Tag: Smoking
All the latest breaking news on Smoking. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on Smoking.
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Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals Encouraged To Stop Smoking This October
Today is the launch of the Stoptober campaign and troubling statistics show that Lesbian, Gay and Bisexuals are more likely to smoke than their heterosexual counterparts.
Compared to heterosexuals, gay/lesbian and bisexual adults are 1.5 times more likely to be current smokers.
Two-thirds (67 percent) of gay and bisexual men have smoked at some time in their life compared to half of men in general who have smoked.
A quarter (26 percent) of gay and bisexual men currently smoke compared to 22 per cent of men in general.
Gay/lesbian and bisexual adults people over 16yrs are more likely to be current smokers, less likely to have never smoked, and less likely to have given up smoking than the general population.
Professor Kevin Fenton, National Director of Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England and LGBT role model at the HSJ said, ‘The figures speak for themselves – businesses can play an important role in helping their employees and see the benefits of a smoke-free workforce. Quitting smoking is one of the most significant health improvements a person can make and it is encouraging to see so many businesses and employers supporting Stoptober to help make their workplace happier and healthier places for their staff.
Last year, it was noted that English gay youth were twice as likely to smoke and drink hazardously compared to straight people of the same age. In an interview with TheGayUK, Dr. Joanna Semlyen stated there were several reasons why LGB people were more likely to
In an interview with TheGayUK, Dr. Joanna Semlyen stated there were several reasons why LGB people were more likely to smoke and drink, saying, ‘we suspect that the impact of homophobia and heterosexism within society, in addition to the possible experience of homophobic bullying whilst at school, may lead to what we call ‘minority stress’ or in increased self-esteemteem which young people then perhaps seek to alleviate with smoking and/or alcohol.’
11 Million Work Days Lost
Leading employers are supporting this year’s Stoptober quit smoking campaign because smoking is bad for business. Smoking currently costs the economy in England a massive £13bn1 a year, with businesses losing over 11 million days of productivity each year due to smoking-related sick days, which alone costs £1bn a year.FREE RESOURCES
New free resources are available for employers to support staff with the 28-day quit attempt. Everyone joining Stoptober can choose from a range of tools to suit them, including a new stop smoking pack, a 28-day mobile phone app, text support with daily updates, quitting advice and tips for coping, as well as the encouragement and support from thousands of people through social media. For more information and to join the biggest stop smoking challenge of its kind, search ‘Stoptober’ online and sign up. -
INTERVIEW | English Gay Youth Twice As Likely To Smoke and Drink
With the news today published by BMJ that gay youth in England are twice as likely to smoke and drink more hazardously than their heterosexual peers we speak with one of the authors of the study by UCL, Dr. Joanna Semlyen.
TGUK: Why in your opinion LGBs are more likely to smoke firstly – and secondly, perhaps more worryingly more likely to drink and to hazardous levels?
DJS: There are several reasons why LGB young people may be more likely to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol hazardously and we do not, as yet, due to lack of research, have definitive evidence as to what the reasons are, however, we suspect that the impact of homophobia and heterosexism within society, in addition to the possible experience of homophobic bullying whilst at school, may lead to what we call ‘minority stress’ or in increased low self esteem which young people then perhaps seek to alleviate with smoking and/or alcohol. We also know that LGB people tend to socialise in the places where they can be with each other, which is almost always places where alcohol and cigarettes are freely available, like bars and clubs.
This situation may be being exacerbated by a growing concern that LGB people are targeted, for example, by the tobacco industry. There may also be other reasons we do not know and a large longitudinal study (with a heterosexual control group and repeated follow-ups) might allow us to study the antecedents of smoking and drinking in young LGB people.
TGUK: Do you think this might be linked with the fact that LGBTs are more likely to suffer from mental health issues?
DS: Because no data on transgender identity was collected in this study, I can only comment on LGB participants in this study. I think that the experience of homophobia and heterosexism should not be underestimated and, along with the stress of coming out (often repeatedly throughout one’s life), may well account for why we see greater incidence of mental health issues in LGB people. The problem is, we don’t have any data yet on the causes of smoking and hazardous alcohol drinking in LGB young people, followed repeatedly over time.
TGUK: Do you think the government or the health service is doing enough to interface with young LGBTs?
DS: As a researcher and LGBT Health Psychologist, I would like to see the routine collection of sexual orientation data within population based health and well-being studies and as part of the NHS’ own routine identity data collection.
This would allow us to accurately determine the health inequalities being experienced by this group and, by virtue of being included, would go a long way to indicate to LGBT people that their health is being considered. LGB people want to be counted in surveys. Indeed we noted the question in this study had a very low refusal rate.
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English Gay Youth Twice As Likely To Smoke And Drink Hazardously
A study by University College London has concluded that young lesbians and gays in England are twice as likely to drink and smoke.
Young people who identify their sexuality as lesbian or gay are twice as likely to have smoked than their heterosexual peers, according to new research published by BMJ Open. They were also more likely to have consumed alcohol and at more hazardous levels.
The research data was accumulated from data of over 7600 participants. This representative sample of school students entered the study at age 13 or 14 and they were followed for 5 years. The participants were asked about their smoking and alcohol use.
At the age of 18/19 they were asked about their sexual identity.
Young people who identified as LGB which accounted for around 3.5% of the sample were twice as likely to have smoked and used alcohol.
Gay or lesbian participants were more likely to say that they drank alcohol frequently (more than weekly), and report hazardous alcohol drinking patterns (frequent intoxication).
Dr Joanna Semlyen, one of the authors of the studied said,
‘There are several reasons why LGB young people may be more likely to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol hazardously and we do not, as yet, due to lack of research, have definitive evidence as to what the reasons are, however, we suspect that the impact of homophobia and heterosexism within society, in addition to the possible experience of homophobic bullying whilst at school, may lead to what we call ‘minority stress’ or in increased low self esteem which young people then perhaps seek to alleviate with smoking and/or alcohol.’
Bisexual participants were more likely to have smoked but had similar alcohol use patterns to their heterosexual peers.
Lead researcher Dr Gareth Hagger-Johnson, from the UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, said,
“Our research shows that despite recent social change, young people today who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are twice as likely to have smoked as their heterosexual peers. Gay and lesbian young people also appear to have more frequent and more hazardous alcohol drinking patterns than heterosexuals. Smoking and drinking alcohol frequently and hazardously can lead to chronic disease in later life, and so we should be worried about these health inequalities in this minority group and the longer term consequences they may face.”
“From a public health perspective, we need to understand why young gay, lesbian and bisexual people are more likely to engage in risky health behaviours than their heterosexual peers,” continued Dr Hagger-Johnson. “This will need to involve longitudinal research, following a large sample of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people over time. We are concerned that ‘minority stress’, resulting from homophobia and heterosexism, might lead people to self-medicate symptoms of anxiety and depression with cigarettes and alcohol.”
When asked whether the government or the health service could do more to interface with young LGB, Dr Semlyen said,
‘As a researcher and LGBT Health Psychologist, I would like to see the routine collection of sexual orientation data within population based health and well-being studies and as part of the NHS’ own routine identity data collection. This would allow us to accurately determine the health inequalities being experienced by this group and, by virtue of being included, would go a long way to indicate to LGBT people that their health is being considered. LGB people want to be counted in surveys. Indeed we noted the question in this study had a very low refusal rate.’
If you have been effected by issues in this article and wish to talk to someone visit: http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
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COLUMN | Smoking Is A Problem For Me
I have an addictive personality, and smoking is the “in” thing at the moment.
That being said, it’s not something I’m overly keen to stop. Whenever the graphic quit smoking ads appear on television, I will do everything in my power to try and ignore them; ironically I usually do this by getting a cigarette.
I enjoy smoking. It satisfies me, relaxes me and allows me to think straight. Also it could kill me. Yet I tend to conveniently that aspect every time I fiddle around in my pocket, looking for a Zippo.
Smoking has always been glamorous. I remember vividly watching Sunset Boulevard as a child and watching Gloria Swanson chicly draw back on her cigarette, held tightly between the most fantastic cigarette holder I had ever seen. To this day, I scroll through the wasteland of the internet, desperately trying to find one. I’m yet to find ‘the one’. (It’s the one in the picture above, should any of you find one and let me know. I’d be forever in your debt.)
My fellow TGUK columnist Chris Bridges wrote a column a few weeks ago, which summed up my exact feeling toward cigarettes perfectly.
“I fetishize cigarettes. I love the smell of fresh tobacco, the blueness of the smoke in sunlight and the look and feel of them. I love antique smoking paraphernalia. I had hypnotherapy and lit up as I left the office. I can tell you exactly what each nicotine replacement product on the market tastes and feels like. I start to fret if I have less than 60 cigarettes in the house and used to keep a backup pack in my locker at work. I’ve smoked in lots of places I shouldn’t have and braved wind, rain and ice storms to go outside at work for one. I think I may be a hopeless case.”
If memory serves me correctly, a few months ago Chris and I actually vowed to quit and perhaps document our progress and help each other out. As of yet, silence has ensued from the both of us.
Smoking is terribly anti-social. Having to awkwardly excuse yourself from a party or bar then meandering outside into the cold just to get one’s fix, is dreadfully monotonous Although I have come to find a sense of community with fellow smokers, we’re a dying breed… (Literally)
I have tried various alternatives. I find all of them insufferable. The gum is essentially regular, less minty gum with a different packet. The patches make me twitchy and the new kid on the block “E-Cigarettes are utterly vile. They taste as if you’re licking a well-used ashtray and made me cough and splutter like somebody who just realised they ate a cheesecake made of asbestos.
I hate smoking yet I have no desire to quit. I know that eventually I will have to, either because of a demanding boyfriend, an intervention or through the eventual exile of all smokers, an exile being led by a growing army of self-righteous past smokers who have recently quit and feel it’s their duty to preach about the benefits of being clean-lunged. Preach all you want, just don’t ram it down my throat, I need my throat clear for all the smoke. *Complete bastard smirk*