TV Ads, Smoking and Suicide

I already posted a story about my allergy to ads.

Now, there is another TV ad that deserves your attention. It promotes a pill to help in quitting smoking. May be you’ve seen it - there is a hare and a turtle on the road - probably referring to Zenon’s paradox, but mostly to stress that quitting smoking is a difficult and lengthy process, so the use of this pill would appear almost inevitable.

Now, what about the side effects? I couldn’t believe my years: you could experience suicidal thoughts.

No, I’m not joking, the ad says: “If you experience suicidal thoughts, call your doctor”

I used to smoke non-stop, about 3 packs a day. I quit about 18 years ago, without pills, gum, hypnosis, absolutely on my own. True, it wasn’t easy and required a lot of inner work and some methods I learned in a 12 step program (not for smokers). I experienced a lot of very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, even was depressed for a while. Adding to that a pill that could cause suicidal thoughts - no, thank you!

If you watch TV, you would eventually see this ad. If you are a smoker and are planning to quit, you might wish to write your suicidal note before taking this pill.