Posted on 07/30/2011 7:31:27 AM PDT by Dr. Scarpetta
Actor Michael Douglas was photographed smoking on a yacht last week - less than a year after "beating" stage IV throat cancer.
The Oscar winner appears on the new cover of Star Magazine and in photos inside puffing on what appears to be a hand-rolled cigarette July 21.
He looks tanned and relaxed in the exclusive Star photos, leaning on the yacht's railing while traveling with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones along the Italian Riviera.
"Are you calling about the photos, because we have no comment," a rep for Douglas' spokesman Allen Burry told the Daily News.
The Hollywood icon, 66, was diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer last August and lost 32 pounds undergoing intensive chemotherapy and radiation.
"I feel good. I feel relieved," the actor told NBC "Today" host Matt Lauer in an interview in January, revealing that his treatment was a success.
"The tumor is gone," he told Lauer. "The odds are with the tumor gone and what I know about this particular type of cancer, that I've got it beat."
"It's rare to return to smoking after something like this, but it's an addiction akin to heroin. It's a physical addiction, not just psychological, and very difficult to break," said Dr. Eric Genden, a Mt. Sinai surgeon.
"It's a bad idea. In patients with a history of carcinoma of the throat, smoking represents an exceptionally high risk to developing recurrence and even dying from the disease."
It's possible Douglas was smoking medical marijuana or another substance other than tobacco, but medical marijuana typically is used to treat loss of appetite and nausea while treatment is ongoing.
Most patients quit any type of smoking because it tends to cause a burning sensation on throat tissue damaged by radiation, Genden said.
It's a really bad idea," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Dittos to that. And it helps being married to a non=smoker. You have to be so utterly miserable for a couple of weeks that once you get through that you will never let yourself go there again.
Muchael Douglas, has to make up his own mind not to smoke..
Both my father in-law (a smoker for decades) and my husband quite cold turkey. Cold Turkey works.
Quit cold turkey on Great American Smokeout Day 27 years ago. Laid on the couch under a blanket like I was sick for three days. Got acne, gained 20 pounds, it wasn’t pretty. But a year later when I asked a friend for a cigarette, I was appalled by how awful it tasted. Oh, people would say “I bet you feel so much better” and I would say “not really” but it was going to kill me so I had to quit.
I quit cold turkey right about that time but in may....when I was born and my mom smoked. haha.
Havent have a cig since! :D
A plumber was coming out of a unit and stopped by his truck to have a smoke. He pulled the pack out of his pocket and offered on to another guy standing close. We watched as they lit up and then a guy on the roof took a cig from his pocket and so did a carpenter who was hanging siding - he offered one to the guy working with him.
It was contagious. Withing not more than a minute there were at least a half dozen guys smoking cigarettes. My boss said he figured he lost a couple of hours of labor a day to smoking. He was the first contractor I heard of to restrict smoking to break time only. It is a mighty addictive habit to contend with.
When you smell tobacco smoke, does it smell good to you or does it smell like someone tracked something in on their shoes?
When cigarette smoke smells like s#%t to you, like it does to non smokers and ex smokers, you will know that you are truly over it.
I quit and I am not tempted to have another one ever.
It is tough to quit. One of the reasons I hate cigs is they start controlling one’s life. A person can’t do something without stopping to have a cig. I hate them. I am glad you quit and I am glad I quit also. My husband smoked a lot years ago, and said one day he just quit. Amazing. Did you just decide one day to quit or did you have a program to go to . I did everything till one finally stuck
Both hubby and I smoke and seriously want to quit. We’ve also tried just about everything from cold turkey, gum, patches etc only to fail. Two days ago we bought the Blu brand of electronic cigarettes to assist us in quitting and let me tell you, I think this will be the key.
The e-cigs give the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette but have no other chemicals in them. They taste, smoke and feel as close to a real cigarette as possible even producing “smoke” that can be blown into a rings etc. The “smoke” however is nothing more than water vapor, has no smell, will not leave any residue on walls or most importantly in our lungs.
In two days we’ve both cut down on real cigarettes close to 75% and plan on not purchasing any more real cigs once we run out of the packs we currently have. I have very little doubt we will even want or need real tobacco with the e-cigs.
Of course the biggest drawback to e-cigs is that they contain nicotine (however, Blu does offer a no nicotine e-cig)so we will continue to be addicted while using the e-cigs. Our plan to deal with that is to slowly reduce the strength of the e-cigs until we are smoking the no-nicotine ones and either stay with them or simply quit completely.
You may want to suggest this idea to your sister-in-law (no, I receive no monies from the company lol) as a possible way to quit. The e-cigs provide everything needed to satisfy cigarette cravings both physically and mentally and so far it seems this combination is what it will take to help us quit. It may be the ticket for her.
why is this on FR?....is this news?
Surely Dope, and possibly an indication he is still fighting cancer.
Still fighting cancer or he has given up fighting.
Knew a guy who had worked on Alaska fishing boats where drugs are a common problem. He quit the hard stuff but said that quitting smoking was the hardest of all - and ultimately impossible for him.
Personally, I hate cigarettes - they made me feel sick. Maybe I’m allergic. Thank God.
An addiction is so hard to overcome. It is a Vice. A Vice that the Devil puts on you, and hard to get it off. It grips you.
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