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The nation’s eighth graders took center stage in this year’s Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, showing a significant decline in both smoking and illicit drug use in the past year, part of a downward trend for all measured age groups in the last decade.

In addition, eighth graders showed a substantial long-term decline in past-year alcohol use, down to 31.8 percent from its recent peak of 46.8 percent in 1994. The Monitoring the Future project — now in its 33rd year — is a series of independent surveys of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan under a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Results from the 2007 survey were announced today at a news conference at the White House.

The 2007 results appear to reflect an ongoing cultural shift among teens and their attitudes about smoking and substance abuse. Lifetime, past-month, and daily smoking among eighth graders has dropped considerably in the past year, and daily cigarette smoking among eighth graders dropped from 4 percent to 3 percent; down from its 10.4 percent peak in 1996. Similarly, annual prevalence of marijuana use by eighth graders fell from 11.7 percent in 2006 to 10.3 percent in 2007, and is down from its 1996 peak of 18.3 percent.

“Over the last decade, there has been a large science-based effort throughout the public health community to drive down the rates of smoking, illicit drug, and alcohol use among teens,” said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. “These results show us we are definitely seeing a decline in substance abuse among our youngest and most vulnerable teens, and we are committed to continuing our efforts.”

“We are especially heartened to see the decrease in smoking among eighth graders, and will be watching the next two years closely to see if this decline will stick as these kids get older,” said NIDA director Nora D. Volkow. “If this change in attitude is carried with them throughout the rest of their teen years, we could see a dramatic drop in smoking-related deaths in their generation.”

The survey also showed that while past-year use of marijuana declined among 8th graders in 2007, it remained steady among 10th and 12th graders. However, in the past decade, there has been a slow downward trend in overall illicit drug use driven by gradual declines in marijuana smoking. Past-year marijuana use among 10th graders sits at 24.6 percent after it peaked in 1997 at 34.8 percent. Similarly, past-year marijuana use among 12th graders registers at 31.7 percent after a 1997 peak of 38.5 percent.

The survey results are not without concerns, however. Prescription drug abuse remains high with virtually no significant drop in nonmedical use of most individual prescription drugs. Vicodin remains one of the most commonly abused drugs among 12th graders: 1 in 10 reported nonmedical use in the past year. The Monitoring the Future Survey traditionally measures misuse of a variety of different prescription drugs including opiates like Vicodin and OxyContin, amphetamines (including Ritalin), sedatives/barbiturates, and tranquilizers, as well as over-the-counter drugs, such as cough syrup. However, for the first time this year, researchers pulled together data for all prescription drugs as a measurable group, and 15.4 percent of high school seniors reported nonmedical use of at least one of these prescription medications within the past year. Recent data for consuming 5+ drinks in a row in the last two weeks — an especially dangerous pattern of consumption — have remained steady at worrisome levels for all three grades. In addition, recent data for drinking have remained steady at high levels, particularly for 10th and 12th graders.

Another concern in the survey is the softening of attitudes towards MDMA (ecstasy) and LSD in the younger grades. For the third year in a row, there was a decrease in perceived harmfulness of MDMA among eighth graders. Among 10th graders, there was a decrease in perceived harmfulness of LSD and MDMA and a decrease in disapproval of LSD. Concurrently, there has been an increase in past-year MDMA use in 10th and 12th graders over the past two years.

“We will be watching what happens with MDMA and LSD use in future surveys,” said Dr. Volkow. “This decrease in both disapproval and perceived harmfulness among eighth graders shows us that we need to be vigilant in our educational efforts with every drug in each succeeding generation.”

Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

A recent study has linked asthma with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adults. The study of male twins who were veterans of the Vietnam era suggests that the association between asthma and PTSD is not primarily explained by common genetic influences.

The study included 3,065 male twin pairs, who had lived together in childhood, and who had both served on active military duty during the Vietnam War. According to the findings, among all twins, those who suffered from the most PTSD symptoms were 2.3 times as likely to have asthma compared with those who suffered from the least PTSD symptoms.

The study included both identical twins, who share all the same genetic material, and fraternal twins, who share only half of the same genetic material. “If there had been a strong genetic component to the link between asthma and PTSD, the results between these two types of twins would have been different, but we didn’t find substantial differences between the two,” said lead researcher Renee D. Goodwin, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health.

Several other studies have found a relationship between asthma and other anxiety disorders, Dr. Goodwin noted, yet this study is the first to investigate the link between asthma and PTSD. This new research also confirmed previous findings that linked asthma with a higher risk of depression. “The reason (s) for the association between asthma and mental disorders is not known,” she said. “Asthma could increase the risk of anxiety disorders, or anxiety disorders might cause asthma, or there could be common risk factors for both asthma and anxiety disorders. Our study found the association between asthma and PTSD does not appear to be primarily due to a common genetic predisposition.”

The researchers found the association between asthma and PTSD existed even after they took into account factors such as cigarette smoking, obesity and socioeconomic status, all of which are associated with both anxiety disorders and asthma.

“It is conceivable that traumatic stress, which has been associated with compromised immune functioning, leads to increased vulnerability to immune-system-related diseases, including asthma,” Dr. Goodwin and colleagues wrote. “Alternatively, it may be that having asthma places adults at increased risk for PTSD as it increases the likelihood that they will be exposed to a traumatic situation because they have a life-threatening chronic medical condition.”

The findings suggest that a person with asthma who experiences a traumatic event may benefit from seeking professional help, because they could be more vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress disorder, Dr. Goodwin said.

The study was conducted by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and published in the first issue for November 2007 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.

There are currently about fifty million smokers in the U.S. and there are another fifty million ex-smokers. Cigarette smoking has been linked to several human malignancies. Some of these links like the relationship between smoking and lung cancer are well established. In some other cases the relationship between smoking and cancer is not very well established. However several studies have clearly shown the malignant potential of chemical substances in cigarette smoke. This article is an attempt to summarize some of the known links between cigarette smoking and caner.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer has a strong association with smoking. On average, smokers increase their risk of lung cancer between 5 and 10-fold compared to never smokers. Even though lung cancer can occur in non-smokers, it should be appreciated that more than 90 percent of all lung cancer patients are current or past smokers. Some sub types of lung cancer like small cell lung cancer is more strongly associated with smoking than others. There is plenty of research evidence in the literature linking lung cancer to smoking. A recent study published in the British Journal Of Medicine (Ref: BMJ 1997) concluded that the accumulated evidence support the fact secondhand exposure to cigarette smoke could lead to lung cancer.

While most of the uninitiated might consider the generic habit of smoking to be one thing, and one thing only, any cigar aficionado will be at great pains to tell you otherwise. While the smoking of cigarettes is something that most teenagers have tried, and increasingly is viewed socially as something a person does because they simply haven’t managed to give up yet, cigar smoking is something akin to a hobby, and for many, a passion. While cigarette smoking is something you simple do, the smoking of cigars is done with panache, and like any other skilled pastime, there is a whole sub-culture that participates in it.

Because cigar smoking is undoubtedly a skilled art - as any common cigarette smoker can tell you after making the leap from what might be considered the waif of the smoking world, the paltry and ten-a-penny cigarette, to the voluptuous and charismatic cigar. Cigars have a depth that delves into all five senses, and a flavor that is completely unexpected by those familiar only with cigarettes. The novice cigar smoker will be nauseous and headachy for days! But apparently this is a barrier that is worth working through - you only have to mention cigars to an aficionado to hear them wax lyrical on the wonders of cigars.

Article by : Jeff Lakie

Your decision to give up cigarettes at this advanced stage of cigarette smoking seems to be a desperate decision and there must be strong reasons for that.You have increased awareness within you. You are convinced that you need to give up smoking once and for all. Still, you agree that you can’t resist the sight and taste of the burning cylinder.

You have to reverse this cynical situation. The first and the foremost weapon in this difficult yet possible endeavor, is your will power. There is no other potent force that can be of more assistance to you in this critical juncture.

You need to take out the feeling from your mind that smoking is associated with pleasure. You as a smoker have a peculiar type of mood swing. The cravings for the smoke give rise to irritability, stress and headache.

Such a situation can be reversed only by going to the root cause of your smoking. What are those unconscious conflicts that stop you from stopping smoking? A dent has to be made through your conflicts and find the way to weaken them.

For this you need to attend special smoking cessation classes and your involvement with such efforts should be on day to day basis. It has also been found possible to break the die-hard habit of smoking with hypnosis. Well, some hypnotists have claimed to have helped smokers to quit smoking within 48 hours.

At this stage, nicotine is in total control of you. So if the smoking habit is given up abruptly, it could result in sudden weight gain. This is a proven fact. But you can try the available natural, non-addictive natural botanicals to help you quit smoking. These have no side effects. Nicotine normally suppresses hunger and this type of suppression might have prevented your weight-gain.

Think positively about the benefits of giving up smoking and let them get implanted in your mind firmly. Some of the obvious benefits are, you will save substantial amount of mental clarity and your focus will be better. Plus, your anxiety and depression levels will decrease.

Also develop the habit of eating fresh fruits and vegetables with lots of fiber contents in them. Make juice of fruits a permanent part of your diet. The accumulated toxins within your body will soon decrease and with that your will to fight against smoking will increase.

The day is not far when you will join the non-smoker’s alley.