Re: Smoking.
 

The social aspect is more a byproduct of the smoking than a reason one starts smoking (though I'm sure that's not the case for everyone). When you've got a group of strangers that are more or less confined to certain areas outdoors where they can smoke at certain times (such as worktime breaks), they'll get to talking and socializing, and that's what we're getting at when talking about the 'social aspect' of smoking.

It's a tad irresponsible, but I'm tired of the 'jeopardizing your health and the health of others' argument. I'm sorry, but if I'm smoking a cigarette, I'm not immediately concerned with what my lungs will look like 30 years from now if I keep it up. Frankly, I think I'm okay with not living to 70 or 80 years old. I've lived with my 90-year old grandmother, I have an idea of what old age looks like and it looks like it kinda sucks. I'm also a little indifferent about the effect of 10 seconds of second hand smoke on the person walking past me while I'm smoking. Shit, people get all kinds of cancer these days, often without the involvement of smoking cigarettes.

I'm a little more concerned about the amount of high fructose corn syrup in foods than I am about the carcinogens in cigarettes.
Depends on the addiction, the person, and the situation they find themselves in in their personal lives. It can be very hard to kick an addiction, even if you really want to stop it. It's not always as easy as saying "be dedicated."

Re: Smoking.
 

I can sort of see both aspects to it. You need to have willpower; which seems to be a function of having self confidence and so on built on accomplishing smaller goals, I don't think anyone starts off with a whole bunch of willpower. But there are things you can do that make your willpower go a lot further.

Re: Smoking.
 

Thats what I thought as well, I was told by my doctor that eating while smoking is awfully bad, let alone chewing tobacco.

I didn't start for the social aspect, infact it started from smoking green. By socialise he means that you meet people when smoking, green is very sociable I find.
If my mate rang me and asked to hang out and just talk I wouldn't be too bothered, mix in a jay or two and you got yourself a decent hang out. I'm not saying it is necessary(sp?) to have a good time but it helps.

That first sentence annoys me. An addiction is one of the hardest things to quit, thats what addiction means. Plus how can you comment on saying "it's not really hard to quit" when you don't have it yourself? QUite close minded.



I think overall from the feedback I'm just going to go coldturkey starting today, hopefully I won't turn into a jackass.

Re: Smoking.
 

I don't smoke and I hate if someone smokes with my company

Re: Smoking.
 

I think what he means is, and I agree to some extent if this is the case, that when you quit smoking it's not the substance addiction itself that's the hard part to overcome, but the actual habit of smoking. Like, going out for a drink and resisting the urge to have a cigarette along with your beer, or, stopping yourself from having your first cigarette of the day. I know for me I didn't really suffer from the cravings too badly after the first couple of days - the hard part for me was stopping myself from smoking at all of those times when I usually smoked.

Re: Smoking.
 

Best of luck! ^_^

Re: Smoking.
 

If getting a lung cancer is not that usual from smoking, chronic obstructive airway disease quite is. I know a former heavy smoker who has it, he can't do anything without breathing problems and has a breathing apparatus helper. That doesn't seem too appealing.

Since tastes and smells can be the same, smoking tobacco seems like putting ash to your mouth for me. A 20-tobacco pack costs around 4.5 Euros so it's expensive as well.

Re: Smoking.
 

You mean a ventilator, or he's on A Home oxygen concentrator?

Re: Smoking.
 

I used to say similar things, and thought addicted people were weak (not that that's necessarily what graeme meant to come across as thinking). Then I realized I didn't understand addiction at all because I was looking at it from the outside in. :moon:


Good luck! I beliiiiieeeeve you can flyyyyy

Re: Smoking.
 

A home oxygen concentrator. Has to keep 8 hours on every day, but it's not helping that much. It's quite a crappy condition because there's no cure and your lungs keep getting worse and worse, eventually disabling pretty much all physical activity.

He used to smoke three packs of 20 cigarettes every day. Quit 30 years ago though.