Pirengle's Smoking Thread

[Count Duckula]

After the recent trend of post named after Lurker greats, and my own feelings about the subject, I bring you Pirengle's Smoking Thread.

DeeBye's Thread

My entire immediate family smokes tobacco but me. I was picked on all throughout public schooling about how my clothes and hair smelled like stale cigarettes. My parents are both pack-a-day smokers. My parents have both tried to quit without success.

My grandfather farmed tobacco throughout most of his adult life and also smoked cigarettes. I've done my fair share of summer tobacco planting and know how to grow and cure the plants. I got a call from Dad earlier this evening that my grandfather is in the hospital with lung problems related to cigarettes.

Is it your choice to smoke? Yes, but it wasn't my choice to live with it, and I've made that clear to my family.

I want opinions and heated debate.

[Nystul]

Unfortunately, we don't get to mix and match parental attributes out of the Sears catalog when choosing our parents. Heck, most of us don't even get to choose our parents in the first place! With that in mind, I'd say that chainsmoking parents are far from ideal, but that there are a lot of far worse possibilities.

The "It's not my choice to deal with the smoke" attitude is pretty prominent now. Society is pushing smoking out of all the public places, and I'm sure family pressure pushes it out of all the private ones. I think it is pretty amusing, in a way. I figure tobacco will finally be outlawed in the U.S. about the same day that marijuana gets the green light.

[smithy]

Unfortunately, we don't get to mix and match parental attributes out of the Sears catalog when choosing our parents.  Heck, most of us don't even get to choose our parents in the first place!  With that in mind, I'd say that chainsmoking parents are far from ideal, but that there are a lot of far worse possibilities.

The "It's not my choice to deal with the smoke" attitude is pretty prominent now.  Society is pushing smoking out of all the public places, and I'm sure family pressure pushes it out of all the private ones.  I think it is pretty amusing, in a way.  I figure tobacco will finally be outlawed in the U.S. about the same day that marijuana gets the green light.
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I was a smoker the last time one of these threads came around and I still am.

Nothing kicks up the addiction like long hours in front of the computer. :)

Do I want to be a smoker? Well... I guess not since it is going to kill me. However, take the health affects away and I am a smoker-4-life.

Nothin better than waking up, firing up the laptop and hopping online to read a bit of the LL while smoking my cigarette and drinking my coffee.

Smithy

[gekko]

Even if tobacco is outlawed, it's gonna be a long, long time before it happens. And probably a lot longer before it sticks.

My University was one of the first to issue a campus-wide smoking ban. It passed as a referendum question (only about 15% of students voted, but those who voted were overwhelmingly in favour of the ban) and was put into effect over the summer this past year. Campus-wide: that's the campus bar, the residences, outside the buildings, everywhere. So now the poor smokers have to walk sometimes several kilometers to the edge of the campus if they want to smoke legally. Many just light up wherever they are, and to the best of my knowledge not a single person has been given a ticket (though in a normal day I usually see 2-3 people smoking somewhere on campus). After months and months of our student union requesting they take a second look at the ban (response was that the union should accurately reflect the will of the students; that the 80% "majority" who voted for the ban proved the ban was favourable; the university ignored the new petition this year with MORE student names than had voted for OR against the ban a year ago).

Simply put, it's stupid and it doesn't work. I'm not a smoker; in fact, I hate cigarette smoke in my face. It bothers me quite a bit. However, if people are intelligent enough about smoking to keep it away from me, then I couldn't care less. I see no difference between the smoker 10 meters away from pedestrian traffic and the smoker 200 meters away. I'm sure that in -40 degrees celcius, the smoker sees a big problem. Our campus is surrounded mostly by forest. The students walking a kilometer or so to the edge of a dark wood at 1 am for a cigarette likely see a difference.

Deebye's case actually reminded me of a case up here in Canada a while back where a doctor refused to see or treat any patients who smoked. To be honest, I'm not sure if or how that one was resolved. What I like about people who take those kinds of steps is that (hopefully) it raises awareness in a meaningful way. Perhaps obesity needs the same kind of attention, but smoking is a horid strain on health care in Canada and people absolutely should stop smoking. But making people stop smoking, even when it really does harm only themselves...

I like the idea of a ban in public places -- restaurants, malls, casinos, etc. Impossible for non-smokers in those locations to escape the smoke. But I have a big problem with someone telling me what I can or can't do in the privacy of my home -- no matter how bad it is for me.

gekko

[pakman]

I don't smoke. I have had cigarettes before, and didn't like the taste. However, I do enjoy the occasional cigar with my friends or hopping over to Cafe Hookah on the south side of campus. My dad used to smoke when he was in highschool, like everyone else, but quit when he started dating my mother. However, everyone on my mom's side smokes regularly, but she does not. Some of my friends smoke, but I don't care because I'm their friend and there are more important things to worry about, like where we are going out tonight. It can get annoying, and walking into bowling alleys or bars where you see the cloud is comewhat disturbing to me. I deal with it, I'm not about to go out and tell a smoker to quit simply because it might irritate me. It is their choice to smoke, and mine not to smoke.

[Occhidiangela]

I don't smoke. I have had cigarettes before, and didn't like the taste.  However, I do enjoy the occasional cigar with my friends or hopping over to Cafe Hookah on the south side of campus.  My dad used to smoke when he was in highschool, like everyone else, but quit when he started dating my mother.  However, everyone on my mom's side smokes regularly, but she does not.  Some of my friends smoke, but I don't care because I'm their friend and there are more important things to worry about, like where we are going out tonight.  It can get annoying, and walking into bowling alleys or bars where you see the cloud is comewhat disturbing to me. I deal with it, I'm not about to go out and tell a smoker to quit simply because it might irritate me. It is their choice to smoke, and mine not to smoke.
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I much prefer smoking a good cigar to cigarettes. It is a completely different event, for me. If I would just stop smoking cigarettes, and save my enjoyment for the now and again cigar with a glass of whiskey, I'd be better off.

However, now and again, a smoke is just what is needed . . . by this struggling addict.

Occhi

[LemmingofGlory]

I don't use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs. I really have no desire to, either.

I have a friend that smokes, but we get together in public buildings where it's only permissible to smoke outside. That works for me. ;)

Another friend of mine told me that he recently began smoking/drinking when he needed to lessen his stress. I would not be surprised if either activity (or both) turned into a full-blown addiction since he's the sort that prefers to medicate himself rather than deal with his problems.

My mother's father is 80+ and has smoked a pipe practically forever. My mom smoked, quit before I was born, started up again when I was ~2, and then quit at some point when I was in elementary school. I had no opinion of smoking at the time; it was just something some people did. She, however, had grown to loathe it.

My father's father smoked for some period of time before quitting. He ended up dying of throat cancer despite having quit a few decades before. I don't recall how old he was, but I suspect he was no older than 65. My father has never been a smoker to my knowledge, but he's been an avid chewer. And...

CHEWING TOBACCO IS FREAKING NASTY!

I don't know how many of you have known or had to live around a chewer for any portion of your life, but it's just disgusting. My dad used plastic Country Crock margerine buckets as spitcans. For those that have never beheld the likes of this, the contents of a given spitcan can best be described as a unique texture that attempts to emulate a diseased bowel movement: black, leafy diarrhea. Dad was also rather absent minded with his spittoons. We kept finding used buckets around the house, in the garage, and in the attic long after my folks divorced, the blackened contents moldy and aged an untold number of years.

The smell of in-use chew tobacco is none too pleasant, either. My father's favorite "flavor" was spearmint. He'd sit in a room gnawing for hours, and in short order the room would fill with a sweet smell akin to dogpoop warming happily on a bright sunny day. It's a warm breathy smell, distinctly spearminty. It is for this reason that I will never eat spearmint again.

So, my family has substance abuse issues. I don't think it'd benefit me to pick up drinking, smoking, chewing, or other sorts of things. And, above all, I'll stay away from the goddamn spearmint.

-Dicrostonyx vinogradovi

[TaMeOlta]

:lol: Just being a Lemming is dangerous enough ...... :lol:


<--Still smoking , but fully intend on quitting soon , as well as my nasty procrastination habit :P

Seriously ? I hafta go back to a military tech school , cross training from radio maintenance to radio operations , in order to stay with the 439th AES and in the reserves . 6 weeks at Keesler , no smoking authorised , so seems as good a time to quit as any ! :D

[kandrathe]

My father smoked, but it did not kill him. It just made those around him suffer. He eventually quit when he was remarried later in his life.

Beyond the obvious second hand smoke issues, especially when a passenger in a vehicle, I was tasked with garbage detail which was always a greasy concoction of sour milk, rotting garbage, butts, and cigarette ashes. Yum. No, I never had the desire to smoke then, and as I've grown older I try to free myself of all those types of demons that bind.

I'm sure that heroin or other addictive drugs might be pleasant, however they too quickly convince us to leave reality behind. I've heard all the excuses from my father about why smoking is good, but in looking at all the downsides I cannot fathom why anyone wants to smoke who is not addicted. I can't help but pity those who turn to nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs to escape an unpleasant reality. When they sober up, reality is back, and usually with added consequences.

I support banning smoking in public places, and am no fan of second hand smoke. On the other hand, I am a proponent of personal freedom. If it were merely a nicotine patch issue, I wouldn't care what people chose to do with their own bodies. I would hope they would choose a healthy lifestyle, and pursue a good quality of life (and, then there is the social burden of caring for those who live unhealthy which is for another discussion).

[Mavfin]

I said this in the other thread, but, I'll say it here, too. I smoked from the time I was 19, when I was in college, until the day I had a heart attack at the age of 34, and almost left my wife and 4 kids behind. If the ambulance had gotten there in 10 minutes, rather than 5, I wouldn't be here to tell you about it. (It was June 1, 2004, if anyone wants to know)

I'm not going to preach at you to stop smoking, but I've stopped, and I definitely can say that "it can't happen to me" is fiction. Get rid of the cigs while you still can, and good luck.

[Zingydex]

My issues with smoking are partly my tendancy towards disgust at anyone who does something inherently stupid, and partly a personal health issue. I have asthma in my family, and I'm starting to develop a few symptoms of such myself. Some people have trouble dealing with the noxious byproducts of a burning cigarette just on the basis of the smell, or some discomfort. I can't breathe around the stuff at all. If someone lights up near me, I choke. Even being around someone who's been smoking makes it hard to breathe.

So for the sake of people like me, butt out. Please. Smoking is like waving a loaded gun around; sooner or later, somebody's going to pay for it.

[Mithrandir]

No cigarettes for me, but the occasional cigar (Capone's are pretty good) is no problem. We also recently purchased a hookah which has been a fantastic way to smoke a very strong double-apple tobacco from Egypt (among other things :mellow: ) which has a great taste. It hits *quite* hard for tobacco and my housemates and I have been wondering if there's more than just tobacco and flavoring in it... but since we can't even read the label, who knows!

All in all, I probably average tobacco smoking in general about once a week. (Alcohol, on the other hand...)

[kandrathe]

My issues with smoking are partly my tendancy towards disgust at anyone who does something inherently stupid, and partly a personal health issue.&nbsp; I have asthma in my family, and I'm starting to develop a few symptoms of such myself.&nbsp; Some people have trouble dealing with the noxious byproducts of a burning cigarette just on the basis of the smell, or some discomfort.&nbsp; I can't breathe around the stuff at all.&nbsp; If someone lights up near me, I choke.&nbsp; Even being around someone who's been smoking makes it hard to breathe.

So for the sake of people like me, butt out.&nbsp; Please.&nbsp; Smoking is like waving a loaded gun around; sooner or later, somebody's going to pay for it.
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My belief is that we are killing ourselves with toxins and that while that is an individual right, we should also have the right to live in a pollution free environment if we want. I have a close friend that was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, which is an autoimmune disease where the immune system destroys the platlets in her blood. I really think this was brought about by the levels of pollutants in her environment. Women seem to be more susceptible to environmental pollutants, and many idiopathic autoimmune disorders are also weighted 3:1 towards women.

One consideration is the continued exposure to heavy metals and environmental pollution that overload the immune system. On a daily basis, we battle with pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, industrial wastes, cigarette smoke, and automobile exhaust. Our air, water, and food in particular are full of toxic substances. There is no doubt that these toxins play a role in immune dysfunction. Even substances considered by most people as safe actually impair immune function. Sugar consumption in all forms (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) will impair the ability of white cells to destroy biological agents. This effect begins within a half hour and lasts for 5 hours. After 2 hours, immune function is reduced by 50% (Sanchez et al. 1973; Bernstein et al. 1977).

Oxidative stress plays a role in autoimmune diseases. It can be compared to a piece of metal rusting and results from the action of damaging molecules known as free radicals that are a natural byproduct of the body's metabolism. The electrically charged free radicals attack healthy cells, causing them to lose their structure and function and eventually destroying them. Free radicals are not only produced by our bodies, but they are also ingested from toxins and pollution in the air we breathe.

Chronic systemic inflammation is related to several autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and fibromyalgia (see separate protocols on these topics). Inflammation can be traced to destructive cell-signaling chemicals known as cytokines that contribute to many degenerative diseases (Brod 2000). In rheumatoid arthritis, excess levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin 1(B) (IL-1b), and/or leukotriene B4 (LTB4), are known to cause or contribute to the inflammatory syndrome that ultimately destroys joint cartilage and synovial fluid. Certain nutritional supplements and low-cost prescription medications will often lower cytokine levels and control the inflammatory state.

We battle any number of stressors on a daily basis, and some that we have no idea about. Recent studies I've read in "Science" suggest that life span can be directly linked to the amount and duration of inflammation an organism experiences.

[Minionman]

I don't smoke, or do any other kinds of drugs, even most caffeine (some probably comes with chocolate), and nowadays most people in my family only have a few drinks now and than, in my brother's case, those would be caffeine drinks, everyone else would be beer/wine. I don't like the idea of anything besides food getting into m body, though things like sugar/fat and artificial flavors are fine, unless I get headaches from certain foods with them.

I don't like breathing smoke of any kind, I get headaches from extremely air conditioned rooms abnd need fresh air, so car or cigarette smoke is also really annoying, I will agree with not allowing it in places like restaurants, on streets I'm not so sure about whether to outlaw it or not, in houses I say good job to families that push people not to smoke, if it shows people how to make smart decisions in general.