Nix on Nicotine

Keywords: quit smoking, freedom from tobacco, anti-tobacco, smoking cessation, smoking deterrence, nicotine addiction

Sunday, April 17, 2011

We Have a Winner!

I am delighted to announce the winning artwork for the NIX ON NICOTINE campaign logo!  Combining the efforts of two talented artists who have graciously agreed to share the contest prize, our new campaign image is both graphic and compelling.  The artwork by Denver artists Matt Jaramillo and John Keller captures our message and we'll be proud to display it everywhere.  Heartfelt thanks to the artists, to our sponsors, and to all of our supporters.

Press release to follow....

1 comment:

  1. Excellent choice! Not only does it speak to the aspirations of students who seek freedom from the chemical chains which restrain them, it alerts those not yet dependent of experimentation's most immediate danger.

    Adults tend to think that showing students pictures of smoking health risks that normally take years to develop will prevent experimentation now. What they are neglecting to teach them is that smoking nicotine is extremely addictive.

    An alarming 26% of youth report signs of loss of control over continued smoking after just 3 to 4 cigarettes, rising to 44% after 5 to 9 cigarettes. There's growing consensus among addiction experts that nicotine dependency is as permanent as alcoholism, that it hijacks the same brain dopamine pathways as illegal drugs, and that successfully arresting nicotine dependency is as hard or harder than quitting heroin.

    The missing message in schools across the nation is the lesson that most daily smoking students are true drug addicts in every sense, that friends don't addict friends. What's missing is an explanation of what it means to be a nicotine addict.

    Students can relate to being hungry and badly wanting or craving food. What they need to understand is that nicotine hijacks the same dopamine pathways that create want, desire and craves for food when hungry and water when thirsty. The difference is that nicotine in the bloodstream is depleted at the rate of half every two hours. It means that instead of feeling food craves 2 or 3 times a day that nicotine addicts can feel urges and cravings 10, 15, 20 or 25 times daily.

    Imagine sitting in class tyring to concentrate while your brain is badly needing another nicotine fix. Been there, done that. Again, congratulations Isobel on an excellent choice.

    Breathe deep, hug hard, live long,

    John

    John R. Polito
    Nicotine Cessation Educator
    john@whyquit.com

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