~ WELCOME TO ICA ~

MISSION / VISION STATEMENT

ICA is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides a safe and healthy environment for cultural exchange and healing bridging the gap between elders and the children. We provide a multicultural environment offering self-awareness, healing, and preserving sacred sites bringing back the celebration of life.

Institute of Cultural Awareness Against Tobacco

The Institute for Cultural Awareness prides itself on being a foundation that fosters communication and understanding between people from a wide variety of ages, backgrounds, and culture. Nothing helps us realize this vision we have for the world more than making people realize they should cherish the one thing they have for themselves: their health.

With that said, the ICA stakes its claims as being an organization that promotes health and wellness among people by officially stating that we are against the use and distribution of tobacco. We believe that the promotion of good health starts with one’s own environment, and we believe that one can make his or her surroundings safer by limiting the presence of smoking in their neighborhood. This may not make the world more secure, but it CAN make it cleaner for everyone involved.

Tobacco Kills

Everyone knows smoking is bad for their health. However, even despite the repeated health warnings from respected institutions like the World Health Organization, it looks like smoking is still on the rise: the latest figures state that the numbers of smokers are now edging near one billion, which offers a stark divide from the 700M smokers who were profiled from 1980.

There is no doubt that much of smoking’s rise in prevalence these days can be attributed to the planet’s seven billion-strong population. However, that should only put the impetus for each and every one of us to ensure that the current generation and the generation that will come after us next would grow up in an environment that is largely free of smoking. Not only would this result in a beneficial health boost for everyone involved, but it also allows us to enjoy the environments we are currently living in nowadays. “No smoking” basically means an improvement in the quality of life.

Thankfully, many methods are now available for smokers who are looking to quit their habits as early as possible. Many of these “methods” are not fixed one, per se; rather, a good few of them only entail that you make a proactive and conscious approach on kicking the habit.

One of these “conscious” approaches to quitting smoking can also prove to be the most difficult: going cold turkey. Basically, you just have to stop smoking right there and then. Although the concept behind this is very sound in its simplicity, it is anything but. Long-time smokers who use the cold turkey approach to curb smoking find it very difficult to maintain doing so precisely because of the fact that smoking is now ingrained in their daily lives; if you choose to rip a habit out without any warning, then it can be understandable why one would feel like something can feel “lacking” in their lives that only an activity like smoking can fill.

There are also numerous nicotine replacement therapies available on the market like nicotine gums, smoking patches, and the like. However, one alternative that has been proven to be very effective in curbing one’s tendency to smoke is through the process of weaning. And really, nothing can be more effective for this purpose than using e-cigarettes to help you stop smoking.

E-cigarettes, just like the name implies, is an electronic alternative to the usual stick of cigarette you usually consume. However, unlike “traditional” cigarettes, its ingredients only contain nicotine contained in a liquefied form. E-cigs do not contain tar, which means that the “sensation” of smoking is still present because it is still consumed like a traditional cigarette. When the activity of smoking gets you weaned through this method, then it is highly possible that you will encounter the least amount of resistance when you are trying to curb the habit gradually. ICA has teamed up with John Edwards from Ecig Expert Reviews and we have set up a program to promote electronic cigarettes instead of conventional ones. We will be reveling the program in next couple of months.

There is no question that quitting smoking is hard. However, it is possible, and there are dozens and dozens of stories of erstwhile smokers who have quit the habit and came out the better for it. We hope you can experience the same thing.