kind. My brain thinks of all the self-appointed ones who are busy counting other people’s beans. They think they’re counting beans infested with some evil fungus, automatically making the bean owners bad people. Industry can’t be trying to do better; they must be barred, banned, and their science tossed into a dumpster because the only reason they have beans is to addict our kids. A Bloomberg-funded NGO is automatically considered biased with a coffer full of tainted beans that must push prohibition because that’s what the funder wants. And that vocal consumer over there in the corner? It's just a mindless zombie schill for the tobacco industry. They inhale their beans and shouldn’t be listened to.
Jan 07 - National Bobblehead Day. I will leave this one up to YOUR imaginations because my visual of who the bobbleheads in the nicotine space weren’t kind, and I’m trying to practice what I preach. #BeKind.
Jan 08 - War on Poverty Day. Think long and hard about which groups have the highest prevalence of smoking, and this will be no explanation needed. But if you want to connect the dots, here are some tidbits tied to January 8. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an unconditional “war on poverty” in 1964. Not aware of the signing of a peace treaty, the US defeated the British in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans. Mississippi ratified the 18th Amendment (prohibition) in 1918. There are many more momentous moments on that date, battles won and lost (just like the battles over nicotine), but I must move on.
Jan 08 - National Take the Stairs Day. Listen to the stories of people who have smoked heavily for years. They will often complain about being winded. Now, talk to people who used vaping to quit smoking and hear how frequently they comment that they can run, play ball, and climb stairs. It sure is great to be able to breathe again!
Jan 09 - National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. A while back, I was driving through a busy intersection when someone ran a red light and almost hit me. I slammed on the brakes. They swerved and kept going. Right then and there, in front of a lot of people, I had a panic attack and got out of my car. An off-duty police officer came to my rescue. He moved my vehicle to a safe location, got me on the sidewalk, and stayed with me until the attack was over. Every day, law enforcement officers do everything from acts of kindness to putting their lives on the line. Unfortunately, our war on drugs mentality about the use of nicotine has led to some very unfortunate exchanges between citizens, including youth, and law enforcement.
Jan 10 - Quitter's Day. “The second Friday in January is known as Quitters Day as it is the most likely day for people to give up on their new year resolutions. Research conducted by Strava, the social network for athletes, has discovered that the second Friday in January was the fateful day when most quitters motivations may begin to falter.”
Jan 11 - International Paget's Awareness Day.
Cigarette Smoke Induces the Risk of Metabolic Bone Diseases: Transforming Growth Factor Beta Signaling Impairment via Dysfunctional Primary Cilia Affects Migration, Proliferation, and Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells. “Cigarette smoking is considered one of the main social risk factors for developing metabolic bone diseases. Metabolic bone diseases describe a diverse group of pathologies (e.g., osteoporosis, Paget disease, Rickets, osteomalacia, diabetic osteopathy) that impair bone remodeling for different reasons: impaired bone formation by osteoblasts, enhanced bone degradation by osteoclasts, or a combination of both.”
Jan 11 - International Thank-You Day. Most of the people who read my blog are folks who are trying to help others. I’m grateful for all of you. Together, we are saving lives.
Jan 12 - Stick to Your New Year's Resolution Day. We should be firing up our support systems for those who resolved to quit smoking. “Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.” (SMH, this isn’t looking good! What do we need to do differently to help more people achieve their goal to quit smoking?)
Jan 13 - Make Your Dream Come True Day. What is your dream in the nicotine space? I would start by discussing goals and tradeoffs, but I think most of you know the speel, and this is getting long, so I’ll save it for another day.
Jan 13 - National Clean Off Your Desk Day. If we’ve helped people stop smoking, they can clear the ashtrays, packs of smokes, and lighters. But what about those of us who don’t smoke? I suggest we clear off the desks in our minds, toss the piles of biases and animosity towards people who think differently, and polish the cleared space with kindness.
Jan 14 - World Logic Day. Where is the logic in making it easier to smoke than to use a less harmful alternative? Where is the logic in making bringing a combustible product to market easier than a non-combustible one? Where is the logic in ignoring the fact that thousands of people die every day from smoking?
Jan 15 - National Strawberry Ice Cream Day, which reminds me of the vital role that flavors play in helping some people stop smoking. While some like to accuse manufacturers of using flavors to entice youth, many older people believe the flavors are meant for them and are grateful they have access to them.
Jan 16 - Get to Know Your Customers Day - sadly, because of regulations in the US not allowing products for open vape systems to remain legal to sell, stand-alone vape shops have been closing rapidly. We’re losing a built-in cessation service that didn’t cost taxpayers a dime. We’ve reduced the availability of low-nicotine vapes for the consumers who wish to work their way down to zero nicotine and someday quit vaping, just like they quit smoking. This breaks my heart. Those shops have helped thousands of people stop smoking.
Have I mentioned we need a Send Skip More Kleenix Day? While you’re reading this very long list of why we need to keep helping people stop smoking, there will be a smoking-related death every four seconds somewhere in the world. It is so painful to think of this and to know it doesn’t have to be this way.
Jan 17 - International Mentoring Day - see mentoring month.
Jan 18 - National Gourmet Coffee Day - where shall I go with this? Do I point out that caffeine is a stimulant like nicotine is? Do I point out that some people are addicted to caffeine? Do I mention that children ingest caffeine and they shouldn’t? Do I talk about caffeine causing increased heart rate like nicotine does? Or would you rather know that my favorite vape and pouch flavors are coffee? And I can’t legally purchase that in the US because the FDA CTP hasn’t granted marketing orders for coffee-flavored products. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined being 66 years old and having to use illicit products to keep myself from smoking. But here we are.
Jan 19 - Yes, I can make almost anything about nicotine. Example: National Popcorn Day.
Myth: Vaping causes Popcorn Lung. What is popcorn lung, and why is it falsely associated with vaping?
2024 was our ninth year debunking this myth! Top Ten Ridiculous E-Cigarettes Cause Popcorn Lung Claims of 2024.
Jan 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Equity, discrimination, Social Justice… does that ring any bells in the nicotine space?
Jan 20 - Blue Monday (third Monday of the month) - the day dubbed “the most depressing day of the year.” I’m reasonably confident that most of you are aware of the relationship between nicotine and people trying to regulate their moods.
Jan 21 - Race Against Dementia Day.
Smoking and the risk of dementia. “There is strong evidence to show that smoking increases a person’s risk of developing dementia. This includes whether someone smokes in mid-life or later life.”
Jan 22 - In Poland, it is Grandfather's Day. I had a fantastic grandpa. Too bad smoking took him away from us. Children worldwide know the pain I know, for the reason I know it.
Jan 23 - Maternal Health Awareness Day. This year’s theme is Know What’s at Stake.
Jan 24 - National Just Do It Day. “Today's the day to take action and do whatever it takes to improve your life. Or make someone else's life better.” So let’s do this. Help people who smoke. Gather together, agree on goals and tradeoffs, and end the tragedy witnessed by the loved ones of people who smoke.
Jan 25 - Opposite Day. It makes me think of what I said on Logic Day. At times, it feels like we’re doing the opposite of what we should be doing. My most significant example is the fact that we make it easier to smoke than allow consumers access to the safer products they are willing to use.
Jan 26 - International Spouses Day. How many of us dreamed of growing old with someone we love? Enjoying retirement and grandchildren together. How many spouses have to spend their days watching their loved one die from cancer? How many widows and widowers are there because of smoking?
Jan 27 - Parent Mental Health Day (Depending on country/organization, this falls between Jan 23 and Jan 30.) Many of us already know that people living with mental health challenges smoke more than the general population. #MentalHealthMatters
Jan 28 - Global Community Engagement Day. “This day encourages people, organizations, and businesses to engage and interact with their communities.” (This is the part where I jump up on my soapbox and remind people that everyone deserves a seat at the table.)
Jan 29 - Is both Curmudgeons Day and Freethinkers Day. That made me chuckle. Don’t be a close-minded grumpasaurus. Millions of people are still smoking. We’ve got lives to save!
Jan 30 - National Escape Day. That’s a no-brainer. Let’s help people escape from smoking.
Jan 31 - National Backward Day. While it may be fun for school kids to spend the day wearing their clothes backward and walking backward, there is nothing fun about public health policies that move us backward. We need to remember that vapes and smokes are substitutions for each other in the eyes of many consumers. When we ban vapes, we’re making people go the wrong way and pushing them towards smokes.
Just look at all the reasons we have to talk about smoking in January! I vote we make it a New Year’s resolution to find as many ways as possible to help people who smoke. We can start by removing barriers to things that might help them.
Until next time…
PS: There are many more awareness days in January (you can find my 2024 list of days here) that I could have tied to the nicotine debate, but this is already too long. I’m tired of typing, and I’m getting very depressed thinking about the many ways we’re failing people.