Opinion on smoking?

[Ryufushichou]

Take it from someone who has smoked since the age of 9 (I'm 41 now), there is NO good reason to smoke. I don't smoke because I like it or think it's cool or anything like that. I smoke simply because I don't have the will power to quit the addiction. When I was 9, yes, I was stupid and thought it was cool to go hide somewhere and smoke cigarettes. Now I'm hooked on them and for most people, quitting is not easy. It's a very disgusting habit and causes excess dust, stains the walls, stinks up the house, ruins your health, costs way too much, et cetera, ad nauseum.

Back when I started smoking, it was more accepted (well, not for 9 year olds, but you get my point) than it is today. Anyone who starts smoking now is a damn fool, what with all the constant negative reports on its effects on the lungs and general health. In fact, messing with ANYTHING that has addictive chemicals in it is foolish. At least I can say I never got into anything else that is addictive besides cigarettes.

I've explained it to little kids like this: Smoking is like a demon that grabs you by the lungs and doesn't let go. With every cigarette, the demon tightens its grip that much more, eventually killing you. Why would you want to willingly invite a demon into your body to kill you? Even after you quit smoking, it takes that demon many years to fully let go of you, and he'll always be around, waiting for you to smoke just one more cigarette so he can dig his claws into you again. The demon's name is addiction and you have to work hard to avoid him. The easiest way to avoid addiction is to never start smoking in the first place.

To my knowledge, the kids I've told that to have never started smoking. Now, I'm not a religious person in the least, I don't actually believe in demons or angels or any of that, but it is a very effective way of portraying smoking in a bad light and scaring the crap out of little kids to the point where maybe they will never start smoking.

I can understand your point of view and i think its fair. That doesn't mean to say ill stop. one of my favorite things to do, no matter what you say, will still be to sit in my nice comfy computer chair, open a nice can of beam, put on my loud ass headset, light a smoke, start some music and Play WoW or Guild Wars. and don't you think sitting here saying that is just a tad hypocritical? i realize its a bad choice. but it was my choice to make. you sound like my parents when i first told them i smoke -.-

 

[strata8]

I don't mind people who smoke, unless they smoke in a public area, with no obvious regard of others around them. These are the kind of people I dislike.

If someone freely chooses to smoke, and enjoys it, I don't have anything against that. If they end up with health problems, they'll need to sort it out themselves. It's like any other choice you make in life - like choosing to jump the chain fence and ending up breaking an arm or leg. It's a risk.

On the other hand, if someone is addicted to smoking and smokes regretfully, then they deserve all the support they can get to help them quit.

 

[Canonbeat234]

When people claim that's something is bad, they shouldn't be hypocritical about their decisions.

For example smoking is NOT the only addiction inside this Earth.

There's FETISHES (Which I do have), PORNOGRAPHY, DRINKING, SWEARING, MMORPGING, GAMING, and WORK!

Why do people think addiction mainly focus around something is physical bad for you. Its not as worse as mental damage because your thinking becomes stale and abstract!

 

[Hop2089]

If you want to smoke and you're of age you can do so just show courtesy and don't smoke where non-smokers are unless they don't mind and prepare for the medical consequences. Just use proper judgement and common sense and it's all good. It's the same thing with drinking, as I don't drink around family unless there are no children around because I don't want them drinking at an early age, it's a vice that they don't need to be exposed to yet. I agree with you cannonbeat, there are other vices and addictions in this world especially gambling. As with all vices, they require self control so it won't ruin your life or those around you.

 

[evandixon]

Smking is like killing yourself.
If you do, you will likely end up on the ventalator.

 

[Defiance]

I don't smoke because when I feel depressed, I wold rather do something about the problem rather then create the illusion of hiding it away.

 

[Maktub]

Dear Blinded Fate:

I don't want to sound like a self righteous ass. But I probably will.

Why do you make such a big deal of everything? My parents smoke, my grandparents smoked, probably their peasant fathers did, my mother's been doing it since she was around 5 because her older syblings would give her a smoke or two.

You are talking of smoking as if it were such an issue. Smoking stinks - right. Smoking causes cancer - right. Smoking is expensive - right. So what? It's been hugely demonized as of late. It's being pushed towards the limits of a bad seen drug and that only makes it more attractive to people - I fear this is going to grant me a good quantity of criticisms - like you. People who think they're a "lost cause" (don't make me laugh, you can read and type, that's a lot already, you have friends, as you said, you have a family, you have money).

There are worse things than smoking. Like, say, sitting all day in front of the compy/tvgame system eating hydrogenized fats and getting no sun tan at all. That's probably worse than smoking. Doing that will give you (I quote Strider):
# Bad skin.
# Bad breath.
# Bad-smelling clothes and hair.
# Reduced athletic performance.
# Greater risk of injury and slower healing time.
# Increased risk of illness.
#Make you look fat and associal (this is one of my own)

Words like "suffer", "my choice", while speaking of tobacco makes you sound like you need to go through something tougher than what makes you want to get away by smoking to realize that smoking is not a topic we should even judge you for. Just do it. Who cares, if you don't on the first place?

I'm sorry for judging you. At least it wasn't about smoking that I did.

My opinion on smoking (On topic now): Smoking is burning dry leaves of plants, usually with additives to breath its smoke. So transcendental

-----

stuff

I can understand your point of view and i think its fair. That doesn't mean to say ill stop. one of my favorite things to do, no matter what you say, will still be to sit in my nice comfy computer chair, open a nice can of beam, put on my loud ass headset, light a smoke, start some music and Play WoW or Guild Wars. and don't you think sitting here saying that is just a tad hypocritical? i realize its a bad choice. but it was my choice to make. you sound like my parents when i first told them i smoke -.-

Dude, and you sound like my nearly junkie 17 years old brother who is an asshole, hasn't finished primary school and can't barely read because he's neglected his education thinking he's cooler doing stuff like smoking, playing his "loud ass" speakers in his friends' cars all speed in the street with no shirts on, smoking marijuana and going with motorbikes doing wheelies and stuff. He also hates to be "told off" by my parents. You can do whatever you want, but telling someone who's trying to shed some light in a topic that you yourself started and that's a way more experienced in life than you like Rayder is that he sounds like your parents is stupid and disgrateful for so many reasons that I won't bother listing any of them.

That said, tell me to fuck off, go to hell and stick a burning stone through my ass, report me to the admins (though I don't think they'll do anything about me telling what I think), get pissy or go around telling people I'm a dick, or just ignore me, or say it's your choice. Whatever, cause, yes, you're a lost cause (in a way that doesn't make you look "cool" at all, but rather childish and ridiculous).

 

[golden]

There are better things to do than smoke. That's a fact, I have never heard anyone being able to justify smoking as the best thing to do in any situation when they could be doing something else to either make themselves feel better or just go out and get some fresh air with friends or anyone else. Anything is better than hurting yourself even more and trying to tell yourself that smoking really is helping you.

With that said, I don't care what choices people make with their body as long as they don't hurt others. Everyone is entitled to do whatever they like and that's fine. There are great, kind, nice, and successful people who smoke and that's really a shame but they do exist by the millions.

I just wanted to firmly point out that nothing inherently good comes out of smoking and never will. If you found good friends while smoking, great, but nothing positive is going to ever come out of the fact that you smoke. Ever.

 

[Toni Plutonij]

Well, I'm a non-smoker..
I have never even tried a smoke, I really dislike it, becuase it's hurting the people I like and love, and by others doing, it's hurting me..
Now, I have a lot of frinds that do smoke, I know a lot of people that smoke, and really, nobody can justify why are they doing it..Almost all of them started because they thought it's cool, or someone older (friend or cousin) offered them, and almost all of them want BUT CAN'T quit..
I knwo what my girlfried has gone trough when she decided to leave smoking because of me..
She was a 4 years old smoker, it doesn't sound long, but she smoked regulary from her 12th year, and that's really long enough to make strong physicall and psychicall addiction..
She tried to cut down on them, she tried all sorts of stuff, but nothing worked until she really firmly said no, and just stopped completely! I was there for her, and it was really hard..It still is hard at some points but not as nearly as then, it's been 4 years since she stopped, and she is extremely happy for it..

I hate smokers around here, because most of the time, they really don't care about the people around them, and do as they will.
And other time, when I don't hate people smoking, I really feel sorry for them, because most of them, literally, can't live for couple of hours without a smoke....I've seen people choosing smokes over food, when they have no money, but I understand, it's an addiction..

And that being said, I have no problems with my friends that do smoke, they know I dislike it, and usually, they look that smoke doesn't go my way..

That's it

 

[Law]

And that being said, I have no problems with my friends that do smoke, they know I dislike it, and usually, they look that smoke doesn't go my way..

That's it

I think it's usually that way when it comes to friends that smoke, they don't want to afflict the smoke upon their non smoking friends. I have a friend that smokes pretty regularly, but until recently when I said I didn't care if he smoked around me, he would never light up if I was nearby/approaching.

 

[Satangel]

I find it really pathetic, I never tried one, been offered one a lot in my life, and especially when you start going out, you really get a lot of offers on parties to smoke.
But I never did it, and I never will.
Just think about it for 1 second, is there really 1 reason you should start smoking?
And it costs a lot of money too! Why should you start with something that costs a lot of money (really a lot!) and then wreckens your soul and your body?

 

[granville]

I lived with a mother who smoked for the first 4-5 years of my life. That was not only detrimental to herself, but also to me thanks to second hand smoke. She did it a lot. One day though, she caught an advanced strain of bronchitis which, coupled with her almost lifelong addiction, nearly killed her. She couldn't smoke for about 2 weeks thanks to severe pain and was bedridden the entire time. It was terrifying to think she might die. When she got over the sickness, she never lit up again. For 3 reasons. 1- She knew how bad it was for her and myself, 2- that was a terrifying experience for both of us, and 3- she had already gone through the withdrawal symptoms while sick (meaning she had basically gone through the hard process of quitting without being able to help it.

I hate smoking. I hate the smoking industry too and how they ENJOY profiting by literally killing people. That is nothing but murder in itself. I've had many friends and family who have died because of it. I've never smoked myself and never will. It's not only detrimental to yourself, but it's horribly selfish and inconsiderate to whoever has to be near you. Secondhand smoke is almost as bad as normal smoke.

There is NOTHING good about smoking. The absolute only reason smoking is as popular as it is is due simply to commercial brainwashing, even of the younger generation. You could brainwash someone into jumping off a cliff without any means of support if it was a popular thing to do, and there was a profit for someone to be gained in it. I can't even imagining anyone enjoying it completely nowadays. Now that we know everything that smoking causes. Would you willingly enjoy slowing stabbing yourself to death and die slowly from loss of blood? I doubt it, but I guess if you were brainwashed... Doing that is the same as smoking though.

 

[UltraMagnus]

don't smoke myself, but don't really care about people smoking around me, it just doesn't bother me. what really does bother me is how people seem to persecute smokers. Hell the smoking ban here is it has caused a resurgence in snuff taking...

 

[Advi]

I don't mind when people smoke, but cigarettes are so damn popular; older methods and even those mini-cigars with the plastic mouth-pieces are not as bad for you.

 

[Maz7006]

Just like to add that smoking is a serious thing. I lost an uncle earlier this year.

he used to smoke 3 packs a day. in 06 he had a major heart attack, and was rushed to a hospital...good job that his house is like 5 mins away from there. This is when he was only 44 years old, and has been smoking heavily since he was in his teen years (not sure what age exactly, its hard to ask any family member about the fact). After this incident, he walked away from smoking and realized how bad it was. Yet he was still in basically a pretty bad state.

in January, this year, he suffered from a Major heart attack that killed him on the spot; mind you he was feeling fine and was up and about like usual. He was supporting a wife (doesn't work) and a 17 year old and a 9 year old. My cousin told me that he was pretty much dead on the spot, there really was nothing they could do. He was only 47, and the younger you are, the more fatal a heart attack can be. It was a shock, since he was actually much better than he had ever been, it really hit us with a lot of confusion, and dismay.

Smoking is bad for one thing, the addiction, don't let it get the better of you.

 

[iffy525]

The only reason smoking calms you down is because you're addicted. I don't think that that's a viable reason to smoke.

 

[geminisama]

The only reason smoking calms you down is because you're addicted. I don't think that that's a viable reason to smoke.

Exactly. I have friends tell me, "I'm not addicted", and so I ask, "Then why when you're super stressed, do you smoke a cigarette", and I got a variety of answers on how it calms them down, relaxes them, makes it better. That's dependence, aka. ADDICTION. They love to argue how it's not addiction, cause they "don't smoke" at other times. Running to get a cigarette the second life goes wrong, sounds like addiction to me.

Personally, I think smoking CIGARETTES is pathetic. Both my parents, older brother, deceased grandfather (atleast he quit), and a good number of friends I had, smoke. I tried smoking when I was a young teen, 'cause of the usual, "My friends are doing it, and it's so cool" attitude. I quit soon after, when realizing it didn't do ANYTHING FOR ME, and before the addiction could give me the illusion it helps shit. This is when I was like, 13. I'm not 19 in 2 days, and all my friends I started with still smoke. I can bet they're gonna smoke 'til they die, it kills them, or they have to stop cause it fucked up their bodies so bad. I feel sorry for them, and everyone else that smokes, irl, and on this thread. I especially feel sorry for those ones that mentioned, "social smoking", yea, enjoy your social suicide, cause of whatever reason you think it enhances your social life. BUT, in the end, it's your life, make your own choices, stupid or not. Just keep your cigarette smoke away from me.

 

[Nottulys]

Its a bad, and expensive habit....but I been smoking since 11 and heavily since 13...and at first, it was because I would get light-headed EVERY Single time I smoked until like 17 or 18...and it was also kinda "boosting" my high when I was on herb...

but I quit herb, and now I just smoke from habit....fukin horrible. Hell yeah its addicting, but if your gonna smoke, smoke. Fukc what people say.

 

[Nathan-NL]

Just don't ever try to smoke. If you never try, you'll never get addicted too.
If you smoke, you'll only damage your body and you'll work against your own body, so that's not good.

 

[tweak201]

Smoking is a bad habit to have. As a smoker who has been smoking since his early teens, I feel the effects.Shortness of breath and not being able to run too fast is one. I am also skinny (165, 6'2) and 22 but have the blood pressure of someone who weighs 250 pounds and is 35. Its hard to quit once you start. Marijuana becomes passively addictive, as in you can still highly function while using it, so you feel theres no need to quit. Between the both at my peak I was spending almost $700 a month. I live in a state that taxes cigarettes heavily. And at $7.50 a pack, I've cut back tremendously. I am also sober now, and enjoying seeing money in my wallet and bills paid on time. I would not recommending starting an addiction if you don't have any,nor do I recommend cigarettes. The urges to go smoke are annoying. The smell is hard to remove from clothing, and despite what you think, is a nuisance to non-smokers. Save yourself the hassle . On the plus side,I have seen people live into they're late 80's who were chain smokers and alcoholics. But don't think for 1 second that it applies to you .