Smoking: Whys and Wherefores?

[Boozy]

"Why do I smoke? Well, I have a heart condition. By smoking and cloging up my lungs, I am trying to stimulate the heart to working harder, thereby trying to renew itself more. In essence, I am smoking to improve my health.

Your friend doesn't understand what smoking is doing to his heart. It reduces the amount of oxygen that can get to his heart. This causes a racing sensation, but despite what he believes, this isn't the same as getting his heart to "work harder" as if he were on a treadmill. His heart is struggling to deliver enough blood to his limbs, and it's being overworked 24 hours a day.

Perhaps the most dangerous part about smoking is that vastly increases the heart's blood-clotting tendency, putting him at high risk for heart attacks and strokes. Smokers are more likely to die of heart diseases than any cancer.

To address another point I often see raised: Most smokers believe that smoking "calms them down." In reality, most ex-smokers find that they are much more relaxed after having quit. The half-life of nicotine in the bloodstream is about 30 minutes. Since most smokers can't and don't smoke every 30 minutes, their bodies are in almost constant, low-grade withdrawal. They feel calmer after having smoked because they have relieved those withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine acts as a depressant for those who are not addicted, but most regular smokers are addicted. Once addicted, any chemical ups or downs the drug used to give you are absent. The good feeling a smoker feels when drawing on a cigarette comes from the relief of withdrawal.

I started smoking when I was a teenager because I wanted to look cool. I became addicted very quickly, and it took me nearly 12 years to quit. I can only speak for myself and others close to me, but in my experience, if anyone gives you a reason other than "I am addicted to nicotine" for why they continue to smoke, you're not getting their logical minds. An addicted brain is very clever at convincing ourselves that we're smoking for good reasons instead of just plain-old addiction.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm not addicted; not everyone who smokes is addicted, you know. Before you start screaming "OMG it's Cleopatra!", I class myself as a social smoker, meaning that I can go weeks, months even sometimes if my shifts suck and I don't get a chance to go out without smoking. I'm not hooked on anything. I'm also sure I'm not unique.

[Cat]

I very rarley smoke cloves ( I know they are terrible, I don't need to hear that again...and I usually don't inhale them) I only smoke 'em in the fall (they taste like fall) or when I am drinking at my friends' place (they are heavy smokers)

I have half a pack in my car now, I could go smoke 'em, but have no desire to, though I won't throw 'em out....I'll just keep them....in case

[Norton]

I quit smoking in December after having smoked regularly for 5-6 years. First off, quitting was remarkably easy for me. I bought a big box of Nicorette gum because I expected the worst, but ended up throwing all but a few pieces away. After two or three days, I didn't need it. I still crave a cigarette now and then, but not to the point where I'm tempted to actually buy a pack. I also feel as if I could start smoking again today and quit again with no problem tomorrow.

I had my first cigarette as a teenager. A friend simply offered me one - no pressure or anything. I was always curious why people indulged in such a stigmatized habit and wanted to see for myself. I smoked for a few months before getting caught by my parents and gave it up until my early twenties.

I miss some of the social aspects of smoking. It gave me something deliberate to do with my hands which made me feel less awkward around other people. Plus it showed my hands - one of my best features - off.
I generally feel out-of-place at social gatherings. Going out for a smoke gave me a reason to temporarily distance myself from the party, often while finding some camaraderie with the other smokers since we were generally "banished" outdoors or to one small area.

Lastly, I guess I have what Freud would call an "oral fixation". I'm most comfortable while eating, drinking, or smoking. I always worried that my weight would skyrocket if I quit smoking, but I actually lost a few pounds in the months since I've quit.

[Flyndaran]

Smoking is dumb. It's an addiction that required the user to do something stupid ie. start smoking. Overeaters don't do something stupid first. Because of genetics and/or depression they overeat and never had the choice to start or not to start. Bad comparison everyone.

Overeating hurts only the eater, unless you believe in second hand obesity.

Because everyone has the right to make mistakes and do something dumb once in a while, I would never insult strangers about their bad habits... Unless it affects me of course.

[Flyndaran]

...
3. Same as blas; people telling me it's bad for me. I just want to shout "O Fucking RLY? I never knew that before you told me!" I know it's bad for me. So is eating fatty foods, driving, drinking alcohol and eating sweets. Big deal.

I didn't know that the occasional beer or chocolate bar caused cancer, emphysema, heart disease, etc.

Come on, you're comparing firecrackers to atmoic bombs.

[Rapscallion]

I didn't know that the occasional beer or chocolate bar caused cancer, emphysema, heart disease, etc.

Come on, you're comparing firecrackers to atmoic bombs.

Then let's compare like with like. 'An occasional' does not equate to a habit of - for example - twenty a day. Twenty chocolate bars a day would lead to an increased risk of heart disease, and twenty beers a day would lead to alcoholism and an increased chance of cirrhosis of the liver. Even half that number in either case is pretty serious.

I'm against smoking in general, but I'm also against arguments without merit.

Rapscallion

[BlaqueKatt]

Overeaters don't do something stupid first. Because of genetics and/or depression they overeat and never had the choice to start or not to start.

Gee by my genetics and having previously suffered from depression I get a free pass to overeat-sweet!!!

Oh wait-I take personal responsibility for my actions and don't blame "genetics" for my CHOICES.

sorry when my sister was hungry she CHOSE to make herself 2 14 inch pizzas and eat them in one sitting-daily-and then eat a full pint of ice cream not 20 minutes later-just like I choose to smoke, just like some people choose to drink.

My parents were: obese(mother was over 400 pounds at one point), alcoholics, and smokers-and bad parents(but that's neither here nor there-just throwing that in).

statisticly I have:
a 37% chance of becoming a smoker(twice as likely to start smoking)
a 70% chance of becoming an alcoholic(4 times as likely to abuse alcohol)
and an 80% chance of becoming obese


so if as you say "overeaters can't help it because of genetics"-I should be overweight(I'm not), an alcoholic(Also negative), and a smoker(yup).

And why not? Well because I made the CHOICE to not overeat.
I made the CHOICE to not drink.
I made the CHOICE to start smoking.

see what I did there-it's called personal responsibility-and sorry if alcoholism is a "disease"(I really don't think it is) they should get more of a pass than people who overeat-but they don't-why is that? Oh yeah because they made the CHOICE to start drinking.

[AdminAssistant]

I know alcoholism is a disease - I've seen its effects, thank you very much.

[blas87]

So what do we call the cigarette abusers then?

[Greenday]

So what do we call the cigarette abusers then?

Smokers...

[blas87]

That is so boring. How about smokaholics?

[Greenday]

Smokaholic does have a ring to it...

[RecoveringKinkoid]

That is so boring. How about smokaholics?

Hehehehe....never thought I'd get a genuine smile out of a smoking thread. Blas managed to trigger one, though.

[blas87]

I tend to have my moments.....glad I can put a smile on someone's face!