Smoking, is it a bad habit?

[shooter2]

I quit cigarettes over thirty years ago when I was up to three packs a day. No, it was not easy to quit so I decided to take up biking, i.e. pedaling, not just riding. The first week I could not get up the last hill to the house. I had to walk it up. Then I made the top. At the end of the first month I was up to 20 miles a day after work. Eventually and for a number of years afterwards, it was at twenty a day during the week and around fifty on Saturday. I lost weight, got some of my wind back and regained muscle tone. I did it for years and stayed quit of the cigarettes.

When I hit 75 a couple years ago I took up a pipe. I rarely have more than one pipe a day and sometimes go for days or weeks without a smoke. I do NOT inhale, just enjoy the process and the taste. Yeah, I know I get some nicotine in the process, but not all that much nor does it worry me. So, what do I like? 1Q is a regular tobacco on my bench. For good reason it is the country's #1 tobacco. I like Prince Albert and it's available everywhere. I also have Frog Morton on the Bayou and Frog Morton Across the Pond.

Opinions?

[RayinNH]

Smoking, is it a bad habit?
Probably unless your on fire.

I started smoking a pipe when I was in high school. I quit at 27 when my wife was pregnant with our first son. He is now 30. I enjoyed it as well and didn't inhale either. If and when I'm in my eighties I may go back to it. I still have all my pipes. It's probably no worse than a stiff belt of whiskey every night...Ray

[farmerjim]

20 years ago I was smoking 2 1/2 packs a day and ran 10 K every morning. I quit and gained 40 pounds and can't run 10 yards. I asked the Dr. if I would be better off to start smoking again, He said no, so I haven’t had a cigarette in 20 years. I still crave them every day.

[softpoint]

The effects of long term cigarette smoking have certainly been proven,IMHO, and I quit about thirty years ago myself. I am 62 and and I am in far better heath than I was when I quit. I've read of the long term effects of cigar and pipe smoking, even when the smoke isn't inhaled. Having said all that, I don't see why a pipe full of tobacco now and again would be big risk factor, anyway until you are 110 or so. I quit drinking all kinds of booze many years ago, but about 2 years ago began drinking a couple of ounces of good bourbon three or four times a week,I love the stuff, but I never abuse it. and I have had several relatives that lived into their upper 90's that did just that, and one of them smoked a pipe as well, although I don't know how much. Good pipe tobacco smells so good, it can't be all bad! even though I don't smoke it.

[Case Stuffer]

My Dad was a heavy smoker for well over 60 years. Whuile in his eighties he had to have vain surgery a coupl of times which meant a weeks stay in the Hostipal (no smoking) but as soon as we were outside the Hospital he demanded his cigerattes back and lite up. I asked his doctor abou6t this and he said ,look at 85 let him enjoy the years he has left. Two hip replacement ,two vine surgeries and at the tender age of 87 he died in a house fire . Those surgeries were the only times he was a patient in a hospital.

[koehn,jim]

Is smoking bad of course it is, but so is breathing polluted air. In L.A. we get the same amount of pollution in the summer as smoking a pack of cig. a day. I smoke a cigar a day but do not inhale, like with a pipe. My doctor would prefer that I did not but does not feel one is that bad, he does however approve of one drink a day, it is supposed to be good for circulation.

[WILCO]

Opinions?

Smoking a pipe is a lost art! Kudos for dabbling. If you don't have one, your going to want a miniature corn cob pipe. Great for a quick smoke while driving or walking. Easy to keep in the mouth while using two hands to fly fish or pouring a shot of bourbon.

Here's a link:

http://corncobpipe.com/index.php/smokingpipes/miniature-corncob-pipe.html

Carter Hall, Half-Half and Borkum Riff are good brands.

[swamp]

I have never smoked cigerettes. I did start with a pipe at about 14. Asked my dad to try his and he said go ahead. Think he figured it would make me sick and that would end it. I am still smoking a pipe and cigars. I am 62 this year. Don't smoke as much as I used to. I enjoy the ritual of the pipe and getting it to burn just right.

Yes, it is a filthy habit and if I didn't enjoy it so much I might quit. A pipe or cigar with a good scotch every so often is about the only vice i have left. Nobody to answer to but me.

swamp

[popper]

I have never seen any real statistics published showing it as a direct health related problem. Most of the people against it are blowing smoke you know where. The issue is similar to lead poisoning from casting. It definitely is hard on the pocket book anymore.

[blackthorn]

In 1959 I was smoking 2 large packs a day (50 cigarettes)! I cut back some and in 1977 I quit cold turkey! Havent had one since. Didn't notice any difference until I went hunting in the fall of 1978---man--what a difference!!! I could go all the way up the mountain ridge behind my cabin without stopping! The year before it took two rest periods to get there and I was puffing like crazzy! Best thing I ever did for my health! I am 74 now, and overweight, but my wind is good and I can still go up that hill---without stopping but a mite slower. Just one more comment---to those of you who don't inhale, unless you are backing up pretty fast while smoking you most certainly are inhaling the stuff!! Your call---best of luck!

[Ickisrulz]

Let's see...setting something on fire and breathing in the smoke? The first time you try smoking you get lightheaded and nauseous? Sounds like a good idea, what could be bad about it? No direct studies showing it's hazardous...are you kidding me???

[gandydancer]

I smoked three packs a day for over 32 years. five if I was drinking booze. cigars and a pipe. and inhaled them all.I quit all four cold turkey 30 years ago. and don't miss any of it. I must admit I like the smell of a pipe. and last year in Canada for two weeks I smoked 3 Cuban cigars and enjoyed them.

[swheeler]

I take my nicotine in the lip and swallow the wash, been doing it that way for some 48 years now. I have cut back a bunch, down to 3-4 cans a week from 2 per day, every once in a while I'll smoke a stogie and it does seem to wind me. If we gave up everything that was "bad" for us there wouldn't be much fun to living.

[Edubya]

I own and operate a cigar and pipe shop. We do not sell cigarettes or anything that could be drug paraphernalia. I smoked cigarettes, cigars and pipes over more than 40 years. I still smoke a pipe almost continually and will occasionally smoke a good cigar. I drink too much scotch and I'm a 67 year old curmudgeon that won't go to a doctor who tells me that smoking is gonna kill me. I expect to die from something some day so if it is something that I enjoy, so be it!
I believe in individual responsibility and the Constitution that says I have the right to seek happiness.

EW

[km101]

I never smoked cigarettes, didnt like the smell or taste, but I smoke a good cigar once to twice a week. My doctor says that I am increasing my chance of a heart attack by 30%, and recommends that I stop competely. I was considering quitting until I met him coming out of a tobacco shop that just opened in town. It was a case of "do as I say, not as I do".

Is it a bad habit? Only if you feel that it is! It's your body and your health. If you want to take a chance with it, it is your choice. Live your life as YOU choose.

[41 mag fan]

I used to smoke a pipe in high school......oops wrong type of pipe....disregard what i posted!!

[Bob Krack]

Good thread... I do NOT see how smoking a cigarette can be good for anyone. Having said that, I only recently stopped a 50 year long 3 pack (of non-filter) a day habit. The smell of my clothes and the smell of the cab of my truck was nearly nauseating. I truly enjoyed the habit (curse) and miss it terribly. Mine was a very unusual habit in as much as that I very seldom smoked before 2 or 3 hours after I got up. NEVER in the middle of the night (unless I just hadn't gone to bed yet).

Occasionally I would smoke pipe or cigar, but inhaled them all.

I smoked about twice as much when I was driving, and even more so when I was writing computer code.

I only miss it terribly when I sit down with the intention of "taking a break". I suppose 50 years of smoking at each and every break became ingrained.

I can only assume that different people are affected to different degrees based on their DNA? or something individual. I do, however, agree that it is a dirty nasty habit and felt that way for the last 30 years.

Hope I said something with that.

Bob

[454PB]

Any tobacco use is not good for your health. I started smoking cigarettes at the age of 12. I was a cement finisher in my teens to mid 20's, and all the finishers that used tobacco chewed Copenhagen, because they needed both hands free. I tried it, and got violently ill. My Dad used every form of tabacco.....chewed Copenhagen, smoked cigars, smoked a pipe, and smoked roll-your-owns. He got me started on the pipe, and anyone that has tried it knows that it takes some real commitment.

34 years ago, I quit cigarettes and the pipe. I went about 18 months, then started the pipe again. I've smoked one ever since, so nearly 50 years.

I've done aerobic work all my life, and I think that makes a difference.

When I visit my grandkids, I naturally have to go outdoors to smoke my pipe, and they love to go with me and "smell the pipe". I know I'm setting a bad example for them.

When my Dad was dying of Alzheimers at the age of 80, the amazing part was his good physical condition....after all those years of tobacco use in every form.

We're all gonna die of something, I want it to be something I enjoyed.

[smokemjoe]

Smoked a pipe from 12 years old until 30, quite in 1982, got 4 th. stag of lung cancer last year, beating it. Wife said its from melting all them greasie oily wheel wts.

[27judge]

I quit smoking cigs at 21 . I smoked cigars for 50 years .quit at 69 doctors orders . Ive had 25 different operations on my vascular system legs, neck, and heart. They tell me its from smoking and bad diet altho ive never been over weight until i quit smoking. Ive been off the cigars now for 5 years im 74 and boy do i miss my cigars and yes i still have vascular problems . oh well tks ken

[GARCIA]

Smoked for years and am still smoking. Started in 74 courtesy of the free cigarettes in the old military c-rations. Was able to run and do all that military stuff. Fast forward to 2009 and I end up in the freaking hospital and damn near died from a horrible bout of viral pneumonia. That did more damage to me than all those years of smoking. Now I am hooked up to oxygen 24/7. Really sucks to say the least. My hunting days are as good as over unless I can get my 4 wheeler to it. Has not slowed down my range time any but has acually increased it.

Tom

[Wal']

I'll admit it.........I'm a reformed smoker...........miss it every day......BUT

Smoking is related to about 419,000 deaths each year - American Cancer Society
Second hand smoke can cause up to 3,000 lung-cancer deaths a year and 30,000 deaths from heart disease. From the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Environmental Protection Agency says that : - burning tobacco is a cancer causing agent- smoke rising off a burning cigarette contains levels of 17 carcinogens (More dangerous than smoke the smoker inhales.)- tobacco also causes 12,000 non-lung cancer deaths in adults, 30,000 bronchitis and pneumonia cases in children under the age 18 months, and 8,000 to 26,000 cases of asthma in children each year.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that : cigarette smoke is responsible for more deaths each year than ones caused by AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, cocaine, crack, heroin, fires, homicide, and suicide combined.
Only 599 chemicals of the 700 that are really there were made public by tobacco companies. The rest were trade secrets. Eight of these concerned the FDA. they are methoprene (an insecticide), ammonia, ethyl furoate, and five food additives. Information provided by : Food and Drug Administration.
700 chemical additives are added to cigarettes, including pesticides, insecticides, and 13 additives that are inedible. Reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
INFACT says that : More than 300 teens in the U.S. become smokers every day.
People that work in sit-down restaurants that allow smoking face a 300-500% exposure rate than the average citizen in a smoking office. That is equivalent to smoking one and a half to two packs of cigarettes a day.
Nicotine has a poisonous insecticide manufactured by the tobacco plant. Insects that eat the leaves of that plant die, because the poison jams their communication system. Humans are bigger and it takes 60mg of nicotine to have the same effect. The average cigarette contains 1mg of nicotine.
Studies say African Amricans die from lung and throat cancer at a higher rate than whites.
China is the world's leading producer of tobacco.
Tobacco contains over 4,000 different chemicals.
Large doses of nicotine can cause a decrease in the production of urine.
The single largest preventable cause of premature death and disability in the United States is smoking.
The costs for medical cost for smoking related illnesses is $22 billion.
The economy losses $44 billion from lost productivity.
Once nicotine reaches the lungs, its effects reach the brain within six seconds - twice as fast as mainlining heroin.
Low tar and nicotine smokers have a mortality rate 16% lower than that of high tar and nicotine smokers.
At least 12 million people in the United States use smokeless tobacco, half of them are regular users.
Second-hand smoke causes about 2,400 lung cancer deaths a year.
Studies show that non-smoking wives with smoking husbands have a 35% higher risk of lung cancer opposed to women with husbands who don't smoke.
Five people die of smoking related deaths every six seconds.
Children are twice as likely to become smokers if they grow up in homes with parents who smoke.
Smoking causes 30% of all cancer deaths.
The five year survival rate for lung cancer is 10%
A pregnant woman who smokes two packs a day blocks off the equivalent of 25% of the oxygen supply to the fetus.
Expecting mothers who smoke experience more stillbirths, spontaneous abortions, premature births, and low weight babies than that of expecting mothers that don't smoke.
Cigarette smoking causes 75% of lung cancer cases among women, 85% among men, and 83% overall.

[jcwit]

I no longer smoke, haven't for years. But while we scoff at the governments findings about the dangers of lead, which BTW I believe are WAY overblown, and the dangers of many chemicals we are to take all the findings above as gospel.

There seems to be some logic missing here!

[2HighSpeed]

I'm a smoker :-( and I am very embarrassed of it. I started at 16 as a rebellious teenager. Quit when I got pregnant with my oldest at 20. And started again at age 31 when planning my wedding. I've seen and treated so many copd and emphysema paitents, it scares me. But as of yet haven't been able to kick the habit. I want to take those nicotine patches but our ins won't cover it unless I go through some class, and I don't want to sit in a room and listen to someone that's never smoked a day in thier life tell me how bad it is for me and how easy it is to quit. Hardheaded in that aspect. But I don't smoke around my kiddos, they are not permitted outside when I do smoke and I smoke about 5-6 cigerettes a day. Menthol, the worst kind for you

[WILCO]

I'm a smoker :-( and I am very embarrassed of it.)

Another victim of communist propaganda. Don't let them make you a third class citizen.

[Wal']

I no longer smoke, haven't for years. But while we scoff at the governments findings about the dangers of lead, which BTW I believe are WAY overblown, and the dangers of many chemicals we are to take all the findings above as gospel.

There seems to be some logic missing here!


While I very much doubt that the amount money spent on both the dangers of lead poisoning & cancer deaths would not even be in the same ball park.

Last time I checked there were not millions dying of lead addictive problems............but then again with our lot :)there should be.

[deltaenterprizes]

My wife works in a cardiac cath lab and not only does smoking affect the lungs, they get stiff and look like jerky, smoking affects the heart. There are chemicals in the smoke that cause plaque to adhere to the walls of the arteries causing blockages. Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor , which means it causes to get smaller causing high blood pressure and making the heart work harder.

[Charley]

Methoprene is NOT an insecticde, as was stated above, it is an insect juvenile hormone mimic. It does not kill, it simply disrupts proper growth patterns in juvenile insects. Mammalian toxicity is very slight, something on the order of 10 grams per kilogram of body weight before major symptoms begin.
Nicotine, OTOH, has been used as an insecticide for a couple hundred years. As with the methoprene, mammalian toxicity is fairly low.
Never have smoked, both my parents were heavy smokers. Listening to them hack and cough for 10 minutes every morning made me decide early on I was never going to go thru that! Father died of heart disease at 57, aggravated by smoking. Mother ended up with COPD. Everything has a price.

[btroj]

Smoking is horrible on the body. I despise smoking.

I do not, however, support much of the anti-smoking regulations out there. If people chose to smoke in their home or car, so be it.

I won't tell others how to live thier lives as I have no desire to let them tell me how to live mine.

[Reg]

Had a neighbor about 3 miles down the road, smoked non filtered Camels his whole life. You never saw Clarance without a Camel sticking out the corner of his mouth unless he was cutting wheat.
In a wheat field, there is NO smoking-- period.
Everyone said those &%$#* Camels would kill him and they finally did. He was 94

Quit smoking "coffin nails" about 40 some years ago but went to a pipe which I quit about 18 years ago. Still have excellent health but if it ever looks like the health would change I would go back to a pipe in a heart beat. You can't live forever and there is nothing in this world like the smell of a good bowl of Borkum Riff. Follow that around like a puppy !!!

[429421Cowboy]

I have to say, given the fact that i am on BP meds and have had two heart surgeries already in my short life, i cannot afford to take up cigarettes, that is a disgusting and compulsive habit that gets dang expensive after awhile, same as chewing Skoal or Cope like pretty much every other cowboy i know.
We just lost Miss K's grampa two weeks ago to lung problems from smoking since Vietnam, and my aunt was just put on the lung transplant list from smoking cigs, that right there is enough to keep you on the straight and narrow!

I do however enjoy a good cigar now and then, or especially a bowl of good pipe tobacco. That is something i enjoy socially or to relax while fishing with friends or after hunting, i only indulge once a month or so though, same as a nice plug of Red Man is something i enjoy while wrestling calves at brandings this time of year, and then i put it up till next year. I feel like it is too expensive to be a daily habit, and if i did it every day then it would take the enjoyment out of it.
I enjoy a good Backwoods Honey mild cigar for hunting, they smell about like candy and are smooth as a whistle, or on up to strong black Churchill size cigars for enjoying all night while fishing.
I started with cigars at about 15 because everybody i worked with on the ranch smoked and i wanted to be cool too, then when i got old enough to buy my own i really slowed down because it is expensive and no fun anymore. I have tried it all, roll your owns, nasal snuff, chew, cigars, pipe all of it and eventually you lose the buzz and its just a dirty habit. Lately if i think i want a smoke, i have been instead throwing a couple bucks in the reloading money jar with my spare change because i will get more enjoyment out of it in powder and lead.

[429421Cowboy]

P.S.

One thing i have always REFUSED to even be around is weed, i never have even had the desire to try it and while i don't consider it a major health risk, i just have always seen it as a low class thing that demotivates you and makes a bum out of many high school kids.
You may flame me for that, but at least i can sit on my porch and smoke a good bowl of tobacco then get up and want to do something productive, and look good doing it!

[Hickory]

Two big things happened to me in 1974. I parted company with my first wife and Joe Camel.
The law said that I must support the first, May pocketbook told me I could not support the second.

[Kull]

My grandfather died about eight years after having a stroke that was attributed to smoking. My mother started smoking while in the hospital. Mom was stressed out, doctor recommended cigarettes, Pa went and got a pack from the vending machine. That's how it started. It ended decades later with a heart attack, a surgery, a refusal to quit, another surgery, and finally a stroke. One of my first lasting memories is of this old man that used to come around in this really cherry F150 pickup. Always had half a dozen cartons of Camel non-filters on the dash, smoked like a chimney, and had COPD so bad he could barely walk. Met a guy yesterday coincidentally that just got released after suffering a heart attack. Heavy smoker, but admittedly a fatty high calorie junk food addict. So yeah it's bad. It's even worse when combined with bad eating habits, no exercise, genetic predisposition, etc, etc.

I smoke.

[jcwit]

While I very much doubt that the amount money spent on both the dangers of lead poisoning & cancer deaths would not even be in the same ball park.

Last time I checked there were not millions dying of lead addictive problems............but then again with our lot :)there should be.

What I'm bringing out is why on earth should I believe government studies?

The spin their numbers so as people should believe anything!

[smokemjoe]

Go throught 15 treatment of chemo once and then see what you think of smoking, I always said I would like to smoke my pipe again before I die, If I took one puff now I would be died. Friday I go to have sum of my lung taken out and then more later.

[EMC45]

I smoked cigs for about 15-16 years. Started buying them when I was 11. I enjoyed smoking a good bit. 2-3 packs a day enjoyment. Night clubbing and deploying with the Battalion all the time it kind of took the edge off. I quit smoking when my daughter was a baby. Didn't want my kids to see me smoking cigarettes. I have, however, taken up pipe smoking within the last 6-7 months. 1 bowl a day is about my average, sometimes 2, sometimes none. I enjoy the aromatic blends which lend themselves to a better flavor for more enjoyment. They also have a lower nicotine content as well. I enjoy 1Q (Yorkshire at my local shop), Celtic Vanilla and Amaretto. They are real sweet and enjoyable. Pipe smoking takes cadence and tempo, unlike a cigarette that you can "hotbox" and toss in a few minutes time. I like to slowly consume the tobacco in the bowl with meditative and contemplative thinking while counting squirrels in the yard or watching the kids ride bikes or climb the cherry tree in the yard. Is it safe? Most likely not. Casting bullets is not really safe, all things considered. Driving a car isn't either, nor is riding a bike. Get my drift? I know it is a lot more safe than cigarette smoking and cheaper. I don't inhale AT ALL. Just draw the smoke and roll it a bit in the mouth and exhale. Get done, wipe out the pipe and put it up. Done deal. For the record I have ZERO desire to smoke cigarettes ever again. I liken the smell of the smoke to stale urine in an unkempt urinal. I used to love the smell of cigarette smoke, now I can't stand it!!! Pipe smoke on the other hand is a different story.......

[btroj]

Thank you for a first hand account Joe. Wish all the best for you.

Smoking is a choice. We can do it or not do it. Your body, do to it what you wish. Just don't ever come crying to me when something had happens.

[44MAG#1]

If God had intended for a person to smoke he would have turned their nose up so it could act as a chimney.
So it must not be a good habit.

[pipehand]

Smoked two packs a day for 28 years. Took that long to get the morning smoker's cough. I didn't like it at all. Quit two years ago. Still like the smell of a freshly opened pack of Marlboro.

[scottiemom]

I have never seen any real statistics published showing it as a direct health related problem. Most of the people against it are blowing smoke you know where. The issue is similar to lead poisoning from casting. It definitely is hard on the pocket book anymore.

Please tell me you are kidding. DIRECT health problems related to smoking include but are not limited to heart disease, coronary artery disease, circulation problems, especially to the legs, COPD, emphysema, strokes, premature aging - the list goes on.

Not to mention the effects of the second hand smoke on your non-smoking family - which can cause just as many problems as if they smoked the things themselves. Some studies have shown second hand smoke may even be worse. Have I ever smoked? Not a chance-with both parents who were both three pack a day Salem smokers, I had my fill of 'em growing up.

Smoke if you want, too many consequences IMHO.

[Jim]

I have never seen any real statistics published showing it as a direct health related problem.....

Being shot is not a direct health related problem either. It's the holes caused by the bullets that are lethal.

[btroj]

Smoking has been shown to be hazardous to ones health. I would say it is more like eating lead based paint than it is like casting.

[plmitch]

I gave up smoking so I didn’t have to listen to by wife complain anymore, still miss it every day, now I just smoke salmon.

[btroj]

That a pretty tough on the salmon but it is tasty.

[dragonrider]

Not only is it a bad habit it is a dirty habit as well. everywhere one goes one steps on the remains of smokers. Sitting next to someone in a movie theater that smells like an ashtray is dusgusting. Or in a restaraunt is even worse, makes a good meal something less. I can't stand smoking, where in within my power I would eradicate it forever in civilised countries. Let the third world morons smoke themselvs to death. BTW I used to smoke, I quit 40 years ago when my two daughters pleaded with me to do so.

[mtnman31]

Smoking is no doubt a bad habit and bad for you. I've never been a tobacco user unless you count the second-hand smoke from my father.

Smoking no doubt affects everyone differently. My father smoked a pack or two a day and it showed. In his early 30's he was out of shape (even though he was in the military) and had a nasty smoker's hacking cough. My father in law, on the other hand, has smoked like a chimney since he was 15, worked as a welder in his younger years (before OSHA heavily regulated the workplace) and he is in relatively good health. He can't go run a marathon, but he can put in a hard days work and has no health problems. Smoking is undoubtedly bad for you, but individual factors play into what its impact is on everyone and no two people are alike.

[popper]

scottiemom - I'll try to be polite. Get your list of health agencies reports that show health issues related to smoking. Then look at them in detail and see how many of the problems are related to LIFE STYLE problems like obesity, alcohol, sedentary, etc. Don't show those details do they? I'm counting on my thumb the number of people I know that have cancer, diabetes, heart problems, etc - that smoked EVER. He also drank himself to death. And I'm an old man, have known a lot of people. It's like global warming and gun control - all emotions. Get your FACTS straight, but you have a right to your OPINIONS. I've smoked since 14 and I don't like sitting in a smoke filled (or dust filled, as that has the same effect) room. No, I can't run a race, my knees are shot due to physical abuse, not smoking. I respect others and smoke where it doesn't bother them. I will repeat - there are NO real research studies that link health problems to smoking alone. Period. Global warming(and cooling) was been well documented 40 yrs ago from Iceland ice core samples. It does exist - so what are we able to do about it? Absolutely NOTHING.

[DxieLandMan]

10 years ago you would never have found me around any kind of smoking. After a tour overseas, I picked up smoking a cigar at the end of each day. Now if I am outside working, I may have a couple. Maybe even another that evening with a scotch. My wife does not mind it and I do not smoke in the house. Is it bad? I think there are other things that may be worse off for you but to each his own.

[gunfan]

I quit cigarettes more than two decades ago. I don't miss them. If I'm at the bullfights in Tijuana, I may have a "breakfast cigar" but more than likely, I won't. I don't miss smoking. The expense, the stench on my clothing the deleterious effects on my health... No, I don't miss it at all. I don't miss alcohol much either. I want to stay as healthy as I can without the use of any more alcohol, drugs, etc.

Scott

[plmitch]

I don't think the old guy would hand them out if they wasn't safe for us.

62604

[popper]

plmitch - Good one. Back in the 60s when they did real tests, Camel unfiltered was the least contaminating for nicotine & tars of any brand, measured in a smoking machine with chemical analysis as part of the report. I think Chesterfield was the worst, next to the flavored varieties. So when, according to those test reports, your employer gives you a 5 min 'smoke break', they are really trying to make you sick. The byproducts are heavily influenced by burn rate. Hope scottiemom isn't upset by my earlier comment. My point was that you can't isolate the effects of smoking on people and any 'report' that does is bogus. Any reference to such a report is therefore also bogus.

[rockrat]

Mom smoked. I couldn't stand the smell, but could never get her to quit. She was 42 and caught a cold. Went to pneumonia and killed her in two weeks. Night before she died, I had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be her last day. I was a freshman in college, 18 at the time, and went to my grandparents house for lunch. When I walked in the door, I knew she was gone.

Autopsy showed her lungs full of junk from smoking. She didn't have a chance

Guess what I think of someone smoking!!

[MT Gianni]

I don't care for the odors left on my clothes when I am around smokers. If they are friends I have no problems putting up with it. A retired vet told me he did an autopsy his last year of vet school on a cat. He was required to kill it himself and administered one drop of pure nicotine from an eyedropper onto the tounge. Death was within 15 seconds and he still smoked for another 20 years.

[scottiemom]

scottiemom - I'll try to be polite. Get your list of health agencies reports that show health issues related to smoking. Then look at them in detail and see how many of the problems are related to LIFE STYLE problems like obesity, alcohol, sedentary, etc. Don't show those details do they? I'm counting on my thumb the number of people I know that have cancer, diabetes, heart problems, etc - that smoked EVER...

I have worked in healthcare for the last 35 years - I read medical records every day and I see first hand the results of smoking and everything else we all seem to put our bodies through. I have also been a Tumor Registrar and worked with the cancer docs and pathologists. I know what I know, and I know what I know to be true. I can't change your mind, I wish I could. I hate to see good lives cut short or have to live with a decreased quality of life. We can agree to disagree on this topic.

[btroj]

Isn't smoking a life style choice?

As a pharmacist I see many people with emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Don't know too many with emphysema who were not smokers. Have never spoken to any who blamed it on anything other than smoking.

[garandsrus]

I would ask my mother-in-law, a lifelong smoker, for her thoughts about smoking but she died from lung cancer two years ago.

A friend, another lifelong smoker, has had lung cancer for the past three years. I don't think he will be around to hunt this all. He has taken a turn for the worse.

[km101]

"I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way." - Robert Frost, 1935

[geargnasher]

Mac Baren's latikia blend is absolutely heaven.

When I quit a pack a day of Camels after 13 years (and occasional pipe, how I started), I kept a potpurri warmer full of Sail or Borkum Riff on the coffee table. I could almost stand to not smoke as long as I could smell the tobacco, weird but true. I still miss my Camels every day even though I finally got over all the ritual habits of a life lived between smoke breaks. Dad quit dipping and smoking Prince Albert nearly 20 years ago and says he still misses it almost constantly, not very encouraging. We are all different both psychologically and physiologically when it comes to chemical/emotional addiction.

BTW, it took me two years to lose the 25 lbs I gained two months after quitting, but I look back on pics of me when I was a smoker and I looked older then, and looked pale and sick too. I actually tried smoking a cigarette a few months ago and after two drags and a coughing fit I crushed it out, that really did it for me, dadgum things aren't nearly as good as I remembered them being. It's the nicotine and the ritual I miss, not sucking in lungfulls of acrid, stinking cigarette smoke.

Gear