Do You Smoke?

[vitualis]

It's a common misconception among non-smokers that quitting is only a matter of realizing that smoking is bad for you. They think that one good pic of a diseased lung will do it.

That is why the focus is on preventing people from taking up smoking in the first place. Smoking IS addictive, not only from a physiological point of view, but also psychological. People crave cigarettes long after any physical need.

Regards.

[mats.hogberg]

Yes, I've heard that the nicotine withdrawal lasts for 2 weeks. From personal knowledge, I can say that I kept thinking about cigarettes much longer than 2 weeks after I quit!
Forunately, I'm now past the point where I can light up a nice cigar to accompany a good Cognac and a cup of coffee after a fine dinner, and not be afraid of picking up that bad habit again.

/Mats

[NamPla]

Wow, this thread just keeps going!

I think EVERYBODY agrees that smoking is bad for you.

But should it thus be BANNED???

[mats.hogberg]

Why not, as "all" other, many not nearly as addictive and deadly as smoking, substances that's fatal to the human organism (at least those not backed by enough bucks) is banned? To me, it's a matter of "either/or". Should everyone be allowed to do whatever they want with their own organism, or should society have a say?

/Mats

[NamPla]

Should everyone be allowed to do whatever they want with their own organism, or should society have a say?

/Mats

ABSOLUTELY society has NO say whatso-fucken-ever.

NON-SMOKERS should start their OWN pubs!!!! NOT invade established pubs & try to take 'em over!!!

It's like cool down-to-earth yobbo suburbs that become "gentrified" and taken over by yuppies. Pubs get pulled down, cafes & yuppie apartments get built in their place. Disgusting.

Non-smokers are like christian wankers. They're not content with deciding things for themselves. They wanna decide for everybody else, too.

Let's not forget, people, the joy that a cigarette can bring after a good hearty Indian curry, or after good steamy sex, or after a night of booze & bongs... It's not ALL bad. If it was ALL bad nobody would be smoking.

It's the choice of the INDIVIDUAL.

And when the INDIVIDUAL's rights get encroached upon, it's time to FIGHT BACK!!!

[Thorn]

Where's the option "Only when I'm on fire"?

[NamPla]

Where's the option "Only when I'm on fire"?

You don't need no options, Thorn! :P

[jimmalenko]

I smoke about 80 a week.

In regards to the removal of smoking in pubs & clubs, I think you'll find that a fair proportion of those that frequent bars, clubs & pokies all smoke. I can see quite a few people refraining from going out if they can't smoke, which will affect the bottom line of the operators. Once they realise how much money smokers bring in, they'll rethink their strategy

[Capmaster]

I smoke about 80 a week.

In regards to the removal of smoking in pubs & clubs, I think you'll find that a fair proportion of those that frequent bars, clubs & pokies all smoke. I can see quite a few people refraining from going out if they can't smoke, which will affect the bottom line of the operators. Once they realise how much money smokers bring in, they'll rethink their strategy

They tried making all the restaurants here in Albuquerque smoke-free. After about a month of empty restaurants and creditor's nasty calls, they quickly and apologetically recanted the strategy

[maek]

Only when I'm on fire.

[vitualis]

Should everyone be allowed to do whatever they want with their own organism, or should society have a say?

ABSOLUTELY society has NO say whatso-fucken-ever.

Don't be obtuse. Of course society has a say.

If you want to be so "individualistic", then go live in a desert with nobody else. The only way you can enjoy that form of "individuality" is to not take any of the benefits of a society (i.e., heath care, education, public utilities, etc.)

People want all the benefits of society but none of the responsibility and bring up the catch-cry of "individuality". For goodness sakes, grow up. Laws are what keeps a civil society civil and in a democracy are generally are a codified reflection of the compromise between conflicting demands on various parts of the society.

Not smoking is not the end of the world and let's face it, it is bad for you. Don't be a drama queen.

Regards.

[NamPla]

I think the keyword there is "compromise". The thing is, I see our civil liberties "compromised" all the time. Always in the name of the "common good". But what they really mean by catchphrases like "common good" and "community" blah blah is the perpetuation of bland mediocrity.

When it comes to the crunch - and it most prob'ly will, the way things are going - yeah I prob'ly WILL move out to the desert one day...

No dramatics here, just stating the facts.

I agree smoking is bad for you, but if I wanna smoke, I bloody well will! Besides, like has been mentioned here earlier, more damage is caused by the oil industries...

[vitualis]

Bland mediocrity? Many people would contend that cultural and societal diversity and tolerance is vastly more rich in Western societies now than it were 50 or 100 years ago.

As with time, some things are simply not as socially acceptable now as it were back then... and public smoking is one thing.

If you want to smoke, go right ahead, but if your laws tell you to do it in private, then have some respect for the rest of society.

As for more damage is caused by the oil industries... That's primary school logic. "You can't blame me for this because Johnny's even badder..."

Regards.

[NamPla]

Hi, I think you're wrong, Vitualis. But let's agree to differ, huh?

[Thorn]

The thing is, I see our civil liberties "compromised" all the time.

Of course we're loosing civil liberties a lot these days, but I don't see smoking as one of them. I have friends that smoke, and I put up with it in bars and clubs, but I certainly won't put up with it at work, in a government building, or in the airplane. Restricting people from smoking in certain places is simply asserting the rights of the rest of everyone else to not have to breathe in smoke. Or to not stink when coming home from work or a restaurant. Or have their kids get lung cancer just because they want to go out for a meal. I personally don't think kids should ever be exposed to smoke in public places - which fits pubs/bars/clubs just fine because I don't want to see kids there at all.

By all means, smoke whenever it doesn't affect other people, or where it's accepted. Just don't whine about your health insurance premiums being more expensive, or not being able to do it anywhere and everywhere - freedom of choice comes with responsibility. You can take both or neither.

[NamPla]

Who's arguing?

I thought the issue was banning ciggies from pubs, or just banning it full-stop. **** that for a joke!

But anyway, I can see this easily turning political... politics shmolitics...

:P

[888888]

http://www.politick.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=321

[NamPla]

As for more damage is caused by the oil industries... That's primary school logic. "You can't blame me for this because Johnny's even badder..."

That's actually a very childish comment.

[Fandim]

1. After Sex.
2. After Breakfast.
3. After Lunch.
4. After Dinner.
5. Sitting at the computer.
6. Driving down the road.
7. While reading posts full of people who hate smokers.

Seth

[burnman99]

No, but don't mind if others do.

Rog

[glockjs]

i think every smoker in america will probably end up moving to vegas thats one place that will never ban smoking

but lately ive had to put up with this non smokers crap. the city of peoria, az is now all non smoking. all applebees, you cant even smoke on mill ave in tempe.

it's ok to drink yourself to death. it's ok to pop pills all day long. but forbid that I have a smoke. nothing left in this world but hypocrites. what im doing is non of your concern, but what your doing is all of my concern....that type of mentality kills me.

[Shocker Milwaukee]

Don't forget what nicotine does to your laser lenses - It's a real CD/DVD player killer!

/Mats

This is a fact. I'm in the business of smoke/water/fire restoration & my firm must disclaim the cleaning of most items within the smoke-damaged home of a nicotine user. Surfaces subjected to long-term exposure to nictotine (wallpaper, upholstery, etc.) cannot be cleaned to the degree that other surfaces can. Nicotine forms a very persistent film on most surfaces it contacts regularly.

[vitualis]

it's ok to drink yourself to death. it's ok to pop pills all day long. but forbid that I have a smoke. nothing left in this world but hypocrites. what im doing is non of your concern, but what your doing is all of my concern....that type of mentality kills me.

Again, primary school logic.

BTW, it generally isn't okay to drink yourself to death (most civilised countries have laws against serving someone alcohol who are inebriated), and it isn't okay to pop pills all day long (doctors who prescribe large amounts of drugs of dependence like opiates or benzodiazepines are generally investigated).



Regards.

[NamPla]

Banning smoking will just result in illegal cultivation, black markets, underworld crime... It's an hysterical knee-jerk reaction by hypocritical "moralists", without any logic, primary school or otherwise.

Do you suppose smokers are an uneducated lot who don't realize what they're doing is not too healthy? Of course not. But it's their damn choice, NOBODY ELSE'S!

More deaths are caused on the roads. Shall we ban automobiles?

That's not childish logic, it's a legitimate argument.

[vitualis]

Banning smoking from public places (specifically, pubs and restaurants).

And, IMHO, trying to justify one bad thing because "other people do bad things too and get away with it" is a childish argument. E.g., "why are you booking me for a speeding ticket when there are dangerous criminals out there"...

Just because there are other things that impact on public health (e.g., alcohol, other illicit drugs) doesn't mean that reducing the harm from cigarette smoking is a bad idea. In fact, it is a good one since it is relatively easy to implement AND it is a cause for a lot of morbidity and disease.

Regards.

[macleod]

I just quit last night. Just plain fed up with smoking. To the person who posted "whyquit.com", Thank you!

I was talking to my wife about some of the reading that I have been doing and some of the realizations that I have been having over the last few years (oddly enough right after my son was born). It just aint worth it.

I have too much responsibility to let something like smoking do me in. Yea, there is a 1 in X chance that I'l get hit by a car, die of something else, blah, blah, blah.

You know what, who gives a shit about odds. I know it is bad for me and it is amazing how the addiction makes you rationalize stuff.

Just wanted to vent a bit and think the person that posted why quit.com. Gotta be honest, that picture of the 32 yr old was something else.

[mats.hogberg]

I wish you luck! It's not easy, but well worth the months of hell before you, once you come out the other end. There are so many good side effects of not smoking (=bad effects of smoking, now missing) it's almost worth picking up smoking and then quit. You will be reborn a new person!

/Mats

[NamPla]

I just quit last night.

Ha ha, yeah I quit quite a few times, too... :P

Virtualis, what about personal responsibility? Society is built on an obsessive, hysterical insistence on nursemaiding its citizens. We have stupid signs such as "Mind Your Step". Warnings before TV programs. Our entire culture - which some may call "colourful" & "diverse", but which I see as lame & one-dimensional & superficial - is handed to us pre-packaged, filtered, sanitised. Everything caters for the lowest common denominator.

Anyway, I forgot where I was going with this... Better have another bong!

[MACCA350]

I dont see this as childish, and i take offence to people refering to us smokers as being childish when it comes to this subject

And, IMHO, trying to justify one bad thing because "other people do bad things too and get away with it" is a childish argument. E.g., "why are you booking me for a speeding ticket when there are dangerous criminals out there"...

This is another area that pisses me off (for those not living in Australia, our law enforcment braught in the bright idea of booking us if we are just 3Km over the limit). their whole attitude towards speeding fines is rediculous even they cannot guarantee that their radars are that accurate every time without fail. There are numerous reasons that undoubtably indicate that they are more interested in the revenue raised from such fines than the safety of road users and even the lowering of speed limits actually increased accident rates. And I don't give a shit what anyone says, If I have to spend more time now looking at my speedo than at the road, then I'm at a higher risk of having an accident than being 3 or 4Km over their limit and watching the road rather than the speedo. And yes there are many dangerous crim's and situations out there that they could deal with better with more manpower

Ok, what if they banned moterbikes from all streets, they are dangerous to others and themselves. If your not a bike rider you would probably be happy with that decision, but if you are a bike rider you'd be pissed about it too.

So where does the insanity stop, or are you happy to live in a "Pole Up The Arse" world like in 'Demolition Man' or 'Equilibrium'. All this boils down to is our FREEDOM OF CHOICE is being slowly chipped away.

Someone mentioned that smokers need to think about other people. Well this has become a one way street, what the hell happened to compromise, I see no compromise here. When has banning a group of people doing a non-illegal activity been a compromise . Many a time this kind ofaction has caused civil wars .

Goodnite all

[macleod]

found an interesting product and bought 2 at walgreens:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jhtml?CATID=100138&id=prod391489

For an under a pack marlboro light 100's ex-smoker, they did the trick for the habit part of smoking. Not too affected (yet) with nicotine withdrawl.


did feel a little silly sucking on a piece of plastic (as compared to sucking on a cig).