It’s estimated today that approximately 480,000 people die annually from smoking. Directly or indirectly from passive smoke. I was a sophomore in college in 1964. A fraternity brother of mine was a guy named Luke Terry. His father, Dr. Luther Terry was then the Surgeon General of the United States. On January 11, 1964, Dr. Terry delivered a defining report that addressed the impact of smoking on the health of the American people. The now famous “smoking ban” followed. Every pack of cigarettes today includes a label warning that “Smoking cigarettes may be hazardous to your health.” In ’64 a pack cost $.26. Today… about $12. It’s been estimated smoking has fallen 70% since the ban. Saving over 1M American lives. And it may be inestimable to determine how many died from smoking prior to Dr. Terry’s report. Let’s just say there were tens of, probably hundreds of thousands.

All this said … we have a new “smoking” gun pointing at us in 2024. It’s pictured above. Yes, it’s the iPhone. Quickly becoming one of today’s most serious “health” hazards. Potentially surpassing cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Incredibly, just like smoking in the ‘60s, we are well aware today of the damage phones are having. Especially on our youth! Mentally, emotionally … academically. But like smoking in the ‘60s, here we are. Slow on trigger… if not fully stalled in dealing with the issue. A new label maybe? “An iPhone may be a hazard to your mental health.” May even cause suicide.

I attended a gathering of friends recently. There was a couple there I didn’t know. Chatting casually with them about our children, they shared they had lost their seventeen-year-old son recently. I didn’t inquire why. But later learned how he died. Apparently, he’d just broken up with his girlfriend. Devastated about it, he reached out to a few of her friends over social media to try and reconcile with her. They reacted negatively to his messages. What ensued was a massive bullying campaign. Many attempts were made by the family to mitigate all this. But their efforts proved futile. One morning his father walked in his son’s bedroom. Found him dead. His boy had taken his life. How many tragic stories like this have we heard in recent years? This is just symptomatic of the severity of the problem.

Let me shift the tone here. On a much lighter note, Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has a famous routine. If you… you might be a redneck! Example. If you think hygiene is a greeting … you might be a redneck. Or this. If your wife’s hairdo has ever been destroyed by a ceiling fan … you might be a redneck. You get the idea. Hilarious!

Here’s a variation of Jeff’s gig. If you … you might be a redneck. Let’s try this. If you … you might be a phoneaholic.

If misplacing your phone gives you a facial “tick” … you might be a phoneaholic.

If after sex you reach for your iPhone phone instead of a cigarette … you might be a phoneaholic.

And finally … If you put glasses on your iPhone because it lost its contacts … you might be, well in this case, you’re probably a redneck phoneaholic.

Maybe a little misplaced humor here. But supportive I think of the message here. While technology is a gift of creative minds. While technology has opened our world to so much that is good. Life is always a balancing act. In many cases a contradiction isn’t it. Too much of anything can throw you off. And yes, could even become at its extreme … an obsession. Especially if you’re too young to know the harm something might cause.

We’ve all heard the declaration, “Wake up America!” This could apply to politics. Or to a controversial social issue. But maybe, just maybe all the “smoke” around the iPhone conversation summons us loudly to wake up …  now! Before as was the case with cigarettes, it’s too late. Much of the damage is already done.