NationStates Jolt Archive

Do you smoke? And Im not talking weed I'm talking about cigs. I do but only when I drink so I'm not really hooked on them. That said I could really use one right now so I decided to start this thread. And there will be a poll

Do you smoke? And Im not talking weed I'm about cigs. I do but only when I drink so I'm not really hooked on them. That said I could really use one right now so I decided to start this thread. And there will be a poll

Really? You sound so stoned though.

No, and I’m of the opinion that all tobacco products are disgusting. I don’t think they should be banned or anything, but I’d prefer that people I know don’t use them around me as a sign of respect.

I don't like the idea of smoking (I've never had a cigarette), and I don't like it when people smoke around me.

Hey, Soviestan, you left off my poll option: No, but I wish I still did.

Hey, Soviestan, you left off my poll option: No, but I wish I still did.

sorry, I didnt think people would really have that problem. If you want to go back to smoking, why don't you?

I can't stand people who smoke. I make hacking coughing noises when people smoke near me.

If people want to slowly kill themselves, fine. Just don't go crying to the taxpayer funded health system when you get cancer. Or asthma. or heart disease, or...

why smoke? why poison yourself?

it's just stupid and lacks benefits moreover it's way too expansive.

if people knew how to use their own heads no one would smoke.
And the reasons for (starting) smoking are just ridiculous!

I can't stand people who smoke. I make hacking coughing noises when people smoke near me.

If people want to slowly kill themselves, fine. Just don't go crying to the taxpayer funded health system when you get cancer. Or asthma. or heart disease, or...

I typicly try to respect people who don't smoke as long as they give me the respect of not opening their mouths about it. But when people are just trying to be pricks about it like you, I make a it a point to exhale a large puff right in their faces.

Cigarettes: only socially; I'd never pay for my own.
Cigars: I genuinely enjoy, but what with the expense I only have one about once a month.
Weed: Sometimes.

i do not smoke, but if i did i would certainly buy this shirt.

http://store.bureaucrashcontraband.com/sf1t.html

it reads, "smoking is healthier than fascism."

sorry, I didnt think people would really have that problem. If you want to go back to smoking, why don't you?

Because my wife says I can't, and I like being married. Giving up my death sticks is a small price to pay for continued wedded bliss. :D

I currently have no suicice wish, so no, I don't smoke.

I only cough when I'm forced to breathe it in, as IT MAKES ME COUGH. If I cough and someone deliberately breathes a big puff all over me, I'll cough all over them, probably with a bit of spit - it's not like they should care anyway, they'll be dead soon enough.

You wanna smoke, fine, your choice. But you have no right to kill other people by deliberately smoking near them. If you do the latter, you're a murderer.

and it's not like smoking even looks "cool" any more: it looks stupid (sticking a little white thing in your gob and sucking it), and makes you smell worse than cat's piss

Meh, when I was still smoking I always went out of my way to go downwind from non-smokers. Every once in a while someone would walk up to me and get in range, then complain. I have little sympathy for that.

Once, I was drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette away from everyone else of course, and reading a newspaper. A lady walked up to me and said, "You know those things will kill you." I said, "No, my driving will kill me long before that." She didn't care much for that response.

No i don't smoke but i am hot.:p :rolleyes:

You wanna smoke, fine, your choice. But you have no right to kill other people by deliberately smoking near them. If you do the latter, you're a murderer.

My ass. No court in the world would convict someone of murder for smoking in public. I realize that, as a self-righteous anti-smoker, you feel compelled to make pointless exagerrations to further spread the Holy Message that God has given you, but do try to refrain from making a total ass of yourself in the process.

Smoking elevates risk of cancer. So do automobile emissions. I don't see you on a street corner, calling everyone who drives by a "murderer," do you? Now maybe that's because the two situations are entirely different - tobacco produces carcinogens, which kill, while cars produce carcinogens, which produce happy happy love-muffins - but I think it's because even you would feel pretty stupid calling people murderers for basically no reason.

No, its way too expensive, if I wanted to lace my body with carcinogens I would just drink from the detroit river.

You didn't provide an option for former smokers, people who've quit. "No, that's gross" doesn't quite cut it for me, because while I don't smoke, I don't consider it overly gross.

And having quit in January, I still think about it almost every day.

And there will be a pollOh! Oh, goody! It's got me all giddy and excited already! :D

I wish people wouldn't smoke. I can't stand hearing people bitch about it.

Very, very rarely. I haven't touched anything burning for over six months, prior to that I hadn't touched anything for three months previous.

And both of those times my stomach felt incredibly upset.

Smoking is for suckers. :D

i have made the choice not to smoke or chew and that is purely my own choice. as long as people dont try to preasure me into smoking when they are smoking around me, i dont mind if they smoke around me. if a room gets a little too smokey for me i leave. it is pretty damn simple.

Only cigars, a hookah from time to time and a pipe.

Cigarettes give you lung cancer. The rest of these are completely cancer-free.*










*This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. Results may vary.

Mmmm cigars -drools-

I love the Acid Kuba Delux :)

I've smoked socially a few times (both normal and weed) but i've stopped now mainly because i'd feel bad in my current career path if i continued

Mmmm cigars -drools-

I love the Acid Kuba Delux :)

Ah yes, my roommate tried that one. I wasn't so sure about a cigar named 'acid.'

I mainly smoke my very old, very dry and yet strangely still very delicious H. Uppmann Cubans, that and Cohibas.

I've been known to have a smoke on occasion, cigarette, cigar, pipe, whatever really. I don't really make a habit out of it and haven't smoked a thing for about 6 months now, but I wouldn't turn it down if offered.

And no, I don't give a shit if people smoke around me. The dangers of "passive smoking" have been wildly exaggerating by anti-smoking crusaders and are largely bullshit. The smell might be unpleasant at times, but I'll take tobacco smoke over petrol exhaust any day.

Only if I'm on fire.

Your poll forgot "No but I used to."

I does not. That is all.

Your poll forgot "No but I used to."

I think theres a way to edit the poll, but Im not sure how.

I think theres a way to edit the poll, but Im not sure how.

I believe it's under thread tools

you idiots smoking is healthy. in every way, with NO side effects.



hey if people can deny the holocaust never happened or that 9/11 never did, i can say that as much as I want.

I believe it's under thread tools

I thought so too, however no luck

IMS, only mods can edit polls.

I don't find smoking gross, but I would rather not become addicted to anything, so I doubt I'll ever try it. And I like breathing.

Nope. My throat and lungs are worth way too much for me to smoke. I've literally invested thousands in them.

I've never felt even a tiny temptation to smoke, given that not only am I massively allergic to cigarette smoke, I'm also a singer by trade. I need my respiratory system!

I've never felt even a tiny temptation to smoke, given that not only am I massively allergic to cigarette smoke, I'm also a singer by trade. I need my respiratory system!

Exactly. I'm planning on going into musical theatre as a career, and I can't imagine the damage smoking would do to that aspiration.

Exactly. I'm planning on going into musical theatre as a career, and I can't imagine the damage smoking would do to that aspiration.

nothing. Smoking isn't as bad for you as people think, especially in moderation.

nothing. Smoking isn't as bad for you as people think, especially in moderation.

Yeah, throat cancer and lung disease is going to look great on my resume...

Cigarette and pipe smoker here, and dipper/chewer when I get the chance as well.

No. I don't smoke. In my lifetime I have had exactly two cigarettes and two cigars. I wasn't impressed. :p

If I could give it up with no effort and never want one again, I would. But it's too much effort and I enjoy smoking. With my family genes I'll probably die of something else long before smoking does me in.

I've never smoked before, and I don't ever intend to smoke.

Exactly. I'm planning on going into musical theatre as a career, and I can't imagine the damage smoking would do to that aspiration.

Indeed. A singer smoking would be about as intelligent as a runner whacking themselves in the knees with a hammer.

Good luck with pursuing musical theatre - that's a hard career to make a living in, but it's sure fun if you manage it! :)

nothing. Smoking isn't as bad for you as people think, especially in moderation.

Nobody smokes in moderation. Smoking in moderation is a cigarette once in a while on special occasions. A pack a day, or even half of a pack a day is not moderation.

Yeah, throat cancer and lung disease is going to look great on my resume...

it would take you YEARS to develop them and by then we will all be dead from a nuclear war.

nothing. Smoking isn't as bad for you as people think, especially in moderation.

Nose jobs aren't that bad for you, but singers tend to avoid them, too. Regardless of all the other health effects of smoking, it absolutely does dry out one's vocal cords, which is both intrinsically bad for them and can increase the chances of severely damaging them. You don't screw with your instrument. That's common sense.

I smoke, but only when I am really high.

I might smoke otherwise, but I have no money to support a cigarette habit.

EDIT: I just remembered, any time when I am fucked up on anything, I suppose. I just remembered that time I went through like...a pack and a half when I was on acid. Over like...three hours, maybe four.

When people ask do you smoke?
Well I wonder if I smoke, I mean yes I do but I don't constantly smoke! I don't even smoke daily, I just smoke one cigarette or a cigar when I feel like it. I don't walk around with yellow teeth and smelling of nicotine, which is disgusting.

In my conditions I like smoking, try to care for other people by respecting in very close quarters but only to a degree. I don't give a damn if at the other side of a large room someone is imitating being choked to death just by looking at me smoke. At drinking table I don't care at all because I'm usually with friends and we all drink and smoke merrily :D

No, I don't smoke.

Pipe and cigar only

Yes, I do smoke, albeit better knowledge and intention.

Working on quitting, so far I've managed to quit every day. Hard part is not to start again - which usually happens the latest sometime during the afternoon when I get really jittery without my nicotine...

What I'd really need is a nice XX(X) distraction who doesn't smoke.

Don't smoke, never have, have no desire to, and think it should be banned.

I don't smoke and I probably never will because of the health issues. Besides, smoking would be too expensive for me anyways. Maybe its a little weird, but sometimes I actually enjoy the smell of cigarettes.

Don't smoke, never have, have no desire to, and think it should be banned.

What a genius idea. What next? What else shall we ban? Cars? Mobile Phones? Fast Food? Pet animals? All of them can kill you and be bad for your health.

I will not touch cigarettes but I will smoke a good cigar once a month or so.

well if I'm drunk or under even the smallest amount of peer pressure in other words as long as I'm not paying :p

never take it back though because it looks so fucking cool when I don’t:cool:

I only smoke when I'm pretty drunk. I never even have a pack of cancer sticks on me, so it's usually when someone else has a pack and I'm in a bar or something like that.

The taste is awful, but then, drinking dulls your sense of taste so that, in my case, anyway, I can chug Jagers at an astonishing rate, which I would not do unless I've already had several beers.

So in general, I don't smoke, I don't carry them around, but when I'm drunk and everyone's doing it...

No. Never have, never will. But why would I say it's "gross"? o.O

No. I used to smoke socially, for about a year when I was in high school. Out for drinks, have a cig, go dancing; it was the normal course of events. These days I smoke very rarely, it probably adds up to about a pack a year.

I started smoking "socially" when I was 17 or 18...just every so often while I was drinking, perfectly innocent. Then, one night, when I was drunk, I actually BOUGHT a pack...and that did it. It took me about a month to get through that first pack, but once I did, I had to go buy another...then another...My rate of consumption was increasing, yet it seemed so gradual...until my little cough turned into raging bronchitis, and the doctor asked me how much I smoked.

"Only...a pack a day," I told her, startled. I hadn't realized that I was smoking that much...but I had lost quite a bit of weight from making the two mile trek from my dorm room to the nearest liquor store on a daily basis.

So I've smoked for around four years now, smoking a little more than a pack a day at my worst. I'm down to only 7 or 8 a day now...but I cannot cut back more than this. I've quit a few times, and it lasts for maybe a day...until I start fixating on the idea of never having another cigarette, and how I could easily just have one more pack, and that wouldn't hurt anything, because how the hell am I supposed to get through an 8 hour shift at Starbucks without a cigarette!?

And then I buy a pack of my precious, evil Camel Lights 99. And it begins again.

There's no moral to this story, except that...I know it's bad for me, and expensive, and stupid. I really do. But nothing that any self-righteous stranger says to me is going to do anything to help me quit, and no government warning is going to do anything but make me feel guilty. It has to come from me. And I'm not there yet.

Pack a day smoker, don't mind doing it. The only reason I'd want to quit is from a lack of money - I don't really care about the 'OH MY GOD, YOU'RE GONNA DIE!1!!1eleven!!1' responses. We're all gonna die.

I'm respectful of non-smokers. I never smoke indoors, period. I ask people around me if they mind me smoking before I light up. If anyone objects, I move away or don't start. I stand downwind of people if I'm not sure of their status as a smoker or non-smoker. Things like that. A little old lady thanked me one day for moving away from her while I was smoking. I'm 5'11", 20, male, have long hair, and a lip ring - slightly intimidating for an older woman, I would imagine. I was quite surprised.

But yeah, the three big things that cheese me off?

One, the people who are like 'Well, if you choose to smoke, you shouldn't have the right to use our taxpayer-funded health services!' (I'm Canadian.) To me, that pretty much says 'Well, if you choose to drive, you shouldn't have the right to use our taxpayer-funded health services!' or 'If you choose to play hockey, you shouldn't have the right to use our taxpayer-funded health services!' In both cases, you accept the (quite likely) risk of injuring yourself, possibly critically (and expensively).

Two, the people who say things like 'That's going to kill you, you know'. ... No shit, really? My responses tend to be along the lines of 'I sure hope so - otherwise, why am I paying $10 a day?' If they're gonna be stupid, I can mock them.

Three, the people who make sure to stand near me and then do that 'fake cough' or proceed to complain about cigarette smoke as if I'm not there. Generally, I manage to resist the impulse to blow more smoke at them... but not always.

Long story short, I respect people until they disrespect me, and that includes the times when I'm indulging my self-destructive habits.

No. Never have, never will. But why would I say it's "gross"? o.O

Because most people who dont think its gross, at least those I've talked to. And for some reason alot of people freak out whenever they are near smoke as if being around it for a few minutes is really going to kill them.

Nope. I have better things to do then waste time, money, and health.

I smoke a bit...I can take it or leave it, sometimes go weeks without a cigarette, then have a night when I smoke a packet when I'm out. I smoke during the day a fair bit, when I fancy one. Been doing it for about 5 years.

Never felt a single craving for a cigarette....always just thought "ach, sure, might as well have a wee ciggy". I enjoy smoking, but in the same way as I enjoy having a drink; there's no addiction, I just enjoy it.

Do you smoke? And Im not talking weed I'm talking about cigs. I do but only when I drink so I'm not really hooked on them. That said I could really use one right now so I decided to start this thread. And there will be a poll

I voted other... because No, it's gross really isn't my answer.

It would be No, for I grew up with a smoker and I hated it.

I voted other... because No, it's gross really isn't my answer.

It would be No, for I grew up with a smoker and I hated it.

was only one of your parents a smoker?

What a genius idea. What next? What else shall we ban? Cars? Mobile Phones? Fast Food? Pet animals? All of them can kill you and be bad for your health.
All of them also serve a purpose. The only purpose of smoking is to be anti-social and cost taxpayers money when we have to sort out your mouldy lungs.

All of them also serve a purpose. The only purpose of smoking is to be anti-social and cost taxpayers money when we have to sort out your mouldy lungs.

but think of the taxes! We tax tabbaco products loads and then use that money to sort out the lungs, its win win! Except the smoker, but then (s)hes stupid for starting in the first place

smoking is not good

I am severely allergic to tobacco smoke. As in "cough so hard my throat bleeds" allergic.

it would take you YEARS to develop them and by then we will all be dead from a nuclear war.

Not that many years. People in their 20s who smoke have been shown their black lungs on X-rays. I'm 23. I don't wanna die at 43 or earlier from murderous passive smokers.

My ass. No court in the world would convict someone of murder for smoking in public. I realize that, as a self-righteous anti-smoker, you feel compelled to make pointless exagerrations to further spread the Holy Message that God has given you, but do try to refrain from making a total ass of yourself in the process.

Smoking elevates risk of cancer. So do automobile emissions. I don't see you on a street corner, calling everyone who drives by a "murderer," do you? Now maybe that's because the two situations are entirely different - tobacco produces carcinogens, which kill, while cars produce carcinogens, which produce happy happy love-muffins - but I think it's because even you would feel pretty stupid calling people murderers for basically no reason.

I don't care what the law actually says (I'm sure most people would agree it's an ass anyway), if you deliberately kill other people for no good reason (eg. direct self-defence in which they end up dead), you're a murderer - which means people who deliberately smoke near others are murderers. You seem to have an attitude that automatically hates non-smokers, whatever their view, just because you smoke - you called me self-righteous and suggested that I am trying to spread some message that I think is from God, when I actually support people's right to smoke, but simply don't support a supposed "right" to do whatever you want just to make yourself feel good even if it adversely affects other people.

And the whole "there are other pollutants" argument is a stupid one. There's not much I can do about cars unless I decide to live in an area where there are virtually none, but smokers CAN smoke without deliberately doing it near other people, wheras considering the fact that roads are so close to pavements [sidewalks], car drivers HAVE to drive near other people - they don't have a choice about it if they need to get somewhere fast, smokers do.

No. I'd never smoke. People can if they want but they sholdn't expect too much sypathy if the get lung cancer ect...

no. I just can't stand tobacco smoke.

Do you smoke? And Im not talking weed I'm talking about cigs. I do but only when I drink so I'm not really hooked on them. That said I could really use one right now so I decided to start this thread. And there will be a poll

i quit a few months ago. hardly get any cravings now but i never disliked smoking, i just couldn't afford it anymore plus i didn't like how unhealthy i was feeling at the time.

Not that many years. People in their 20s who smoke have been shown their black lungs on X-rays. I'm 23. I don't wanna die at 43 or earlier from murderous passive smokers.

Interesting since black is generally the colour you want your lungs to be on Xray

Because most people who dont think its gross, at least those I've talked to. And for some reason alot of people freak out whenever they are near smoke as if being around it for a few minutes is really going to kill them.

The smoke from a single cigarrette paralyses the cilia (things that brush mucus up to your throat) for several hours which allows all the carcinogens to remain in contact with the respiratory surface. Not a huge deal if its one cigarette but it still raises your risk

if you deliberately kill other people for no good reason (eg. direct self-defence in which they end up dead), you're a murderer - which means people who deliberately smoke near others are murderers.

You're being a melodramtic idiot. You're equating being around cigarette smoke with being murdered. Have you been around a cigarette smoker, on the street? I'm surprised you got out alive - cuz you know, you should be dead. How did you manage? What with 22 percent of the population being murderers, murdering people every day, I'm surprised the body count isn't higher.

You seem to have an attitude that automatically hates non-smokers, whatever their view, just because you smoke - you called me self-righteous

No, I hate the view you are putting forth that cigarette smoking = murder. You'd probably call it rape too if that suited your propaganda ploy/hypochondria.

I could say the same thing about those who drive cars. And the only thing you'd have to wave in the face of your own argument is, "but cars are necessary!" like that's an excuse even if it were always true.

And the whole "there are other pollutants" argument is a stupid one. There's not much I can do about cars unless I decide to live in an area where there are virtually none,

But you don't call people who drive cars, murderers. Why not?

but smokers CAN smoke without deliberately doing it near other people,

And non-smokers CAN deliberately move away. But I rather think your definition of "near other people" is going to be so broad as to mean, within sight, sound or radar range.

wheras considering the fact that roads are so close to pavements [sidewalks], car drivers HAVE to drive near other people - they don't have a choice about it if they need to get somewhere fast, smokers do.

Oh, so it's okay to murder people as long as you have to get somewhere fast?

And everyone driving, does so because they HAVE to? They couldn't use a more environmentally-friendly means of transportation? Or even carpool? And just where are they going that they have to get there so fast, anyway? The pub?

Or maybe, just maybe, putting forth smoke emissions is not murder. I mean really, where do you stop if you go around like that. Abortion is murder. Then wearing certain types of perfumes. Flatulence becomes a crime against humanity.

I do not smoke

I can't stand people who smoke. I make hacking coughing noises when people smoke near me.

If people want to slowly kill themselves, fine. Just don't go crying to the taxpayer funded health system when you get cancer. Or asthma. or heart disease, or...

You forgot to mention that most countries with a tax-funded healthcare system would collapse without the exhorbitant amounts of cigarette taxes we pay into it.

Which would stuff you getting the hip op you need when you get older. Or something critical like that... So, that's really long sighted of you, eh?

why smoke? why poison yourself?

it's just stupid and lacks benefits moreover it's way too expansive.

if people knew how to use their own heads no one would smoke.
And the reasons for (starting) smoking are just ridiculous!

Reasons for starting smoking are varied.

For instance, I started because I wanted to. That's a good reason. Other people start to help manage stress. Since it works, that's a good reason. Or, I quit, but I still smoke occasionally when I get f-ed up, especially when rolling, because it's feels good. That also a good reason. Since tar does get out of your lungs over time, if you only smoke occasionally you won't see ill effects.

For instance, I almost never get sick, I run a 14 minute 2 mile, and I work out every other day, as well as being an amateur boxer. So, all this hoopla about poisoning yourself is just silly talk from straightedgers who listen to commercials too much. If you smoke for 30 years, two packs a day, yeah, you might get cancer. But that doesn't happen to everyone. There are a lot of things that contribute to cancer. And not everyone that "smokes" falls into one category.

Reasons for starting smoking are varied.

Since tar does get out of your lungs over time, if you only smoke occasionally you won't see ill effects.



Its not just tar that causes the problems.

No, but as a I grew up in a family of smokers, I don't mind the smoke too much.

Yeah, throat cancer and lung disease is going to look great on my resume...



You're forgetting something: they aren't "as bad for you as people think, especially in moderation."

Just make sure you only get moderate throat cancer or lung disease and you'll be fine.

Does weed count?

Interesting since black is generally the colour you want your lungs to be on Xray

um... no http://blesius.org/images/projects-plastination.jpg

(I meant one of those can things whatever they're called where ya can see the colour)

You're being a melodramtic idiot. You're equating being around cigarette smoke with being murdered. Have you been around a cigarette smoker, on the street? I'm surprised you got out alive - cuz you know, you should be dead. How did you manage? What with 22 percent of the population being murderers, murdering people every day, I'm surprised the body count isn't higher.

No, I'm being sensible. Killing me is killing me - whether it's isn't, takes a few weeks, or takes longer - if it cuts my life short, it is killing me, and if it's deliberate, it's murder.


No, I hate the view you are putting forth that cigarette smoking = murder. You'd probably call it rape too if that suited your propaganda ploy/hypochondria.

I could say the same thing about those who drive cars. And the only thing you'd have to wave in the face of your own argument is, "but cars are necessary!" like that's an excuse even if it were always true.

No, I was right first time. And I think the only reason you're not saying anything about car drivers is because they don't interrupt your smoking



But you don't call people who drive cars, murderers. Why not?

I've answered that. Actually read what I wrote.


And non-smokers CAN deliberately move away. But I rather think your definition of "near other people" is going to be so broad as to mean, within sight, sound or radar range.

And people offended by a couple having sex in the middle of a shopping centre can move away. And people worried at dying from being shot by a psychotic gunman can move away. And the list goes on... but why should they have to put up with their life being interfered with just for the convenience of someone else? I don't go around all my friends' houses demanding they have vegan food available for me in case I visit them, because I don't see why they should have their lives interefered with for my selfich convenience... and by that token, there's no reason I should have mine interfered with just because someone wants to kill theirself.


Oh, so it's okay to murder people as long as you have to get somewhere fast?

No, but that's majorly different. It's not their fault, they can't choose whether to drive their car on the road or in a deserted field (legally). But a smoker can choose whether to deliberately smoke near someone or not.


And everyone driving, does so because they HAVE to? They couldn't use a more environmentally-friendly means of transportation? Or even carpool? And just where are they going that they have to get there so fast, anyway? The pub?

Not everyone, no. Some people however have to use their car for whatever reason (or at least feel they have to) for example rushing to hospital. And there are more people who do carpool now or cycle, or use an electric car.

No, I'm being sensible. Killing me is killing me - whether it's isn't, takes a few weeks, or takes longer - if it cuts my life short, it is killing me, and if it's deliberate, it's murder.
its not deliberate on the part of the smoker though. And your killing yourself everyday by typing on your computer not exercising and walking around outside breathing in car emissions. Everything cuts your life short.



And people offended by a couple having sex in the middle of a shopping centre can move away. And people worried at dying from being shot by a psychotic gunman can move away. And the list goes on... but why should they have to put up with their life being interfered with just for the convenience of someone else? I don't go around all my friends' houses demanding they have vegan food available for me in case I visit them, because I don't see why they should have their lives interefered with for my selfich convenience... and by that token, there's no reason I should have mine interfered with just because someone wants to kill theirself.
If theres a crazed gunmen waving his gun around shooting everyone near him, and you stay close and dont run or walk away, chances are will get shot and rightful so for being stupid. Same thing goes for if your stubborn around smokers and don't move.


No, but that's majorly different. It's not their fault, they can't choose whether to drive their car on the road or in a deserted field (legally). But a smoker can choose whether to deliberately smoke near someone or not.

not always

um... no http://blesius.org/images/projects-plastination.jpg

(I meant one of those can things whatever they're called where ya can see the colour)

You're telling me they can show people their own plastinated lungs........ok you do realise they need to remove them to do that right?

No, I'm being sensible. Killing me is killing me - whether it's isn't, takes a few weeks, or takes longer - if it cuts my life short, it is killing me, and if it's deliberate, it's murder.

If someone smokes cigarette for the sole purpose of harming another person, you'd be right - if they did in fact, die because of that cigarette.

You trying to apply that to all smokers, regardless of circumstance, is just stupidity. Not sensibility. Sorry, theres absolutely nothing sensible about calling 22% of the population "murderers."

No, I was right first time. And I think the only reason you're not saying anything about car drivers is because they don't interrupt your smoking


I'm not saying anything about car drivers because I know what they do is just something that increases my risk of various unpleasant things. I accept the risk and move on. You on the other hand, should be calling them all murderers, and you aren't. The hypocrisy is yours.


And people offended by a couple having sex in the middle of a shopping centre can move away.

Of course, having sex in a shopping center is illegal, whereas so far it's legal for me to smoke in public.

And people worried at dying from being shot by a psychotic gunman can move away.

Fear of crime is a perfectly valid motive for selecting a new home.

And the list goes on...

The list of bad analogies?

I don't go around all my friends' houses demanding they have vegan food available for me in case I visit them,

Their houses is their private living space. They can set the rules. That's how it works.

The sidewalk, however, is a different story.

and by that token, there's no reason I should have mine interfered with just because someone wants to kill theirself.

That would be a valid "token" if I went around to peoples private homes and demanded that I be allowed to smoke.

..i don't.

No, but that's majorly different. It's not their fault, they can't choose whether to drive their car on the road or in a deserted field (legally).

They can choose whether to drive a car. They can choose whether to buy and own one. They can choose whether to drive in every single situation where driving is an option. And yes, they can even choose alternative routes.

But a smoker can choose whether to deliberately smoke near someone or not.

Hmm but apparently, no matter what I do, I am smoking dangerous carcinogens and therefore, "committing murder." Why should I change my habits when you'll be on my ass no matter what?

Not everyone, no. Some people however have to use their car for whatever reason (or at least feel they have to) for example rushing to hospital. And there are more people who do carpool now or cycle, or use an electric car.

They "feel" they "have to," well that doesn't justify murder, does it? ;)

Also, carpooling still emmits dangerous toxins. Therefore killing people. Therefore murder!

I don't smoke, and I don't see why its cool. You look like a horse farted on you, your teeth look like someone pissed on them, and your breath smells like dog shit.

I don't smoke, and I don't see why its cool. You look like a horse farted on you, your teeth look like someone pissed on them, and your breath smells like dog shit.

Sure. But when I'm ripped off my tits on MDMA, I find it rather pleasant to smoke. Che sera sera, eh?

I don't smoke but I don't think its gross.
It is an unhealthy habit though.

I started smoking "socially" when I was 17 or 18...just every so often while I was drinking, perfectly innocent. Then, one night, when I was drunk, I actually BOUGHT a pack...and that did it. It took me about a month to get through that first pack, but once I did, I had to go buy another...then another...My rate of consumption was increasing, yet it seemed so gradual...until my little cough turned into raging bronchitis, and the doctor asked me how much I smoked.

"Only...a pack a day," I told her, startled. I hadn't realized that I was smoking that much...but I had lost quite a bit of weight from making the two mile trek from my dorm room to the nearest liquor store on a daily basis.

So I've smoked for around four years now, smoking a little more than a pack a day at my worst. I'm down to only 7 or 8 a day now...but I cannot cut back more than this. I've quit a few times, and it lasts for maybe a day...until I start fixating on the idea of never having another cigarette, and how I could easily just have one more pack, and that wouldn't hurt anything, because how the hell am I supposed to get through an 8 hour shift at Starbucks without a cigarette!?

And then I buy a pack of my precious, evil Camel Lights 99. And it begins again.

There's no moral to this story, except that...I know it's bad for me, and expensive, and stupid. I really do. But nothing that any self-righteous stranger says to me is going to do anything to help me quit, and no government warning is going to do anything but make me feel guilty. It has to come from me. And I'm not there yet.
First of all, thanks for sharing!
That's pretty much my story right there. I used to be a "Friday-night" smoker for about 2-3 years, usually smoking self-rolled cigarettes instead of the ready-to-smoke prefabricated ones.
That changed when I started working as a paramedic and literally everyone on station smoked. That was about 10 years ago, and the main reason to switch to the packed cigarettes was because I couldn't roll high on adrenaline right after deployment, when I felt I needed the smoke the most.
I've seen some changes, though, and I'm down from a pack a day to about half a pack or even less a day, depending on mood and other factors.
I'm getting to the day when I will stop, though. That day hasn't come yet - but I know I'll stop soon. And I'm looking forward to it as well!

Whenever I'm under a lot of stress (like right now), I tend to smoke more. Unless I find something else equally soothing, I'm in a pretty tight (smokefilled) spot...

First of all, thanks for sharing!
That's pretty much my story right there. I used to be a "Friday-night" smoker for about 2-3 years, usually smoking self-rolled cigarettes instead of the ready-to-smoke prefabricated ones.
That changed when I started working as a paramedic and literally everyone on station smoked. That was about 10 years ago, and the main reason to switch to the packed cigarettes was because I couldn't roll high on adrenaline right after deployment, when I felt I needed the smoke the most.
I've seen some changes, though, and I'm down from a pack a day to about half a pack or even less a day, depending on mood and other factors.
I'm getting to the day when I will stop, though. That day hasn't come yet - but I know I'll stop soon. And I'm looking forward to it as well!

Whenever I'm under a lot of stress (like right now), I tend to smoke more. Unless I find something else equally soothing, I'm in a pretty tight (smokefilled) spot...

Kind of ironic that all of you would be in the business of saving lives while slowly killing yourselves with the death sticks, no?:p

Do you smoke? And Im not talking weed I'm talking about cigs. I do but only when I drink so I'm not really hooked on them. That said I could really use one right now so I decided to start this thread. And there will be a poll

Cigarrettes reduce the risk of mental illness. some of the sanest people i know smoke.
It enhances concentration and focus' the mind while making the body relaxed.

Cigarrettes reduce the risk of mental illness. some of the sanest people i know smoke.
It enhances concentration and focus' the mind while making the body relaxed.

Its true. Smokers are at much less risk for parkinsons and Alzheimers(sp?). Not to mention stress.

Its true. Smokers are at much less risk for parkinsons and Alzheimers(sp?). Not to mention stress.

thar ya go.
id much rather live to 50 and be sane and calm than live to 70 and have the last 10 years go by with my mind rotting, stressed as a fox in the hunt.

Kind of ironic that all of you would be in the business of saving lives while slowly killing yourselves with the death sticks, no?:p
It sure is ironic. You should have seen the parties our bunch has thrown, especially us conchies. It gives the term binge drinking a whole new dimension... http://www.studip.uni-goettingen.de/pictures/smile/frown2.gif

Good times, although I can't really say I miss'em all that much. Maybe except for the moments when you can really change someone's life by helping and saving them.
(Bad are the times you can't help'em although you did your best - those will get to you, even if my approach usually was: We do our best to save lives, and if we hadn't come, the person would surely be dead... But having someone die in or under your hands is truely something that stays.)

I actually had a doctor advise me not to quit. Of course, it was my shrink.

Here's my view on the whole "Murder" thing:
I won't call it murder, because I think it's a bit extreme. But I do see the sentiment. To compare smoking to driving a car in this respect is silly. For one, second hand smoke increases the risk more than the guy driving his car does. Also, driving has a functional reason behind it. It is extremely important to our modern to society to be able to quickly get from one location to another. To be unable to do this restricts your ability to function. Therefore, it is much more acceptable to increase risks for such a thing.
However, smoking is purely recreational. It's for enjoyment. And it's a lot worse, in my opinion, to increase somebody's risk of cancer for your own enjoyment.
Now, I don't mind too much if people smoke around me. However, if we're inside, I do request that a window be opened or make some other attempt to vent at least some of the smoke from me be made if it is reasonably practical. I don't think that's too much to ask-- if I'm willing to do something for you (especially something that isn't good for my health), you should be willing to do that small thing for me. Hell, I might smoke a cigarette or cigar on a special occasion.

Basically: just show consideration, people.

thar ya go.
id much rather live to 50 and be sane and calm than live to 70 and have the last 10 years go by with my mind rotting, stressed as a fox in the hunt.

amen. and besides the world will end in 2012 so live it up while you can.

I socially smoke cigars.

Never have smoked, never will smoke, don't smoke now.

I can't imagine being addicted to something like that, especially as noxious as it is. Never mind the health drawbacks, it just plain costs too damn much and is not at all worth it. That plus all the things that people can be allergic to in cigarette smoke. Seriously, with all the inconveniences, expense, and long-term health problems associated with smoking, not to mention how it yellows your teeth and gives you bad breath, it's a wonder anyone picks it up.

That said, given the choice between cigarettes and chewing tobacco, I'll take a tire iron to the chest.

That plus all the things that people can be allergic to in cigarette smoke.
I dont think you can be allergic to cigarette smoke

Seriously, with all the inconveniences, expense, and long-term health problems associated with smoking,
meh. Same could be said for alcohol and many other things

not to mention how it yellows your teeth and gives you bad breath, it's a wonder anyone picks it up.
This only happens to a few people

No, I hate cigarettes. I do have a cigar here and there though. An Arturo Fuente Don Carlos Presidente to be exact.

Disgusting and stupid.

And, actually Soviestan, I do experience symptoms that could be described best as allergic when exposed to tobacco smoke. My throat gets inflamed and I get really congested. It's very unpleasant.

Disgusting and stupid.

And, actually Soviestan, I do experience symptoms that could be described best as allergic when exposed to tobacco smoke. My throat gets inflamed and I get really congested. It's very unpleasant.

thats not allergic, thats just not being used to being around smoke. Hell, I felt that way when I 1st started smoking, now that never happens.

thats not allergic, thats just not being used to being around smoke. Hell, I felt that way when I 1st started smoking, now that never happens.

I am fairly used to it actually. Both to smoke and the reaction it causes. Don't try to tell me you know my body better than I do.

I am fairly used to it actually. Both to smoke and the reaction it causes. Don't try to tell me you know my body better than I do.

whoa, sorry pal. Take it easy alright no one has to get hurt here.

I dont think you can be allergic to cigarette smoke


'Fraid you're wrong there. I'm quite allergic to it, as is my mother. It's not a terribly uncommon allergy.

whoa, sorry pal. Take it easy alright no one has to get hurt here.

Damn computers and their total inability to convey the correct tone of voice.

Wasn't angry, I was saying it kind of lightly.

I've smoked cigarettes for about eight years now.

I could go on and on about self-righteous anti-smokers...but I get more satisfaction out of the fact that no matter how much they complain, people still smoke...and that's not going to change in this century, or the next.

My favorite local tobacconist recently got in a few boxes of 1926 anniversario maduros. Christ Jesus.

Also, I recently got a nice julius vesz pipe, a handcut #6. It is stunning.

why smoke? why poison yourself?

it's just stupid and lacks benefits moreover it's way too expansive.

if people knew how to use their own heads no one would smoke.
And the reasons for (starting) smoking are just ridiculous!

It wouldn't be expensive the anti-smokers and their politicians (catering for votes) didn't keep climbing the "sin tax." Cigarettes are cheap. An unfortunate amount of the cost goes to the goddamn gov't. As if they didn't rob me blind at every other turn to fuel a bloated budget filled with useless social programs.

Oh, and I challenge any and all anti-smokers to read Jacob Sollum's For Your Own Good.

Only cigars, a hookah from time to time and a pipe.
Cigarettes give you lung cancer. The rest of these are completely cancer-free.*

Cigars and pipe give you tongue and larynx cancer.
And nicotine based effacts on your heart and arteryes are pretty much the same.

But... Do you want to die healthy? ;)

Of course I smoke. I'm to green to burn.

I don't smoke (but am I smoking?) ;)

It's a filthy habit.

I smoke cigars occaisionally. When I have the time to light up a good one and enjoy it for an hour or so.
Maybe 4 a month. its not "smoking" so much as "puffing". I dont draw cigar smoke into my lungs.

...and smoke only in open air, or in private houses whose proprietor also smokes.

I dont think you can be allergic to cigarette smoke

Tell that to my fiancee and her mother. Truthfully, they're probably allergic to some part of cigarette smoke and not cigarette smoke in general, but if someone's allergic to shellfish, I wouldn't serve them crab rangoon.

meh. Same could be said for alcohol and many other things

It's a wonder anyone touches those, for that matter.

This only happens to a few people

Right, that's why there are teeth whiteners aimed at smokers and coffee drinkers out on the market now, because only a few people would ever buy those.

I smoke. A lot. In fact, unless circumstances prevent it, I pretty much have a cig in my hand at all times. It's a filthy habit & I enjoy it immensely. Some people do yoga. I smoke.
That said, I wish I was motivated enough to stop. I've tried several times, but it drives me crazy. I think I'd need to be incapable of smoking for a couple of months for me to stop. Pathetic, but true. I dont think you can be allergic to cigarette smoke. On the contrary. It's quite possible to be allergic to cigarette smoke. The smoke contains a great many things people can be allergic to. Fortunately, few people are. meh. Same could be said for alcohol and many other thingsTrue, but then people can normally get free professional help to combat alcoholism. This only happens to a few peopleI'd like a ticket to your reality. In mine, people who smoke for any period of time gets skin problems, yellow teeth & cronic bad breath to some degree. More importantly though, smoking causes dental problems.

I can't stand people who smoke.

Yes, because smoking automatically means you must be a horrible, evil person. :rolleyes:

I make hacking coughing noises when people smoke near me.

Ah, so you compound your ignorance with rudeness. How...quaint.

If people want to slowly kill themselves, fine. Just don't go crying to the taxpayer funded health system when you get cancer. Or asthma. or heart disease, or...

The same could be said for those who park their arses in front of a computer complaining about smokers, instead of getting out and getting some exercise, y'know.

I smoke. A lot. In fact, unless circumstances prevent it, I pretty much have a cig in my hand at all times. It's a filthy habit & I enjoy it immensely. Some people do yoga. I smoke.

And I post on NS and play with my dog. That said, my dog's kind of harmful as well...look at the cuffs of my pants, a number of our electrical cords, and anything that might resemble food to her...all tragic victims of a timberwolf trapped in a Yorkshire terrier's body.

That said, I wish I was motivated enough to stop. I've tried several times, but it drives me crazy. I think I'd need to be incapable of smoking for a couple of months for me to stop.

Try a few different methods at once. I've heard that people have less than a one-in-three success rate when they quit smoking. Also try mint. I heard about someone who was a five-pack-a-day smoker for the longest time who quit using mint.

If all else fails, try out for Survivor, if you can. Thirty-nine days on a desert island will render you completely unable to smoke. Hopefully. It's helped some people kick it, but others start right back up.

On the contrary. It's quite possible to be allergic to cigarette smoke. The smoke contains a great many things people can be allergic to. Fortunately, few people are.

All smoke does, and we're all "allergic" to it, some more than others. An allergic reaction is simply your body saying, "Gah! Crap! Something toxic!" Levels of toxicity of different substances to different people varies. You don't go sticking your head over campfires and sucking in lungs full of the smoke, do you? No, because you end up hacking and coughing. The same usually happens when someone tries a cigarette for the first time. The difference is, though, that there isn't any nicotine in smoke from a campfire to make you want to go back and do it again.

I don't smoke, and I never will. My father got a stroke from that shit. I used to be neutral towards it, but now I think that it really should be phased out of society.

All smoke does, and we're all "allergic" to it, some more than others.

Its not always an allergy causing you to cough, etc

Its not always an allergy causing you to cough, etc

When you cough when you come into contact with certain toxins, it is. It's your body having an allergic reaction, trying to expel the toxin.

When you cough when you come into contact with certain toxins, it is. It's your body having an allergic reaction, trying to expel the toxin.

Allergies occur at the level of white blood cells, etc. At least thats always the way I thought it worked (should really know this by now) :confused:

I don't smoke. But I think I've got more things to worry about than passive smoking. I would hope my tax dollars would get spent on something a bit better than doing everything but making smoking illegal (and no I dont want to hear about how much money the NHS would save by not treating smokers).

Allergies occur at the level of white blood cells, etc. At least thats always the way I thought it worked (should really know this by now) :confused:

That would be a severe allergic reaction. Coughing caused by smoke, whatever the source (cigarettes, campfires, etc.), is still a mild allergic reaction.

That would be a severe allergic reaction. Coughing caused by smoke, whatever the source (cigarettes, campfires, etc.), is still a mild allergic reaction.

Only hypersensitivity type 1 reactions are called allergies and they're mediated by IgE antibodies (i think) to produce an acute inflammatory response. The IgE binds to mast cells, etc and causes them to release histamine and other pro-inflammatory mediators

When you cough when you come into contact with certain toxins, it is. It's your body having an allergic reaction, trying to expel the toxin.An allergic reaction is when your body has an exaggerated response to something. To use your example, where a non-allergi reaction causes caughing, an allergic reaction might involve your lungs shutting down completely as if you were dying from pneumonia.

You're right that the body reacts as if it was being poisoned in some fashion, but allergies are usually set off by either harmless dozes of X or by completely harmless substances. If you've ever seen one of the millions of children running around with eczema, the explanation in most cases is that their bodies are having an allergic reaction to lack of skin moisture.

An allergic reaction is when your body has an exaggerated response to something. To use your example, where a non-allergi reaction causes caughing, an allergic reaction might involve your lungs shutting down completely as if you were dying from pneumonia.

You're right that the body reacts as if it was being poisoned in some fashion, but allergies are usually set off by either harmless dozes of X or by completely harmless substances. If you've ever seen one of the millions of children running around with eczema, the explanation in most cases is that their bodies are having an allergic reaction to lack of skin moisture.

What's "harmless" to one may not be so to another. As I already noted, different people have varying levels of resistance to certain substances. For instance, some people can whip around a feather duster and kick up all kinds of dust without sneezing. Others will go absolutely nuts with a sneezing fit.

As for the eczema example you cited, you can't have an allergic reaction to a lack of something. An allergic reaction is prompted by an outside substance entering the body, not the absence of something.

Only hypersensitivity type 1 reactions are called allergies and they're mediated by IgE antibodies (i think) to produce an acute inflammatory response. The IgE binds to mast cells, etc and causes them to release histamine and other pro-inflammatory mediators

Oy, your med-speak hurts my head. It's been nearly two decades since I dealt with that stuff (used to do research work in a pharmacokinetics lab). Frankly, I've forgotten a lot of the specifics. :(

Oy, your med-speak hurts my head. It's been nearly two decades since I dealt with that stuff (used to do research work in a pharmacokinetics lab). Frankly, I've forgotten a lot of the specifics. :(

Sorry I can't remember it if I dont use the exact words I memorised. To be fair I learnt this just last year and I had to just check a few notes to be sure I wasnt being stupid

Sorry I can't remember it if I dont use the exact words I memorised. To be fair I learnt this just last year and I had to just check a few notes to be sure I wasnt being stupid

No, I'm sure you're probably right and not being stupid at all (hell, you even bothered to check notes! :D ). There's a difference, though, between what qualifies medically as an allergy -- i.e., something you'd go to see an allergist to treat -- and the basic physiological definition. I assume you're a med student, so you're coming from that perspective, but more generally speaking, reactions like those I've mentioned are still allergic reactions, in the more general sense in which I was speaking.

As for the eczema example you cited, you can't have an allergic reaction to a lack of something. An allergic reaction is prompted by an outside substance entering the body, not the absence of something.Tomatoe tomatoe...
The allergi reactions are caused because of the dry skin's increased sensitivity, which is in turn caused by the lack of moisture. Pretty much anything can trigger reations, including things that the person in question otherwise isn't allergic to. But you undoubtedly know that already.

No, I'm sure you're probably right and not being stupid at all (hell, you even bothered to check notes! :D ). There's a difference, though, between what qualifies medically as an allergy -- i.e., something you'd go to see an allergist to treat -- and the basic physiological definition. I assume you're a med student, so you're coming from that perspective, but more generally speaking, reactions like those I've mentioned are still allergic reactions, in the more general sense in which I was speaking.

Yeah I am. Its just kind of annoying from my point of view when people use the term "allergic" in the way its more commonly known in society. If you ask someone if they're allergic to a med and they say yes then they'll never be given that but it may just be the case that they get the normal side effects expected from it.

But yeah i used to use it that way so cant really complain too much

Tomatoe tomatoe...
The allergi reactions are caused because of the dry skin's increased sensitivity, which is in turn caused by the lack of moisture. Pretty much anything can trigger reations, including things that the person in question otherwise isn't allergic to. But you undoubtedly know that already.

Well, I do, but you were implying direct causation. ;)

I don't smoke, and I never will. My father got a stroke from that shit. I used to be neutral towards it, but now I think that it really should be phased out of society.

So you want smoking banned? Id like to see that happen. They tried that with alcohol and look how that turned out.

So you want smoking banned? I like to see that happen. They tried that with alcohol and look how that turned out.
*claps very, very slowly*

Whereas most people don't really have anything against drinking, and most drink at least a bit now and again, the situation is rather different with smoking.

There are much better arguments against stopping smoking than there are against stopping drinking alcohol.

Personally though, making it so that people can only smoke in their own homes / the homes of their friends etc. rather than out in the street would be more reasonable than a total ban, and would also create less backlash.

As for myself - other.

I go through about a box of 20 cigars a year.

No, that's gross.

There are much better arguments against stopping smoking than there are against stopping drinking alcohol.
like...

Personally though, making it so that people can only smoke in their own homes / the homes of their friends etc. rather than out in the street would be more reasonable than a total ban, and would also create less backlash.

No it wouldnt. You would turn 1/5 of the population it prisoners for doing something innocent.

Cigarettes: only socially; I'd never pay for my own.
Cigars: I genuinely enjoy, but what with the expense I only have one about once a month.
Weed: Sometimes.

And now, forget the first two. But the weed's still there. And I smoke a metric fuckload of shisha.

*quote of what I said ages ago*
Err that was my opinion over a year ago.

I'm now a perfectly happy smoking chappy.

Really? You sound so stoned though.

Why the fuck did I say that?


And this is major thread digging.

Poll is missing some sort of "no, but outlawing it is bullshit."

Zombie thread needs BRRAAAAAAAAAINS....