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Resolutions 2016 | 5 Short Films to Help You Quit Smoking

Resolutions 2016 | 5 Short Films to Help You Quit Smoking

Resolutions 2016 | 5 Short Films to Help You Quit Smoking

Nicotine is a hell of a drug.

Picking up a smoking habit typically makes you feel ill and requires a certain resolve (I remember powering through my first cigarettes, desperate for cool points and green in the face), while quitting a smoking habit typically makes you feel ill (with withdrawal symptoms ranging from headaches, fatigue, anxiety and impulses to behead innocent bystanders) and requires colossal resolve.

Between the two, the experience of smoking is a type of tormenting, stinking hell, punctuated by some highlights (cigarettes and booze! cigarettes after a five course meal!) and many, many lowlights (smoking first thing in the morning after a night of partying, accidentally drinking the beer you decided to turn into an ashtray, rolling butts, globally napalming your health.)

So if you’ve decided to quit smoking this year (bravo), turbocharge your willpower with these 5 short films (most of them fairly hilarious and non-preachy) about the perils that lie in the lap of nicotine addiction.

The Drag

The Drag, Carlos Marchiori, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Funny and brilliantly animated in popping 60s modernist style, this short traces one man’s tango with cigarettes from teenage angst to lung cancer scare. An absolute must-watch, even if you’re smart enough never to have lit up (or have no desire to quit.)

Ashes of Doom

Ashes of Doom , Grant Munro & Don Arioli, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

This 2-minute gem will convince you the Department of National Health should really get back into making campy vampire videos. Just incredible.

Mouseology

Mouseology, Bretislav Pojar, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Addiction has been defined as compulsive behaviour that doesn’t support your greatness. Watch a little mouse explain it to you in this eerily accurate short. Warning: contains somewhat disturbing anatomical drawings. (Seriously, those sausage lungs are horrid.)

King Size

King Size, Kaj Pindal, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Join a young blonde boy to the kingdom of King Size, where “no smoking” is forbidden. A silly and ironic tale by Kaj Pindal, the animator behind Peep and the Big Wide World.

The Purple Hat

Purple Hat, Lynn Smith, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Watch a smoker elaborate the most ridiculous excuses to keep smoking in this very short animation that illustrates how nicotine makes you believe you absolutely need to line up this or that scenario to even attempt quitting.

Good luck!

Add a new comment
  1. This is my personal experience and I will also share this domain URL with other who are known to me and suffer from this bad habbit. Thank you so much for sharing this blog. The article is very interesting… keep it up!!!
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  2. Wonderful effort Carolyne,
    I loved all the short films, especially the “Mouseology”. Though it is hard to convince the youth to quit smoking through this video, but it could create a huge impact on kids below 15.I showed it to the school where I teach. Kids were standing up clapping after seeing this video. I could make out from that,it had made an impact on the kids. After that, I started sharing this video on my social profiles. Last day a boy who was 15+ texted me saying, that this video has helped a lot in controlling his addiction for cigars. My cousin son was just 20, but he was addicted to smoking, I shared this video with my cousin.Cousin’s son was ready to quit smoking after seeing this video. He said yes to go to Canada Drug Rehab in Toronto ( http://www.canadadrugrehab.ca/ ).This was only because of the video you shared. thank you for the effort made.
    love you Carolyne. God bless.

    — Katie Jayden,
  3. You are right. When New Year comes many people makes the resolutions to quit the smoking but some people are failed. Your idea is good shot a short movie on smoking. It is very useful idea to quit the smoking. Our company is providing different -2 ideas to stop the smoking.

  4. Wow Amazing videos you have shared. Anyone who really wants to quit smoking will definitely motivate by these videos. This is my personal experience and I will also share this domain URL with other who are known to me and suffer from this bad habbit. Thank you so much for sharing this blog.

  5. Oh, wow. What a story. Power to you, Carer of Mr. Dementia! Like they say, every survival kit should include a sense of humor…
    Best regards, and stay safe!
    Carolyne

  6. Try one for a rural kid who started at maybe age 11 or even 15 and still smokes at age 78 despite having dementia and whose cigarettes must be dispensed because of the fire danger, and no long term care will take him as a smoker..Find a a bit of humour there?

    Loved your videos and we will watch them.

    Best Regards,

    The Carer of M.Dementia

    — sylvia purdon,

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