Wednesday, August 9, 1995 - The Michigan Daily -- 9 M2 '' .. ? ; "" ° ,, _ ,, ,. , ~ ; RJR Nabisco Cos. owns Camel, Winston, Salem and Doral brands of cigarettes. For the first quarter of 1995, RJR Nabisco suffered a loss in its operating income, which sank 4 percent to $370 million. Kckng the habit goes pasta D --you-w... SIn 1991, 5,601 Michigar * -11died from smoking-related illnesses. One out of five d stic f eys or a patch Michigan are directly relate n women eaths in . d to Smoking may kill, but quitting is pain- ful, too. "I guess I quit smoking about once a month and usually it will work for the first three to four days, then I'll start smoking again," said Nicole Dunwoodie, a School of Art sophomore. Despite repeated relapses, Dunwoodie said she is not discouraged. "I won't quit quitting until I'm a non-smoker," she said. Chris Jenema, an Ann Arbor resident, said that he has also tried quitting, and was equally unsuccessful. "(I've tried to quit) three or four times," he said. "But it didn't work because I need them. The nicotine withdrawal was too much." Jenema also said he spends more money on cigarettes than on food. Health advocates and smokers disagre on the reasons why people are able to stop smoking. Gen Stewart, a formerhealthedu- cation coordinator at University Health Ser- vice, said that some smokers quit because they feel smoking is too addictive. "(Smokers who quit are) really tired of being ruled by a substance like nico- tine. They want to control how they spend their time and money," she said. Wendy Kerschbaum, associate pro- fessor and director of dental hygiene in the department of periodontics, prevention If you want to quit UHS offers several cessation programs. Call 764-8320 or Narcotics Anonymous at 810-543-7200. and geriatrics, said that quitting requires more than settinga deadline. "To quit (involves) a structured pro- gram that involves behavioral change and management of withdrawal symptoms," she said. Ann Arbor resident Stacey Domino said that she tried to quit by switching brands, but ended up liking a different type of cigarette in the process. "I switched (from menthol cigarettes) because I thought I might not like non- menthol, but I decided I liked them. ... I kind of always try to quit ... but it's an addiction," she said. Stewart said replacement treatment - substituting nicotine patches for ciga- rettes - may reduce the stress that smok- ers experience from nicotine deprivation. "Nicotine patches really do help some people a lot, but they are not for ev- eryone.... They help people focus on the more psychological (aspects) of smok- ing," she said. Stewart said some psycho- logical aspects are smoking at a meal or while talking on the phone. An adjustment in behavior, like chang- ing a peer group, may be necessary to quit. "Smokers associate with smokers," said James Bergman, former executive head of Stop Teenage Addiction to To- bacco, a public policy group based in Springfield, Mass. "If they try to quit they will be asked why they are not smoking." In the January 1995 issue of the Jour- nal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Susan H. Swartz from the Seattle Vet- erans Administration Medical Center said a smoker must address the physical and psy- chological addiction to quit. "(There is) no convincing evidence that using (nicotine) patches with little or no counseling in a general medical setting would be an effective intervention or pro- vide significant cost savings," she said. Dianne May, a consultant at the Michigan Department of Public Heahh, said that people underestimate the addic- tive nature of cigarette smoking. "Approximately 15 percent of the people who use alcohol are addicted, for opiates 60 percent, tobacco is about 90 percent or higher," she said. Domino said that health hazards are not a motivation to quit. "I'll quit when I can't afford (to buy cigarettes)," she said. Michigan women have the third highest smoking rate in the country. . More than 35 percent of Michigan babies are born to smoking mothers. A 1992 study showed that the Joe Camel cartoon is as recognizable to a 6-year-old as Mickey Mouse. * More than $2.7 billion is spent annually in the United States to promote smoking dvertising ranges from glamour to truth igns and items increased by 264 percent 1990. dames Bergman, the former executive rector of Stop Teenage Addiction to >bacco, a public policy group in Spring- Id, Mass., asserted that cigarette adver- ements target children. Bergman said at RJR Nabisco Cos.'s Joe Camel cam- 'gn, which consists of a cartoon charac- r with bold purple, yellow and blue col- appealed to children. "(Camel) was basically a middle- white man's cigarette and turned a youth cigarette," Bergman said, re- g to a Camel ad that featured a le-aged white man. Bergman said that after Joe Camel re- hced the photo-based campaign RJR ibisco's share of the under-18 market nped from 1 percent to 33 percent by 1995. Communication studies lecturer Joan at enstein, said that it is product visibility location that determine consumption. -"People will almost subliminally want 'purchase that brand, even though they not consciously think, 'I see (the o) on a blimp, I want ... this," she said. Targeting is a concern because adults 61 children interpret advertising differ- . "(Children) will take an ad at face she said. Young Smokers Critics say cigarette companies direct their ads at young people. The companies deny it. A recent survey found young people are smoking more than ever. 0 35 -32.9% a ~ S29.0% . 12th Grade 30.-Males o . 25-27.5%12th Grade a 22-5.4% Females } c 20 20. % 10~ier s 15 18.6% 10th Graders 10 14.% 8th Graders 1991 1992 1993 1994 Source The Un ersl s Montor gte Future study ONA THAN BERNDTDa y Lowenstein said advertising is not lim- ited. "A lot of movies have young people smoking all the time. Look at things like 'Pulp Fiction'," she said. Bergman said that minors do not re- alize that they are influenced by advertis- ing on billboards, in magazines, or by promotional items. "It's like buying a car - there is something about the image. ... I think people don't want to admit they can be manipulated by advertising," he said. Some smokers, however, are skepti- cal of the advertising's power. "People keep propagating the myth that people start smoking because of adver- tisements. ... Smoking is an enjoyable thing to do," said Ann Arbor resident Joanna Ingalls. "There is-a reason people have been smoking for a long time." Ingalls also derided the idea that pro- motional items attract smokers. "I don't collect Camel Cash or Marlboro Miles. Non-smokers do not realize how much there is a smoking culture," she said. Camel is now on its sixth edition of its Camel gearcatalog. Marlborostarted its campaign after Camel, and it is also a suc- cess. "Within six months, (Philip Morris) had gotten hundreds of thousands of re- quests for the (Marlboro) catalogues and gear," Bergman said. Lloyd D. Johnston, a research scientist at the University, said the appeal of adver- tising is the promise of vitality. "Cigarette advertising is continually associated with social success, sexual at- tractiveness, a healthy demeanor, excit- ing sporting activities, a cool and tough image for the boys, a slender body and liberated spirit for the girls, autonomy and independence for both sexes, and so on," he said in a press release. Some companies, such as Death To- bacco, market their cigarettes with a skull and cross bones and an anti-smoking mes- sage. "Death cigarettes are one thing - they are cigarettes. They are selling cigarettes, not their message. They say they are a parody. They are selling cigarettes to get money. What's the statement? Rebellion. l don't really give a damn,"' Bergman said. Ann Arbor resident Scott Simpson said Death's advertising is not a deterrent. "Ithink it's funny," he said. "It's kind of like why people buy the Love-Potion drinks." Peter Kang, manager at the Blue Front convenience store, said that the 'honest' cigarettes sell for novelty pur- poses. "Pure doesn't sell very much. Hardly at all, .... People buy Pure out of curiosity." he said.