Smokers climb aboard to kick habit
NEW YORK (UPI)—Imagine a boatload of heavy smokers off on a two week Caribbean cruise without a single cigarette available.
Would they be climbing the rigging the first night out? Pleading with the captain to put in to the first port? Start smoking their napkins?
What may sound like the scenario for a situation comedy is actually a real cruise designed to help those who want to quit smoking.
The tobacco less voyage was thought up by the Institute for New Motivations, a recently formed organization with a philosophy that people in a special environment can help each other break bad habits.
The first two 13 day non-smoking cruises are scheduled for September and November using the 20,000 ton cruise ship Santa Paula chartered from Prudential Grace Lines. Except for special programs aimed at blowing away smoke dreams, the cruises will have all the partying and island touring of regular sea going vacations at prices ranging from $695 to $1,680.
The Institute's medical director, New York psychiatrist William J. Nemon, thinks the idea of 250.-300 confirmed smokers trapped on a smokeless ship will not only be peaceful, but a fun vacation.
"This is not to be a floating mental hospital or a psychiatric clinic," Dr. Nemon said in an interview. "Nobody will be doing any black magic. Most of all it's a vacation in an atmosphere of positive thinking and having a good time.
"You can say I can really have fun—a good vacation—without smoking two packs a day. I can have a meal without smoking, or a drink without smoking or dial a telephone without lighting a cigarette."
"We hope right from the time persons fill out their applications
On board will be a medical staff including psychiatrists and psychologists. Dr. Nemon, who has helped smokers break the habit through hypnotism, said that sessions in self hypnosis would be offered those who want extra help in kicking the habit.
they'll be thinking in a positive way."
"These cruises will be sailing into a new state rather than leaving an old state," he said. "For some the ship's environment will be enough. Some will have more problems and will need discussion groups. For others lecture groups will remind them that cigarettes are harmful to their health.
"In discussion groups persons get a great deal of satisfaction from hearing of others' cravings for cigarettes. They also get a
feeling of self confidence when they find that food tastes better and things smell nicer and everyone else is experiencing the same thing.
"This is not real group therapy, and nothing like encounter or sensitivity groups—that would be the worst thing," he said. "We don't want an atmosphere of inspection. We don't want to get into anyone's deep psychological problems. But if we can get one person to talk with another person he will be helping himself as well as the other person."
Asked if he expected any backsliding when the ship stopped at various ports, he shrugged and replied, "I don't expect any problem. Three or four will run out and buy cigarettes at the first port. But by this time the group will be motivated and the social
climate will be against cigarettes. Bringing cigarettes back aboard would be like bringing a bottle to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
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"For this kind of environment, a ship is ideally suited. The concept is very sound, very well planned. I have talked it over with many psychiatrists of different orientations in different parts of the country and their approval was unanimous," he said.
"Of course it's not going to be 100 per cent successful. Some people want magic, but are not willing to help themselves. But if they really want to quit smoking they can have a grand vacation."
They may also leave the Caribbean littered with well munched finger nails.
PENNSYLVANIA LEADS
NEW YORK (UPI)—There are more transportation, communications and public utility establishments in Pennsylvania than in any other state, according to Dun's Market Identifiers, a marketing service of Dun & Bradstreet. The Keystone State has 5,025 such establishments. New York is second with 4,923 and California third with 4,718.
British skinheads 'bovver'
LONDON (UPI) — Hooligans are hooligans wherever they are found, but British cities have one particularly nasty breed known as "skinheads."
The skinheads are white youths from metropolitan working class areas whose rebel cult calls for almost shaved heads and the wearing of baggy work pants held up by suspenders and heavy steel-toed boots.
Mostly aged 10 to 15 and frequently school dropouts, their aim is making "bovver" slang for bother, for those who are "different" from most Britons in clothing, language or culture.
Hippies and motorcycle gangs earlier this year were primary targets for skinheads out for a spot of "aggro," aggravation, with fists, bicycle chains and rocks augmenting stomping and kicking with heavy boots.
The hippies and motorcyclists fought back, however, so the skinheads backed off. Now Asian immigrants, particularly Pakistani and Indians, are prime targets to skinhead attacks. By nature the Asians dislike violence and usually don't fight back. The skinheads call this sport "Pakibashing."
"Pakibasing" occurs only in London and industrialized British cities with a large number of Asian immigrants, places like Birmingham and Manchester and Wolverhampton.
It centers in such tatty, low income neighborhoods as London's Bethnal Green. There about 50 skinheads recently and with no apparent provocation attacked the grocery store of a Pakistani immigrant, beating up two assistants and stabbing one. More than 100 Pakistanis saw the attack but none did anything to help. The skinheads fled before police arrived.
The most commonly reported incidents are those of gangs of skinheads ambushing a single Asian youth or several of them. Complaints are seldom filed because as an 18-year-old Pakistani put it, "We don't want trouble, we just want to be left alone."
Taiyabur Rahman, an official of the Pakistani Welfare Association in London, said "Our people are not in the mood to fight. We didn't come here to fight."
Because the Asians, unlike West Indian immigrants who also suffer from discrimination speak a different language, wear different clothes, and embrace a different culture, the skinheads are pressing the issue.