NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm watching TV, and I've seen this ad before, but I never really pay attention to it until last night. It had this woman, and she's holding up signs about her story as a smoker. Well anyways, ,one of the first card she shows is "I started smoking for fun." Of course, my B.S. detector went off. Who the hell smokes for fun? Ok, maybe back in the 50's and 60's, smoking could've been seen as the fun thing to do, since The Flintstones sponsor was Winston, Cigarettes. However, my question still stands, who the Hell smoked for fun?

I smoke because it keeps my nerves calm, and doing a damn good job at it too.

Me.

Me.

Would we care to elaborate on this?

wait, seriously? You don't understand the social aspect behind it?

No, wait, look who I'm talking to...

I'd say its something to do with your hands (especially when your meeting someone) plus I do admit I get a buzz from being all rebellious:cool:

smoking chats are always good too and you just can't have those with non-smokers

I smoke because it keeps my nerves calm, and doing a damn good job at it too.

I hear withdrawal can be pretty stressful.

I smoke because it keeps my nerves calm, and doing a damn good job at it too.

That's clearly not why you started smoking. Especially since smoking as the opposite effect on non-smokers (and well, generally, the only reason smoking is calming at all is because of the psychological response developed later, the ingredients of actual cigarettes have the opposite effect).

wait, seriously? You don't understand the social aspect behind it?

No, wait, look who I'm talking to...

Fun and Cool can be two different things you arrogant idiot.

Of course, my B.S. detector went off. Who the hell smokes for fun?

Methinks it needs recalibration...

Fun and Cool can be two different things

Yes, they can, however that has absolutely nothing to do with my point, which you obviously missed.

you arrogant ass.

tsk, touchy touchy.

tsk, touchy touchy.

Maybe he needs a smoke.

Yes, they can, however that has absolutely nothing to do with my point, which you obviously missed.

There is nothing "Fun" about smoking, and you said social aspect. Which I concluded to mean, you smoke to be rebellious, to fit in, etc. Which can all be done without it being fun.

tsk, touchy touchy.

Someone needs to knock you down a few pegs.

Maybe he needs a smoke.

win

There is nothing "Fun" about smoking, and you said social aspect. Which I concluded to mean, you smoke to be rebellious, to fit in, etc.

Then you concluded wrongly

Someone needs to knock you down a few pegs.

yes yes, I'm sure you're just the man to do it.

Fun and Cool can be two different things you arrogant idiot.

Ask yourself if it's really worth getting modded for...

Then you concluded wrongly

Only because you typed one sentenced and then made a smart-ass comment.

Phail on your part.

yes yes, I'm sure you're just the man to do it.

Things you say to your gimp on Friday nights.

However, my question still stands, who the Hell smoked for fun?


I know two people who say they won't commit because they enjoy it... I guess that makes it kind of 'fun'.

Lots of people are 'social smokers'... that's got to count as 'fun', no?

Only because you typed one sentenced and then made a smart-ass comment.

Phail on your part.

I would contend that your inability to understand even the most basic social structures is a failure on your part, not my own.


Things you say to your gimp on Friday nights.

Now now, there's no reason to project your fantasies on to me.

Lots of people are 'social smokers'... that's got to count as 'fun', no?

Of course not, no... I know a few people that say it's fun just to make the motion of smoking and blowing out smoke... but that's not fun in Wilgrove's book.

I know two people who say they won't commit because they enjoy it... I guess that makes it kind of 'fun'.

Lots of people are 'social smokers'... that's got to count as 'fun', no?

It doesn't have to be "Fun". I mean you can do something to be accepted by your friends, or to be cool, but that doesn't mean you enjoy it.

Now if the commercial said that she smoked to be "cool" or "Socially acceptable" then this thread never would've been here.

Cigarettes taste like shit at first. It feels weird to inahle the smoke. You get that 'high' at first...eventually all that fades and you start liking it. In order to get to that point, you have to work at it a bit. Who the FUCK claims to go through that process in order to have something that 'calms the nerves'?

It doesn't have to be "Fun". I mean you can do something to be accepted by your friends, or to be cool, but that doesn't mean you enjoy it.

Now if the commercial said that she smoked to be "cool" or "Socially acceptable" then this thread never would've been here.

yeah, you hear that all you commercial people? You better make commercials Wilgrove understands or he might, you know...come here and whine about it!

And you'll be sorry!

Now, let's take just a second, a very brief second, and see if we can resolve this little conundrum shall we? You already admit, smoking can have a social aspect to it. And therefore smoking can let you engage in a social aspect. And being social is something people find fun.

So..people might...smoke, to be....social...and they find...being social....fun. So people...might smoke....to have fun...

Eureka!

I would contend that your inability to understand even the most basic social structures is a failure on your part, not my own.

and you would know this how?

Now now, there's no reason to project your fantasies on to me.

Things you say to your family on Saturday night.

I should probably quit before I get banned. :D

I smoke because it keeps my nerves calm, and doing a damn good job at it too.
It's like that for a while, at first.

Then one day, suddenly, you realise that your nerves are only calm when you've just had a cigarette, or are actively smoking another one. And then you realise that your little periods of calm are getting shorter and shorter, and you notice your moods getting less and less predictable. And then you realise that your moods and your nervous state are see-sawing out of control, based on how much nicotine happens to be in your system. And then you find yourself avoiding situations where you're unable to smoke, since you don't like getting all cranky.

And then, in a moment of startling clarity, you realise that you've been at it for more than twenty years and that, at some point in the intervening years, you've developed a bit of a paunch. So you decide to do a bit of exercise, only to find that your smoke-ravaged lungs are in such a poor state that anything strenuous just leaves you gasping for breath, and it pisses you off - so you have a cigarette to calm down. In an idle moment you contemplate the fact that your monthly expenditure on tobacco is often more than your mortgage payment. This pisses you off too, so you have a cigarette.

It's a bit of a daft thing to do, when all's said and done.





/is pissed off... lights another cigarette.

wait, seriously? You don't understand the social aspect behind it?

No, wait, look who I'm talking to...
Chill.

fun and cool can be two different things you arrogant idiot.

there is nothing "fun" about smoking, and you said social aspect. Which i concluded to mean, you smoke to be rebellious, to fit in, etc. Which can all be done without it being fun.



Someone needs to knock you down a few pegs.

only because you typed one sentenced and then made a smart-ass comment.

Phail on your part.



Things you say to your gimp on friday nights.

and you would know this how?



Things you say to your family on saturday night.

I should probably quit before i get banned. :d
MEGA CHILL right now

and you would know this how?

Because you made this thread.

mega-chill.

I'm sorry Kat, but I'm tired of Neo acting like he's better than everyone, turning his nose up at everyone else and acting like he's bigger than he really is. In short, he needs to get his head out of his own ass.

I'm sorry Kat, but I'm tired of Neo acting like he's better than everyone, turning his nose up at everyone else and acting like he's bigger than he really is. In short, he needs to get his head out of his own ass.
Annnnd, there you go.

The only reason I ever picked up anything to smoke was to be cool/have fun. Example, freshman year after finals my floor went out and bought cigars and had fun smoking them outside.

smoking chats are always good too and you just can't have those with non-smokers

Thats because we are busy choking.

smoking chats are always good too and you just can't have those with non-smokers
I like second-hand smoking. Unfortunately, most people seem to think it is weird, which I guess makes sense.

Wait, so Wil, your argument is "I don't find smoking fun, so anyone who says they do is LYING"? Um, okay...

Wait, so Wil, your argument is "I don't find smoking fun, so anyone who says they do is LYING"? Um, okay...

I think it's pretty counter-intuitive to claim that when a person first starts smoking, they find it fun. I didn't, I did it out of desperation and to fit in, there was nothing appealing about the experience. I don't see anything particularly fun about it.

I think it's pretty counter-intuitive to claim that when a person first starts smoking, they find it fun. I didn't, I did it out of desperation and to fit in, there was nothing appealing about the experience. I don't see anything particularly fun about it.

wait, how does your particular experience make the concept as a whole counter intuitive?

As I said, it's pretty simple. Some people smoke as a social activity. Some people find social activities fun. Ergo some people will smoke for fun, as it is a social activity, and they find social activities fun.

Not sure why that's so complicated, or why it merited this thread.

I think it's pretty counter-intuitive to claim that when a person first starts smoking, they find it fun. I didn't, I did it out of desperation and to fit in, there was nothing appealing about the experience. I don't see anything particularly fun about it.

There is definetly the conception smoking is fun, and that its cool. I used to joke and say that I was a rebel because I don't smoke. If someone lights up close enough to me and my throat constricts, making it difficult to breathe and almost impossible to talk... do you think its stops people who know this from smoking? No....

It doesn't have to be "Fun". I mean you can do something to be accepted by your friends, or to be cool, but that doesn't mean you enjoy it.

Now if the commercial said that she smoked to be "cool" or "Socially acceptable" then this thread never would've been here.

I like a cigar every once in awhile. Don't need to. Don't have to. I like it. I guess that counts as fun.....

I think it's pretty counter-intuitive to claim that when a person first starts smoking, they find it fun. I didn't, I did it out of desperation and to fit in, there was nothing appealing about the experience. I don't see anything particularly fun about it.

Okay, and I think smoking is gross and I was never in the least tempted to try it - but I don't say, "What? LIAR!" when someone tells me they were so tempted, or that they enjoyed the results, because I figure, y'know, not everyone is me (and thank goodness for it). :tongue:

Okay, and I think smoking is gross and I was never in the least tempted to try it - but I don't say, "What? LIAR!" when someone tells me they were so tempted, or that they enjoyed the results, because I figure, y'know, not everyone is me (and thank goodness for it). :tongue:

Yes there is only one, just like the road runner, and I give chase :D.

wait, how does your particular experience make the concept as a whole counter intuitive?


I was, you know... using it as an example? I'm saying that, intuitively, that seems to be why most people start smoking. I don't see anything inherently social about smoking, only in the sense that you're being 'anti-social' if you don't have a smoke with your buddies who already smoke.

I started smoking because of the HUGE buzz it gave me. That was fun.

You guys should start a comedy TV show, you get so worked up about the little things. ;)
I've already seen enough answers to Willgroves question so i'll give a different observation.
strong social aspects to smoking, especially a few decades ago. I don't smoke myself i tried one and my lungs were on fire the day after and i was drunk too, my bad.
However my dad does smoke, he's tried stopping smoking a number of times but he never manages it so my family just accept it. Maybe it's a lack or willpower or something but i suspect there's some sort of link to feeling secure while smoking which is why some people smoke.

You guys should start a comedy TV show, you get so worked up about the little things. ;)
I've already seen enough answers to Willgroves question so i'll give a different observation.
strong social aspects to smoking, especially a few decades ago. I don't smoke myself i tried one and my lungs were on fire the day after and i was drunk too, my bad.
However my dad does smoke, he's tried stopping smoking a number of times but he never manages it so my family just accept it. Maybe it's a lack or willpower or something but i suspect there's some sort of link to feeling secure while smoking which is why some people smoke.
have him look into "chantix"

my sister loved to smoke. she never really wanted to quit. 3 months on chantix and she hasnt been even seriously tempted by a cigarette in more than a year. (after about 40 years of smoking)

have him look into "chantix"

my sister loved to smoke. she never really wanted to quit. 3 months on chantix and she hasnt been even seriously tempted by a cigarette in more than a year. (after about 40 years of smoking)
ah thank you for the suggestion however i wiki'd it and something jumped out at me: chantix (Varenicline) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chantix)
Side effects
Nausea occurs commonly in people taking varenicline. Other less common side effects include headache, difficulty sleeping, and abnormal dreams. Rare side effects reported by people taking varenicline compared to placebo include change in taste, vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, and constipation.[5] In May 2008, Pfizer updated the safety information associated with Chantix, noting that "some patients have reported changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions." [6]

In November 2007, the FDA announced it had received post-marketing reports that patients using Chantix for smoking cessation had experienced several serious symptoms, including suicidal ideation and occasional suicidal behavior, erratic behavior, and drowsiness. On February 1, 2008 the FDA issued an Alert to further clarify its findings, noting that "it appears increasingly likely that there is an association between Chantix and serious neuropsychiatric symptoms." It is unknown whether the psychiatric symptoms are related to the drug or to nicotine withdrawal symptoms, although not all patients had stopped smoking. The FDA is aware of the highly-publicized case of Carter Albrecht who, in an apparent state of delirium, was shot to death by his neighbour after hitting his girlfriend and then trying to forcibly enter the neighbor's house.[7] Although in this case the delirium appeared to be caused by taking varenicline with a high dose of alcohol, the FDA asked Pfizer for additional cases that might be similar. It also recommended that health care professionals and patients watch for behavioral and mood changes.[8]

that sort of rang alarm bells. so out of curiosity, did this person seem any different to you after she took this chantix or during perhaps? My dad has smoked for roughly 35 years and still does.

I'm watching TV, and I've seen this ad before, but I never really pay attention to it until last night. It had this woman, and she's holding up signs about her story as a smoker. Well anyways, ,one of the first card she shows is "I started smoking for fun." Of course, my B.S. detector went off. Who the hell smokes for fun? Ok, maybe back in the 50's and 60's, smoking could've been seen as the fun thing to do, since The Flintstones sponsor was Winston, Cigarettes. However, my question still stands, who the Hell smoked for fun?

I smoke because it keeps my nerves calm, and doing a damn good job at it too.

You would be surprised. A lady that works with me smokes for fun. She lights up a cigarette maybe once a month or less. She does it after going to the casino. And that's it. She tells you herself. She likes to smoke just for the heck of it.

ah thank you for the suggestion however i wiki'd it and something jumped out at me: chantix (Varenicline) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chantix)


that sort of rang alarm bells. so out of curiosity, did this person seem any different to you after she took this chantix or during perhaps? My dad has smoked for roughly 35 years and still does.
well you need to take it under a doctors supervision.

you ease into it and my sister eased off of it the same way. she had no trouble with depression or suicidal thoughts. if it were a very common problem they would have had to remove it from the market.

if your dad is prone to having that kind of trouble with other drugs, he should talk to his doctor about it. (he should talk to his doctor about it anyway.) (he HAS to talk to his doctor about it anyway, its a prescription drug)

but i cannot recommend it highly enough. my sister tried quitting on the patch, on the nicotine lozenge, on her own. she always went back to smoking because the cravings were still there. the biggest failure rate comes from stopping it too early--its rather exspensive.

It's like that for a while, at first.

Then one day, suddenly, you realise that your nerves are only calm when you've just had a cigarette, or are actively smoking another one. And then you realise that your little periods of calm are getting shorter and shorter, and you notice your moods getting less and less predictable. And then you realise that your moods and your nervous state are see-sawing out of control, based on how much nicotine happens to be in your system. And then you find yourself avoiding situations where you're unable to smoke, since you don't like getting all cranky.

And then, in a moment of startling clarity, you realise that you've been at it for more than twenty years and that, at some point in the intervening years, you've developed a bit of a paunch. So you decide to do a bit of exercise, only to find that your smoke-ravaged lungs are in such a poor state that anything strenuous just leaves you gasping for breath, and it pisses you off - so you have a cigarette to calm down. In an idle moment you contemplate the fact that your monthly expenditure on tobacco is often more than your mortgage payment. This pisses you off too, so you have a cigarette.

It's a bit of a daft thing to do, when all's said and done.

This.
I was reaching the point where I would reach for a cig even though I just smoked one.
And 3g a year on cigs is a bit ridiculous.

This thread makes me want to start smoking again. :(

This thread makes me want to start smoking again. :(

Just think about your throat constricting the way mine does every time you crave a cigarette?

Just think about your throat constricting the way mine does every time you crave a cigarette?

Oh, yeah and that feeling of scratchy in your throat where it feels like the flesh is rotting......ah, those were the days.

As I said, it's pretty simple. Some people smoke as a social activity. Some people find social activities fun. Ergo some people will smoke for fun, as it is a social activity, and they find social activities fun.

Not sure why that's so complicated, or why it merited this thread.

I have to agree with this tbh.

wait, seriously? You don't understand the social aspect behind it?

No, wait, look who I'm talking to...

Fun and Cool can be two different things you arrogant idiot.

Yes, they can, however that has absolutely nothing to do with my point, which you obviously missed.



tsk, touchy touchy.

There is nothing "Fun" about smoking, and you said social aspect. Which I concluded to mean, you smoke to be rebellious, to fit in, etc. Which can all be done without it being fun.



Someone needs to knock you down a few pegs.

Then you concluded wrongly



yes yes, I'm sure you're just the man to do it.

Only because you typed one sentenced and then made a smart-ass comment.

Phail on your part.



Things you say to your gimp on Friday nights.

I would contend that your inability to understand even the most basic social structures is a failure on your part, not my own.




Now now, there's no reason to project your fantasies on to me.

yeah, you hear that all you commercial people? You better make commercials Wilgrove understands or he might, you know...come here and whine about it!

And you'll be sorry!

Now, let's take just a second, a very brief second, and see if we can resolve this little conundrum shall we? You already admit, smoking can have a social aspect to it. And therefore smoking can let you engage in a social aspect. And being social is something people find fun.

So..people might...smoke, to be....social...and they find...being social....fun. So people...might smoke....to have fun...

Eureka!

and you would know this how?



Things you say to your family on Saturday night.

I should probably quit before I get banned. :D

Wilgrove gets the ban. I see that. What does Neo get for the flamebaiting?

I started smoking so I could take breaks and hang out with coworkers on the balcony without feeling guilty. That could be considered "fun".

Wilgrove gets the ban. I see that. What does Neo get for the flamebaiting?

Indeed...

Wilgrove gets the ban. I see that. What does Neo get for the flamebaiting?

At that point didn't they both just get asked to 'chill'? It wasn't until, and I'm still not clear he got a ban, Wilgrove added another one in a direct response to a mod asking him to chill?

Cigarettes taste like shit at first. It feels weird to inahle the smoke. You get that 'high' at first...eventually all that fades and you start liking it. In order to get to that point, you have to work at it a bit. Who the FUCK claims to go through that process in order to have something that 'calms the nerves'?

Every now and then I will have a cigarette for that two-minute-drunk effect, which is "soothing" I suppose, in that it makes me feel nice. Even at times when I smoked regularly (nearly every day for months) I never became addicted to nicotine... I guess I'm just lucky.

Mostly, though, I just really like tapping the ash off.

ah thank you for the suggestion however i wiki'd it and something jumped out at me: chantix (Varenicline) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chantix)


that sort of rang alarm bells. so out of curiosity, did this person seem any different to you after she took this chantix or during perhaps? My dad has smoked for roughly 35 years and still does.

Correlation =/= causation. It's entirely possible that lifelong smokers who have given up an activity that was central to their lives (and their bodies) might experience more depression than the general populace. You find the same kind of things with antidepressants--oh my god, people who take antidepressants are more likely to kill themselves than people who don't! Of course, people who aren't depressed don't generally take antidepressants.

Well, I do enjoy a good Cigar every now and then....Its really more for the taste than anything else...

Its been months however, and its rare Ill smoke more than one in a Month anyway.....

I tried Cigarettes first though, didnt pick up on it though, tasted bad, didnt really do anything for me, etc......

It was for a stupid reason, I was failing a class my Senior year and came close to not graduating, and wanted to do something self destructive...

But, like I said nothing came of it, it really wasnt pleasant...

Wilgrove gets the ban. I see that. What does Neo get for the flamebaiting?

I didn't get banned, I just got a yellow card.

At that point didn't they both just get asked to 'chill'? It wasn't until, and I'm still not clear he got a ban, Wilgrove added another one in a direct response to a mod asking him to chill?

He didn't get banned, he just posted.

Wilgrove gets the ban. I see that. What does Neo get for the flamebaiting?

Neo really only flamebaited on the first one though, the rest were mostly just a verbal sort of parry. Besides, Wilgrove was the one to step over into gimp territory.

Neo really only flamebaited on the first one though, the rest were mostly just a verbal sort of parry. Besides, Wilgrove was the one to step over into gimp territory.

Hey, I thought it was funny.

Hey, I thought it was funny.

It gets even better if you picture the two of you saying those same things, only as part of an Errol Flynn-style swashbuckle.

It gets even better if you picture the two of you saying those same things, only as part of an Errol Flynn-style swashbuckle.

Who?

Who?

The iconic swashbuckler. Mostly because he was an actor that did so fucking many of them.

He didn't get banned, he just posted.

Yeah, see...usually that kind of thing is clear, with all red text and shit. I thought there was a leap somewhere.


Anyway...carry on all...gonna go have a smoke...

Who?

You're dead to me...

You're dead to me...

Yay, I can become a Poltergeist in your house then! :D

You're dead to me...

If only it were true for the rest of us.

It's like that for a while, at first.

Then one day, suddenly, you realise that your nerves are only calm when you've just had a cigarette, or are actively smoking another one. And then you realise that your little periods of calm are getting shorter and shorter, and you notice your moods getting less and less predictable. And then you realise that your moods and your nervous state are see-sawing out of control, based on how much nicotine happens to be in your system. And then you find yourself avoiding situations where you're unable to smoke, since you don't like getting all cranky.

And then, in a moment of startling clarity, you realise that you've been at it for more than twenty years and that, at some point in the intervening years, you've developed a bit of a paunch.

You were making sense up 'til then.

But "I developed a paunch because I was obsessed with smoking and didn't notice" is crap. There are certainly other distractions from the maintenance of a svelte figure (like, oh, finishing school, earning a living, pondering the meaning of life, caring about other people in various ways ...) and moreover, fighting the paunch isn't the only reason anyone ever does aerobic exercise.

So you decide to do a bit of exercise, only to find that your smoke-ravaged lungs are in such a poor state that anything strenuous just leaves you gasping for breath, and it pisses you off - so you have a cigarette to calm down.

Now you're just being silly.

That might apply to heroin, which suppresses pain of all sorts. Including "being pissed off."

But it doesn't fit nicotine. It's a fit-up, a frame, by you. Based on the fact that at some point after "getting pissed off" the smoker is going to have a smoke, and that's the time that they will relax and think about what is pissing them off.

I'm an ex-smoker. That is, I still smoke, but I don't need a smoke to trigger relaxation and reflection as you describe. I have other strategies which coincidentally are the same as a smoker's: regular breathing, suspending action for five or ten minutes, and a ritual of relaxation (stretches, bodily awareness not unlike the nicotine "buzz", and deliberate regular breathing.)

Yes, I agree it is demeaning to have your "thinking time" clocked-on and clocked-off by smoking. But trying to fit-up smoking as the "cure for all ills" is inaccurate, and any conclusion that smokers are hopelessly divorced from rationality because of their resort to self-medication is ridiculous.

In an idle moment you contemplate the fact that your monthly expenditure on tobacco is often more than your mortgage payment. This pisses you off too, so you have a cigarette.

Um, I don't have a mortgage. But thirty seconds googling suggests that they're in the order of AU$ 300 a week.

What are YOU smoking? Saffron?

(Edited: reconsidered, thanks to a change of mood following a cigarette :p)

(Edited: reconsidered, thanks to a change of mood following a cigarette :p)

Brain edit. I do that too. :p

Well, I do enjoy a good Cigar every now and then....Its really more for the taste than anything else...

Me too. I smoke cigars fairly often, but it's not strange for me to go a month or two without one.

As for cigarettes, I've never been tempted to start, I don't like the smell and other things I may or may not have smoked just murdered my lungs.

I didn't get banned, I just got a yellow card.

You deserved it.

The yellow card is an official caution. A "player" who does the same thing again, is clearly flaunting the referee's caution and is "sent off." I.e., two yellow cards equal a red card, a ban.

It's not "just a yellow card." It's half-way to a ban.

The whole point of coloured cards instead of verbal warnings is to remove any ambiguity due to language.

.
.
.

Annnnd, there you go.

See? Unmistakable, isn't it. That is the referee, holding up a yellow card for the spectators, the off-field officials, and all the other players to see. Big ol' yellow card there ...

Oops, I forgot to edit it.

Annnnd, there you go.
Yellow card.

Yep, that's what she said. Big ol' yellow card.

Cerean;14466471']
I was reaching the point where I would reach for a cig even though I just smoked one.
Piker. I've reached for a cig when I still had one going.

Piker. I've reached for a cig when I still had one going.

That's just conserving matches/lighter fluid, though. It's environmentally friendly!