Smokers and non smokers, what do you do, what do you think?

[Phil_UK]

I thought it would be interesting to see how many members here smoke, as opposed to the ones who don't and what people's views are in general on the subject.

I was a 40 a day man up until 4 days ago when I quit. Its not easy, but its something I've been trying to do for some time now. I'm using one of those Nicorette inhulators and its working very well, couldn't do it without it I can tell you. The first two days I was climbing the walls. I just went cold turkey and that was a bad mistake. The problem I had was that I really enjoyed smoking. Sure I knew the health problems, but it was something I chose to do. I was always a thoughtful smoker, never smoked near people, went outside etc. Now I'm not smoking I'm not going to turn into someone who attacks smokers, this I've promised myself.

Regards Phil

[GCR]

Interesting topic, especially since today (April 3rd) marks 1 month of NOT smoking for me. I quit a month ago on the day my Grandfather died of Lung-cancer. I used to smoke about a pack / pack and a half a day. Lucky Strikes...good smoke. I did it cold turkey, and I miss smoking, but I have no doubt that I'm through for good. Watching someone you care about die from smoking can have that effect, I guess. Like yourself, Phil, I really enjoyed smoking. And like yourself, I have not become one of those smokers who quits and gets that "holier than thou" attitude with other smokers. I have to say, when I was in the UK last year, I enjoyed the abundance of ashtrays and smoking sections in restaurants and such, compared to the liberal, anti-smoking environment I used to suffer through here at home in the Boston area. BUT, I thought smokes were expensive here in Massachusetts, geeze, they are astronomical over in your neck of the woods! Luckily, if I ever find myself across the pond again, it'll be a traveling expense I won't have to worry about. ;)

-GCR

[MK]

I only smoke when I am on fire........though I did try a cigar in London once.

[Andykev]

I used to be around a lot of people every day, and relatives I visited, who smoked..the old "smoke filled room" thing.
I hate it, my hair and clothes smell of it. Second hand smoke is bad. I hate cigarettes.

I tried a cigar or two, and they are fun to "play with"..but unfortunately for the next day or so everything you eat tastes like a cigar..and the wife has nothing to do with me.

Pipes, now that is something that smells good, takes a lot of work, and looks good.

I have a pipe, and maybe smoke it once or twice a year. Milder than cigars, sweet smelling, and "40's" looking.

No I don't smoke, and am glad they have banned it from restaurants and stores. \

Do you let anyone smoke in your house, car, or around the kids? No!

[Matt Deckard]

Last smoke I had was a cigar at a Fedora Lounge meet.

I have never been a fan of smoking, though I am in the camp that believes that it should not be banned.

[farnham54]

The odd cigar with a drink and some good company is always a good time, but very infrequently. A few a year don't hurt, but more then that I'd be wary of.

At the same time, I believe it is a) a personal choice and b) the livliehood of many people in the ciggarette industry. It should not be banned; Smokers have been alienated enough. Whats next? Fat people? Glasses-wearers? Anyone who is physically imperfect?

Bah, I say. If a person wants to smoke, let 'em smoke.

Regards,

Farn

[kent]

I'm not much for smoking. It's always rather annoying to go out and have to pile the clothes I was in the previous night away from where I can smell them until they're washed. I usually don't mind it too much unless I'm right in the path of smoke. Cigars and pipes are typicly more pleasant, while I've found cloves to be more irritating.

It's nice in restaurants not having to ask whether or not you want to sit in smoking. It's fairly depressing to know some people who can't enjoy a good meal, etc.. without supplementing it with a smoke.

A friend of mine was telling me how her son came home from school one day, and told her he didn't want her to die from smoking and she should quit smoking. She hasn't picked up one since.

[Marlowe]

I smoked, for a long time, but not very much--about 20 per day or less. I never really settled on one brand exclusively, I tried all different brands. Some of my favorites were Sobranie "Black Russians," Players (the English brand with the sailor on the front), "English Ovals" by Phillip Morris(?), Benson & Hedges "De Luxe" (they're not your ordinary Benson & Hedges', they come in a flat, English-style pack and have a different filter), Lucky Strikes. The brand I smoked the most of were Marlboro "Reds." I hardly ever smoked cigars, and smoked a pipe about once every blue moon or less. I don't smoke any more, I quit in early December of 2002.

Here's my take on it: Cigarettes are evil. Literally. They do you no good, they can do you great harm, and almost certainly will if you smoke them enough. They insinuate themselves into your psyche by addicting you to the nicotine in them to ensure that you have a difficult time of breaking your habit of smoking them. They make you weaker, not stronger, taking away your capacity to do one of the most basic processes of our from of life: breathe oxygen. They are known to cause emphysema and cancer.

Modern cigarettes are worse than those of times past because of the chemicals added to them. Strange ammonias an nitrates are added to the tobacco, paper and filters for various effects. Nitrates are added to keep the tobabcco and paper burning when you're not actively puffing on the cigarette. Saltpeter is one of these nitrates. It was long used to induce impotence in men by the British Navy and in prisons (and probably by others, as well). Ammonia compounds are added to enable the nicotine to transfer itself more quickly from cigarette to lung to bloodstream, conditioning you more forcefully to light up because of a faster relief from nicotine withdrawal ("nick fit") and therefore making quitting smoking even harder. There are a host of other chemicals added to cigarettes. In the United States of America, the tobacco companies are not required to list these "ingredients" because cigarettes are not food. Tobacco companies even refuse to co-operate with the federal government and provide "recipes" because (they say) the formulae they use are proprietary trade secrets. I personally believe that tobacco has been bred for greater nicotine content.

Banning smoking entirely, while not actually physically harmful, would be wrong. What would such a policy say about our attitude toward personal choice and responsibility? The argument has been made that waitresses, waiters, bartenders, etc. are trapped in an unhealthy environment if people are allowed to smoke inside of bars, restaurants, etc. Also that secondhand smoke is harmful to other patrons. I believe that smokers should be allowed to smoke in outdoors areas of bars and restaurants. That'd be kind of tough on smokers in the winter in some places, or during inclment weather, but hey, you don't HAVE to smoke.

Proposing that banning smoking is undesirable because it would put tobacco farmers out of work isn't a great argument because soil can grow other things. Also, why ban opium poppies or marijuana but not tobacco if people having jobs is your only concern?

If you smoke, I recommend that you quit. But I'm not going to get preachy about it. (I'm posting this reply because someone specifically asked, I didn't bring it up.) If you don't smoke, I recommend strongly that you never start. Life is fragile and short enough without you endangering your health on a hobby/habit that does you no good and can ensnare you into addiction.

I didn't quit smoking so much to avoid the health problems associated with smoking, although that was a large part of my decision, but rather because I was determined that the cigarettes woudn't own me. I refused to let the cigarettes be in charge of my desires and make me the slave of their influence.

Quitting can be pretty tough, but it's doable if you keep at it and don't give up on yourself. And now that I've quit, I sleep better, food tastes better, I have more money to spend on something besides my addiction to cigarettes.

Well, that's probably enough of MY babbling...

[Michaelson]

I used to chain smoke cigars when I worked as a forms draftsman back in the 70's. I started out in college smoking a pipe, as I came from a pipe smoking household, but discovered that when pursuing one of my OTHER old hobbies, train watching, that it was next to impossible to keep a pipe lit in a windy train yard. I was offered a cigar by my college roommates, also a train buff, as once lit, it STAYED lit, and was hooked. I continued to smoke at the light table (never smoked at home....only work), as my work mates ALSO smoked cigars, so it was not unusual to go through a large box or more a week of smokes, up until the birth of our first daughter. I then quit cold turkey, as I realized that what I was doing was pretty much playing Russian roulette. I agree that that banning smokers is to extreme, but that said, I am a STRONG proponent of separating smokers FROM non-smokers, as though a smoker has the right to smoke, I also have the right NOT to smoke, and with second hand smoke floating around, my right is violated. I usually end up with a rip roaring sinus headache after being in a smoke filled area anymore... so not only is, my meal disturbed, but I leave a restaurant sick as well from the air I had to breathe. Why? Keeping the two groups separated stops that. I've actually been to restaurents that had only a half wall separating smokers from non-smokers, and the ceiling fans on the smokers side just blew the smoke over the wall into the non-smoking section. That wall just wasn't 'magical' enough to stop it, I suppose.

Do I think it's good or bad? I think it's a definite health risk, but is one that each individual needs to decide, either on an individual basis, or by looking at the larger picture as to how it impacts those around them....i.e. family, friends, work mates, etc. It's a personal decision, and one that should be kept that way, as long as it does not impact the personal decision of the non-smoker to exist in a smoke free environment. It's a tough row to hoe....Regards. Michaelson

[BD Jones]

As a wind instrument player, I have never smoked and have tried to avoid second hand smoke like the plague. There are two things that are essential to my lively hood - my lungs and my ears, and try to everything possible to protect then (there are actually many thing I try to protect, but those are the biggies). When Waco passed a no smoking law for restaurants, wife and I rejoiced. As a band director, I stress the importance of not smoking to all of my students not only for their health, but also just in case they decide to go in to music professionally. I have seen the effects of lung disease and cancer caused by smoking, and it is not something I want anyone to have to go through. As a musician and someone who cares about his health, it scares the hell out of me. I don't mind if people smoke, I just don't want them to do it around me.

[Michaelson]

A wind instrument man, eh? Well, that explains why us old keyboard/bass players were usually seen with cigarettes or cigars hanging out of our mouths while we jammed. (grins) Regards. Michaelson

[Phil_UK]

I was a guitarist myself Michaelson and smoking seemed fine to me as well. Though I have to admit it doesn't help the vocal chords too much. Still today is my one week marker without smoking and I don't feel too bad.

Regards Phil

[Canadave]

Originally posted by Phil_UK
...today is my one week marker without smoking and I don't feel too bad.

Regards Phil

Congrats, and keep it up!!! :) :) :)

David

[BD Jones]

Originally posted by Michaelson
A wind instrument man, eh? Well, that explains why us old keyboard/bass players were usually seen with cigarettes or cigars hanging out of our mouths while we jammed. (grins) Regards. Michaelson

When I played gigs on bass the only thing I had hanging out of my mouth was a Tootsie Pop (never played with out one - talk about cool!). Oh, and drool! Quick joke for the bass players here (there are a few, myself included):

What does it mean when the bass player is drooling out both sides of his mouth?
The stage is level. LOL

[Phil_UK]

Thanks Canadave, its not easy but I'm getting there.

Regards Phil

[Ken]

The problem is, despite what people say to the contrary, smoking just looks darn cool. Just watch a Humphrey Bogart film and you'll see what I mean.

Its this image which I think gets people experimenting with smoking and the more emphasis that is put on the bad points of smoking, the more rebellious and thus cooler it seems to be a smoker.

Now dont get me wrong, I think smoking looks cool but that doesnt mean that I would start smoking for that reason. I have never touched a cigarette in my life and I never will without exceedingly good reason (ie - someone poitning a gun to my head and telling me to). Cigarettes are adictive and I see no point starting just to see what they are like and then getting hooked.

Cigars I have tried before and are quite enjoyable, but certainly not the kind of thing I would have more than a couple of times a year if even.

To anyone trying to or sucessfuly quit I commend you in what I can only imagine as being a terribly difficult ordeal.

Ken

[Phil_UK]

The funny thing is that the reason I started smoking in the first place was far from trying to look cool. I was a grown man, who had never smoked in his life. I was acting in a play and reading through the script in a small Greenroom with no windows, or ventilation and nine smokers, it was very painful. I couldn't breathe, had chest pains you name it. One of the other guys said take a drag and you'll feel ok. well as they say the rest is history. Within about a month I was hooked, quickly becoming a chain smoker. I spent nine years on 40-50 a day until 8 days ago. And yes its hard, but very worth it. I'm feeling better and I'm starting to smell the smoke on clothes in my wardrobe, which is awful. Food is tasting better too.

Regards Phil

[Marlowe]

Yeah, that's basically how I got started. I was in an acting class, doing a little scene from "The Outsiders," playing one of those young "hood" characters, so I smoked because the character smoked. When I was through playing the character, I wasn't through smoking--I was hooked.

When I quit, I quit cold turkey. I figured that nicotine patches or gum or whatever wouldn't address the basic problem, nicotine addiction. Also, after about 3 days, you're no longer PHYSICALLY dependent on the nicotine. Whatever urge you have to smoke after that is due to habit, not addiction. (But habits can be awfully hard to break.)

[RadioHead]

I smoked for 16 years, from the age of 14 to the age of 30, and for the last 8 of those years I smoked about 50 a day. First thing in the morning... light up. Last thing at night... light up.

I quit smoking at 12:15 PM, on June 5, 1985. I was at work at the time.

It was a "cold turkey" thing for me, and I really don't remember now if I had a difficult time of it or not, but I do remember moving the furniture around in my apartment quite a lot for about a month. :)

While I haven't craved a cigarette for quite some years, occasionally I have a dream in which I smoke, somtimes a lot. When I wake up, I feel as satisfied as I used to after the first cigarette following a meal. AND I still have a clean record! All the perks, none of the drawbacks.

"RadioHead"

Oh yeah... I quit because I was scared of getting cancer from smoking.

[crazylegsmurphy]

The problem is, despite what people say to the contrary, smoking just looks darn cool. Just watch a Humphrey Bogart film and you'll see what I mean.

I think this is where the whole problem with smoking begins. Smoking doesn't look cool at all, but like with many things in the media they have a fancy way of making things appear to look cool.

I mean think about it, how many times have you seen the hero pull out a gun and blow 20 people away? In real life shooting people isn't cool at all.

I'm sure there are countless examples of things that wouldn't be considered cool at all if it weren't for "hollywood" making us think they are (or telling us they are).

In the real world smokers drive me insane!! Aside from the obvious things like it stinks, hurts your eyes, and makes it hard to breath, there are a bunch of other reasons I can't stand smoking.

Anyone who has ever tried to navigate a dance floor with smokers on it knows the potential dangers to your eyes, skin, and favorite Indiana Jones Jacket. Anyone who has ever had to look at the unsightly reminder of hundreds of buts littering the street. Or what about when you walk out of a building or stand at a bus stop and you get blasted with a wave of smoke into your lungs. Or that I have to pay (in Canada) a health care premium so the smokers who got lung cancer can have access to all the free health care they need.

But what bothers me the most about smokers is when I am driving around and I see a person smoking up a storm, while thier little child sits there in the passenger seat learning the habit, and suffering the consequences.

Honestly, I personally think smoking is one of those things that we need to accept as a society as being simply rediculous. We need to realize that the proof is in the pudding that it has no useful function, and do everything we can to get rid of it once and for all.

:eusa_clap

[LizzieMaine]

I have friends who smoke, and I'll admit that I don't mind the smell of a good cigar or a pipe. But I've never smoked myself, and I never will -- because I watched my grandfather die of emphysema. No political statements, no condemnation for those who choose to smoke, no sweeping calls for prohibition -- just the memory of my grandfather desperately gasping for his last breath.

[matei]

Both my parents smoked like chimneys when I was growing up. I remember walking up and the house would be a blue haze - like living in a pub.

Oddly enough, I never smoked. I tried a few times when out with the lads, but I invariably felt awful the next day.

I wish they'd get their act together here and ban smoking in public places like restaurants, or at least force them to have smoking/non-smoking sections. Nothing ruins a meal like some eejit's noxious smoke wafting over to you in the midst of your main course.

The gov't voted to do this in Ireland. For us non-smokers, the decision to ban smoking in public places was a... emmm... breath of fresh air. :eusa_doh:

Sure, the publicans and smokers gave out about it, but it made going out a pleasure again. You might have a wee headache the next day from too much drink, but at least you didn't smell like an ashtray.

I have been meaning to keep a really stinky, cheap cigar on me for those occasions where an inconsiderate smoker lights up next to me. I'd wait until they finished and then pollute their air with the fumes of a cheap ol' cigar.

I tried this once many years ago and it worked.

[The Reno Kid]

I've never been a smoker, but it doesn't bother me when someone lights up.

[RadioHead]

Smoking doesn't look cool at all,

Not to you, perhaps. It looked really cool to me when I was a kid. I had my first cigarette when I was about 9 years old, but didn't start smoking "for real" until I was 14. My brother is 6 years older than I, and I thought he looked as cool as all-get-out when he was smoking, and he was/is my hero (in a very loose sense of that word).


Or that I have to pay (in Canada) a health care premium so the smokers who got lung cancer can have access to all the free health care they need.

Well, I admit, that is a good point. I, too, pay those premiums, but I also pay those premiums to pay for the knuckleheads who weren't wearing a seatbelt when they had a car crash, or weren't wearing a helmet while riding a motorcyle and lost it, and require months of hospitalization- and those actions are illegal! Smoking isn't. Should it be? That's another thread.


Honestly, I personally think smoking is one of those things that we need to accept as a society as being simply rediculous. We need to realize that the proof is in the pudding that it has no useful function, and do everything we can to get rid of it once and for all.

Do you drink alcohol? It's legal, causes diseases, death, depression, abuse and other problems... and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.

'Tis not only beauty, but also "cool" which is in the eye of the beholder.

"RadioHead"

[Braxton36]

I've found very few people who, like me, have never smoked. Anything. Not even a puff. I just never had the desire, never thought it was cool, and never liked the smell.

I was around it growing up as everyone seemed to smoke in those days. It didn't bother me even through college - I let people smoke around me at my own place, even dated some girls who smoked. At some point in my 20's it started to irritate me. I got rid of all the ashtrays and started asking people to smoke outside.

Now I've gotten to the point where it really annoys me in public places. I go out of my way to avoid smokers. I won't sit in smoking sections of restaurants and won't stay in a smoking room in a hotel. Anybody who doesn't think stale smoke stinks is fairly delusional. However, having said all that, I'm still of the opinion that they have a right to do whatever they please - whether it's good or bad for them - it's their choice.

[Hondo]

This is an old thread that got bumped, I must have missed it because its an interesting question. The other day on TMC, I caught John Wayne’s 1963 “Hatari!” I just couldn’t help notice at how many times people in the film lit up a cigarette, smoked. (This there a film you’ve seen where all people do is smoke? I’ll leave that for another topic) When relaxing after a hard days work or when drinking, I guess sign of the times. Like the TV or radio ads that made smoking cool, only later we found out how dangerous it is.

I was a long time smoker maybe less than 20 a day, for 35 yrs, it’s a nasty little habit, your clothes, food smell or stink. I loved cigs with alcohol, or coffee, but I finally got it right and quit over 5 yrs ago, I know the long term damage has been made, but I feel and breathe so much better today, food smells good, you wake up without that cigarette after taste that lingers in the air, I used to cough, gag or hacking trying to clear my throat every morning. My sinuses are still bad, but not as when I was smoking. There are so many films that while not intended made smoking look cool. How many of you recall cigarette TV ads, the Marlboro man? "Come to where the flavor is, come to Marlboro country!!" (theme song to the Magnificent 7 movie) I try to sympathies with those who continue to smoke, due to being a ex smoker, but I have trouble understanding that with all the info out the in public view, they continue without regards to the danger to their health, I know first hand like many here, but get real, whether you have a large or small bundle of savings for retirement, wouldn’t you like to be alive, healthily come that time or would you want to be in a hospital, hooked up to a machine trying to breath?
I won’t say anything should someone light up next to me unless it really bothers me, I’ll either get up and leave or ask them, do you mind not smoking please? I know it’s addictive, I did it for over 35 years but try to quit, have some personal honesty with ones self, TRY!!! It’s a nasty little habit, now China or the Chinese people are only now realizing the danger.
Yeah I love to play with cigars, but rarely light up:p

[Quigley Brown]

Do you drink alcohol? It's legal, causes diseases, death, depression, abuse and other problems... and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.

"RadioHead"

Actually a glass of wine once in a while can be good for you.

[raiderrescuer]

I wonder if the Tobacco Companies subsidised the movies because it portrayed smokers.
Now days it's common for "product placement" in movies...like Mountain Dew in Highlander 2.
I have a Glenn Miller/Andrews Sister CD that was sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes...every once and awhile the narrator would mention the cigarette.

[RadioHead]

(...is there a film you’ve seen where all people do is smoke?

Not exactly. However, I'm constantly amazed at how many recent films I've seen where most of the people smoke. I mean, really, nowadays at least in Canada... 6 out of 10 provinces in any case (http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/health07a.htm) FAR fewer than 50% of people smoke.

In movies? MOST people seem to smoke.

"RadioHead"

[RadioHead]

Actually a glass of wine once in a while can be good for you.

See my "tagline". :)

[Twitch]

I never smoked cigarettes. I did occassionally smoke a good cigar and a pipe. I've tried all types of oral tobacco- chew and snuff. I don't use anything at all now. I never was a heavy user.

I worked in and in allied fields to the tobacco industry. I felt before then and now that people should do what they want to do. I think the sin taxes perpetrated by assorted local governments are a sin since they attempt to exploit users of tobacco and alchohol unfairly. But I'm a Libertarian so it is a natural thing for me to believe in basic personal freedoms.;)

[Quigley Brown]

Ya gotta wonder what 'Casablanca' would've been like if Rick's was a smoke-free bar......[huh]

[ortega76]

I do not smoke cigarettes but I do smoke cigars. I limit myself to 4 per week, but I stop altogether if I'm sick. My prsonal rules do not allow me to smoke in the house but I will smoke on the balcony. My town is in the middle of implementing a smoking ban and I must say it IS affecting where I choose to go out for a drink. Right now, I choose establishments that have a beer garden so I can smoke outside. It has cut down on the number of times I go out (it was never a lot to begin).

[Girl Friday]

Everything legal in moderation. 40 a day!?! how did he have time to do anything else? :D

I do hate to smell like smoke though, some of my favorite places are very smokey and my big hair collects a lot of it (horrible!) :mad: I would much rather be outside when I do. And I do try to respect others and not blow it in their face. I'm more of a social smoker, still bad I know.

[matei]

While not a smoker, and not a fan of smoking, I wouldn't vote for an all-out ban on the passtime. As one of our fellow Loungers pointed out, alcohol can be detrimental to one's health but is still legal.

That being said - I'm still not enamoured of having to breathe someone else's smoke.

[SGB]

Never smoked cigs, just good cigars for the past 30+ years. Here in AZ it is still ok to smoke in bars, but there are 2 props on the ballot, one which will ban smoking in bars as well.
One city in CA near where I lived banned all smoking in city limits except your own house, a friend was nearly cited for smoking a cigar in his car at a stoplight with the windows rolled down......the officer told him to roll up his windows or put it out. As the signal changed he gave the officer a single digit salute and drove off, still smoking with his windows rolled down. Crazy stuff.

SGB

[Quigley Brown]

One city in CA near where I lived banned all smoking in city limits except your own house, a friend was nearly cited for smokng a cigar in his car at a stoplight with the windows rolled down......the officer told him to roll up his windows or put it out. As the signal changed he gave the officer a single digit salute and drove off, still smoking with his windows rolled down. Crazy stuff.

SGB

That wasn't very mature of him. In my observations that's the image most cigar smokers like to give of themselves...too cocky and too sure of themselves.

[mysterygal]

I smoked for about a year when I was a sophmore because it was 'the cool thing to do' I quit because #1. it's an expensive habit and #2. even with not being a heavy smoker, my throat kept getting horribly sore, wasn't worth it.
Something I observed though was, when you're a smoker yourself, the smell coming off other smokers, and yourself doesn't bother you at all, but it seems once you quit, the smell is almost nauseating :(
I really don't think smoking looks cool at all, it's a bad habit, period! the look, the smell, is not attractive in the least to me. Especially when a woman smokes, really takes away from the 'chick' and 'posh' look. Now, cigars, I think (as long as they're not the cheapie kind) smell pretty darn good, and I actually think the look of a guy puffing on one is kind of sexy [huh]

[SGB]

That wasn't very mature of him. In my observations that's the image most cigar smokers like to give of themselves...too cocky and too sure of themselves.

You weren't there to feel the frustration he said he felt, in his own car getting grief for something like this, when there are more important things for an officer to do than bust somebody for smoking in his own car.
I disagree also with your observation, all the cigar smokers I know are very conscious of others when smoking, going out of our way to not offend anyone wth our cigars. The example I quoted above was a singular incident, and in those circumstances I can understand my friends reaction.

SGB

[Hondo]

I really don't think smoking looks cool at all, it's a bad habit, period! the look, the smell, is not attractive in the least to me. Especially when a woman smokes, really takes away from the 'chick' and 'posh' look.[huh]


I see so many beautiful women smoking and wonder, geez doesn’t she realize it will hurt her skin complexion? Since I quit (and I’m a guy) my skin got better, I still have bags under my eyes, a doctor once told me after I inquired about surgery to remove bags, he stated its not just from working nights but from years of smoking and drinking, That’ll add wrinkles, lines and bags, plus skin color look pail, so many women worry about weight control and smoke, bad move, you’ll pay a high price way later in life.

Pipes are cool, now findng right kind of tobacco flavor, I might get a pipe soon, if I find the right type, maybe bubble pipe:p

[mysterygal]

wrinkles: I know! my mother is a heavy smoker and is really showing the effects of it. She's got the typical smoker's face which is sad because she's such an attractive lady...definetely gives me enough incentive to never touch the stuff again!
another reason I thought of, was, when kissing a smoker, unless you're a smoker yourself, it's kind of like kissing an ash tray...not good.

[Lady Day]

Not even a ham.

My mother passed from smoking related cancer in 2005, she was only 65, so I dont have a high regard for cigs.

My brother and I usta hide them from her when we were kids, and when we were old enough to buy them for her, we refused. She respected that.

I dont repremand smokers if I see them. I think tabacka' smells good, but thats about it. If they ask a smoking related question to me, and it fits, I will bluntly tell them about my mom. Usually stops them from smoking around me at least.


LD

[ClassicIsBetter]

Former smoker. I smoked a lot in my teens. As a matter of fact, a number of times my best friend and I would have "Smokefest" at Waffle House and smoke 1 carton apiece until we ran out. That's not including my usual smoking at the time (2 packs). 1 carton on those occassions lasted about 5 hours. One time we ran out and went to the gas station and smoked 2 more packs, for a total of 14 packs of cigaretts in nearly 24 hours. I don't smoke anymore. Interesting story on how I quit - had cochlear implant surgery (google it for more info), minor complications that resulted on being on codeine for an entire month. I didn't quit smoking, I just forgot to resume. That was probably 6-7 years ago. I did start up again briefly a few times, but quit soon afterwards. I have no sorrow for those that are trying to quit. One can either quit smoking or smoking will quit you. As for others smoking around me - doesn't bother me, no desire to smoke, almost as if I never smoked in the first place. No sense of smell, so I don't smell it either. I allow smoking in my car also. I don't care.

[crazylegsmurphy]

Do you drink alcohol? It's legal, causes diseases, death, depression, abuse and other problems... and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.

Nope, I don't drink, and you are right...it doesn't! I live right across from a bar and on any given weekend I could point out at least 10 people who shouldn't be driving.

Another thought about smoking looking cool. In movies (and TV) especially it is a visual medium, and because of that in order to add depth and dynamics to the scene many times movie makers will use tricks to fool your eye.

Adding smoke into a scene gives the light something to bounce off, it creates a subtle interest that keeps the viewer looking at the screen. As well it creates visual cues that keep the viewer focused on the face because the hand movement of taking a puff draws the eyes back up. This is the same reason you find that in most movies they water down the streets to give them a shine, or use a smoke machine to create subtle atmostphere in the background.

The reason I think it looks "cool" to us is that we have been conditioned to think so from the begining of time. If you actually stand back and watch a typical smoker, huddled in a corner in the dead of winter, coughing and hacking, thier yellow teeth poking out from under their lips....the fact is...it doesn't hold a candle to someone who just stands there and demands attention based on confidence and such.

Gotta go...sorry you lucked out, you don't have to hear me rant.

[Maj.Nick Danger]

But what about this? :rolleyes:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/majornick/dies-home-com-feb-41-001.jpg

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Advertising agencies have always been pretty slick it seems.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/majornick/dies-home-com-feb-41-003.jpg

[Tony in Tarzana]

Mildness? Unfiltered Camels? What the heck are they smokin'?

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Mildness? Unfiltered Camels? What the heck are they smokin'?

This is from way back when smoking was good for us! And the tobacco was so much better! ;)

[RadioHead]

Nope, I don't drink, and you are right...it doesn't! I live right across from a bar and on any given weekend I could point out at least 10 people who shouldn't be driving.

If you actually stand back and watch a typical smoker, huddled in a corner in the dead of winter, coughing and hacking, thier yellow teeth poking out from under their lips....the fact is...it doesn't hold a candle to someone who just stands there and demands attention based on confidence and such.

Gotta go...sorry you lucked out, you don't have to hear me rant.

You do make valid points. I WAS one of those smokin' fools for 16 years :eusa_doh:, so I don't have to stand back and watch.

In any case, you have certainly made your point, and I hope I have made mine, as well. :) To paraphrase Commodore Dewey... "You may rant when ready, Gridley".

"RadioHead"

[Tony in Tarzana]

:) I guess they weren't adding as much other nasty stuff to 'em back then.

As for doctors smoking, go watch Dive Bomber with Erroll Flynn as a doctor, who with his doctor buddies go through practically a whole dang carton in one scene. lol

http://imdb.com/title/tt0033537/

[RedShoesGirl]

... Smoking doesn't look cool at all, but like with many things in the media they have a fancy way of making things appear to look cool. ....

...But what bothers me the most about smokers is when I am driving around and I see a person smoking up a storm, while thier little child sits there in the passenger seat learning the habit, and suffering the consequences.

Honestly, I personally think smoking is one of those things that we need to accept as a society as being simply rediculous. We need to realize that the proof is in the pudding that it has no useful function, and do everything we can to get rid of it once and for all.

:eusa_clap

i totally agreed with everything you said so just quoted the really good parts.

Congrats to those of you that have quit. That is totally awesome! please forgive the slang.

rsg

[Maj.Nick Danger]

:) I guess they weren't adding as much other nasty stuff to 'em back then.

As for doctors smoking, go watch Dive Bomber with Erroll Flynn as a doctor, who with his doctor buddies go through practically a whole dang carton in one scene. lol

http://imdb.com/title/tt0033537/

Hey Tony! I just noticed,...just what the heck is in that cigarette holder in your avatar pic!? :eek: lol lol lol

[Tony in Tarzana]

A Nat Sherman's "MCD," King Size. 100% additive free, says the blurb on the box. Of course, it does still have tobacco in it, but still...

[Air Boss]

I have asthma yet I smoked off and on for about 15 years. When I became a Dad I quit. The only time I harp on smokers is when they are in my house or car; that's why my Mom doesn't visit in the winter. I have to say that in my dreams I still smoke and if it were not for the asthma and concern about cancer I would go out and buy a pack of Camels today.

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I have asthma yet I smoked off and on for about 15 years. When I became a Dad I quit. The only time I harp on smokers is when they are in my house or car; that's why my Mom doesn't visit in the winter. I have to say that in my dreams I still smoke and if it were not for the asthma and concern about cancer I would go out and buy a pack of Camels today.

Sounds like you've been an ex-smoker for only a short while. It took me a while to get totally over it. The first month was really bad as the friends I hung out with all still smoked. The cravings I had after meals were the worst, but they only lasted a few minutes.
After a few months it got easier and easier. Even throughout the first year or so, the thought of lighting up would pop into my head at times, but I would just ignore that little voice and continue doing whatever it was I was doing at the time.
After that initial time period though, smoking became very annoying to me, as it still is today. http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/cigbuttsmile.gif (http://www.millan.net)
So it is tough at first, but after some time you won't even miss it.
Hang in there! http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/whew.gif (http://www.millan.net) :)

[Air Boss]

Actually, I smoked my last cigarette 12+ years ago and for the 7 years prior I never lit up more than 10 times a day. My wife says she still smokes in her dreams as well - she smoked for about 10 years and quit when she was pregenant wiht our eldest, more than 20 years ago.

[Lee Lynch]

I quit cigarettes in 2000, but am thinking of getting a pipe or some nice cigars for less frequent indulgence at home.
I am really glad I quit cigs, it was a gross inconvenience to run out in the evening and have to get back out to get more when I otherwise would like to have lounged at home. They also got in the way of working out, which is something I really need. I'm fine with pipe or cigar tobacco smoke, but cigarette smoke is just a dirty odour to me.

[MasonM]

I smoke in moderation; one cigar at a time.

Seriously, while I do enjoy my cigars I do also smoke cigarettes which I am currently trying to give up.

I'll stay with my cigars though.

[mysterygal]

For anyone who needs help breaking their bad habits, new technology may shock those of you into action. For smokers, a camera takes a picture of your face and ages it ten or more years to show what you will look like with smoking-induced wrinkles: http://www.way2quit.com

[Phil]

I don't really see the allure in smoking. Sorry if I offend anyone, but this is how I feel. Smoking is one of the dirtiest happits ever. To me, even the greatest person in the world comes off as a bum when they smoke. It smells terrible and smokers aren't fun to kiss. My main problem is with cigarettes. They leave a nasty smell wherever they're allowed to be lit. Besides, it's expensive. Around my area it's somewhere around $5.00 for one pack.
One example is the 30 year old guy. I don't know his name, but I drive my freind to Walgreens every day after school because she works there and it's not far from my house so I really don't see a problem helping out a friend. Anyways, every day, I see the same guy come out with either one or two packs of cigarettes. EVERY DAY! Assuming he only buys one pack every day on weekdays, which I'm sure he doesn't limit himself to, that's over $100 dollars a month. There are so many other things that that money could be used for, but instead it's wasted on death sticks.

[Matthew Dalton]

I've never smoked anything. I don't see why so many people smoke so often, but that's their choice.

That said, I hate people smoking in situations where others have to gag on it. Also, I hate seeing people litter with their filters after they're done.

[Briscoeteque]

I'm a social smoker, so I can see why people hate it. But at this point, I love hanging out smoking outside of parties because it's quieter and you can actually have conversation. I rarely smoke during the week. I've never once felt a craving.

Lately though, I've picked up a box of nasal snuff, and I don't understand why more people don't get hooked on this stuff.

And since the thread doesn't specify what you smoke, I also smoke Salvia divornium for some Lovecraftian experiances. It's legal, but that's because most people are completely turned off after their first experience; because it actively causes dysphoria, as opposed to euphoria. I'm one of the two people I know who doesn't depise the stuff.

[Maj.Nick Danger]

"Lately though, I've picked up a box of nasal snuff, and I don't understand why more people don't get hooked on this stuff."

Do users of snuff actually snort powdered tobacco up their nostrils!?
Forgive my ignorance of this matter, :rolleyes: but even as a former smoker, I don't know exactly how snuff is used.

[carter]

I smoked my last cigarette on New Years Eve 1984.

Or so I thought.

I started cadging smokes from co-workers in 2004, mostly due to stress. Now I smoke about 1/2 a pack of Marlboro Ultra Lights a day.

I need a swift kick in the rear.

[Dread Scott]

"Lately though, I've picked up a box of nasal snuff, and I don't understand why more people don't get hooked on this stuff."

Do users of snuff actually snort powdered tobacco up their nostrils!?
Forgive my ignorance of this matter, :rolleyes: but even as a former smoker, I don't know exactly how snuff is used.


There is snuff you dip (place between cheek and gum, or between lip and gum), and there is snuff you snort... Inspector Queen in the Ellery Queen mystery's is constantly doing it. You can find old snuff boxes around, and the U.S. senate used to have filled snuffboxes well after anyone ever used the stuff.


I personally used to smoke cigars for years, then unfiltered luckies habitually, generally less than half a pack/day, but my max while working on my thesis was two a day.

Now, I've essentially quit, but will smoke in certain circs... bars or parties occasionally.

My problem is that I *like* smoking - I like the grey art nouveau swirls from the one end, and the blue-grey curls from the other. And - as bad as they are for you - breathing fire is pretty cool looking.

I don't like the lingering smell of some (not all - there are differences)cigarettes or the phlegmy cough when overindulging, however. And the keening grip of a nic fit is no fun whatsoever, and tremendously detrimental to a classy demeanor. Not that I ever had such.

[zaika]

i LOVE smoking. i absolutely love it despite the health risks. the smell and action is comforting. either good ol' camels or cloves. mmmm....
i smoked for a few years, but i guess i was never actually addicted. one day i got sick of interrupting my day and activities for a smoke, so i put it down without a thought or a problem.
these days i have a pack on hand for whenever i really want one...which is, like, either in social situations when others are smoking, or when i have coffee and REALLY want a smoke with it. that is...not even once a month.
this current pack has lasted me since September. [huh]

[Miss Neecerie]

i LOVE smoking. i absolutely love it despite the health risks. the smell and action is comforting. either good ol' camels or cloves. mmmm....



MMMM cloves......

[jenny_dreadful]

I smoke American Spirits. A lot. Ever since I've lved in California, I've smoked outside, even at home. And I'm a lot more conscious about trying to keep it away from people. When I lived in Oklahoma, it was another story. So many people smoke there, nobody thinks much of it.

[pennycarrol]

Hi everyone!! Yes I smoke cigarettes, but I really want to quit!!! Now that it is completely forbidden to smoke in bars and restaurants here, I reduced a lot!!! Now I smoke 3 or 4 cigarettes a day!!! I'm quite proud!!! lol lol lol!!

[Mustang]

I don't smoke and never have.

My wife's grandmother smokes and after leaving her home, I can't wear my coat for 3 or 4 days, it smells so bad *yucky* ! I don't know why, maybe it's the type of cigarettes she uses [huh] . It's not like not like that all most homes I've been where the occupants smoke.

She has emphysema, so she has to do her oxygen treatments in between smoking. Or is it the other way around? shakeshead :eusa_doh: Unfortunately I'm not joking.

I personally don't have anything against someone smoking, even if they are sitting next to me in a restaurant. Just as long as the smoke isn't blowing directly in my face. Some times I like the smell. I suppose that depends on the brand.

My dad stopped smoking around the time I went into high school, but prior to him doing so, I used to hide his cigs. He used to get so made.lol

[$ally]

I experimented with smoking satins and djarms, but it's not for me. I love the smell of a good pipe, although I avoid being around any kind of second hand. My Father died from complications of emphysema, but I'd never seen him smoke a cigarette during my lifetime.

[luvthatlulu]

Oops...too late!

I don't smoke cigarettes but I do enjoy a good cigar. I don't mind people who smoke either one, but don't appreciate having careless smokers allow their smoke in my face.

Having said all that, in Tennessee, we just passed a head-up-the-rear law that prohibits smoking in public buildings (I don't have a problem there) and virtually all businesses/restaurants that aren't designated "over age 21 only". No allowance is made for the owner's personal feelings on the matter and I think that's wrong. After all, they opened the business, they built up and run the business, they pay for licenses and the taxes on the profits of the business and yet they have no say in what they allow smokers to do in their business without completely changing their business model first. What happened to personal choice?

If a business owner wants to allow smoking in his/her establishment, why can't prospective customers and employees simply choose to frequent or not to frequent said establishment without government interference? If enough people feel strongly one way or the other, the business will either survive or die as a consequence.

As it stands now, the same owners and employees who complained about smokers are now whining that their business and tips are off...but they can't adjust to compensate because of the law itself! Serves 'em right for encouraging/allowing the law to pass in the first place!

[Canadave]

My mother smoked for about 20 years, then quit in 1975. She died last April of smoking-related lung cancer at age 67.

David

[luvthatlulu]

My mother smoked for about 20 years, then quit in 1975. She died last April of smoking-related lung cancer at age 67.

David

I'm sorry for your loss, David. Still, its a matter of (her) personal choice. In Tennessee, people die everyday of accidental and intentional gunshot wounds but no one wants to discuss any form of gun control here. You can even get a permit to carry a weapon in most of the same establishments that won't permit a cigarette! Go figure! :eusa_doh:

[Mustang]

I'm sorry for your loss, David. Still, its a matter of (her) personal choice. In Tennessee, people die everyday of accidental and intentional gunshot wounds but no one wants to discuss any form of gun control here. You can even get a permit to carry a weapon in most of the same establishments that won't permit a cigarette! Go figure! :eusa_doh:


What?! I would also say, no one wants to discuss gun control here either! Comparing cigarettes to guns is absolutely ridiculous! shakeshead

I will bow out of this conversation as I refuse to say any more about either subject...here anyway.:rolleyes:

[Canadave]

I'm sorry for your loss, David. Still, its a matter of (her) personal choice...

My post was not in response to your stance. I was just meant to be a contribution to the original theme of this thread.

David

[luvthatlulu]

What?! I would also say, no one wants to discuss gun control here either! Comparing cigarettes to guns is absolutely ridiculous! shakeshead

I will bow out of this conversation as I refuse to say any more about either subject...here anyway.:rolleyes:

Here we go word-parsing again (apparently a favorite past-time in the FL)! I wasn't comparing guns to cigarettes...I was comparing how people will overreact to the health risks of second-hand smoke while totally ignoring another and potentially-deadlier risk in the very same venue! Brilliant!

Personally, I'm prepared to risk the chance of cancer from too much smoking or exposure to same. I can control that by my own choices. I've been exposed to my share of unwanted gunplay as well--and, given a choice of which risk to take, I'll still take my chances on the former.

[luvthatlulu]

My post was not in response to your stance. I was just meant to be a contribution to the original theme of this thread.

David

I know. And I did not mean to offend. If I did, please accept my apology.

[John in Covina]

Pretty much all use of tobacco comes with risk and in the current climate some of it is over blown. When it comes to cigarettes, for many they are very addictive, as you have heard compared to quitting heroin, cigarettes is more difficult to quit. Not all have that addiction level, some may smoke socially, but for others once on the path, they can never get off them.

What I find increadible is the number of people that still smoke cigarettes regularly as life style and or habit. In the 1960's before some of you were even born, the Goverment made announcements as to the dangers of smoking and over time those dangers became more clear. Yet even as the advertising was pulled and the information came up time and again there were so many that disregard this info and start smoking cigarettes, just as some people start heroin, or crack cocaine inspite of all the warnings.

I never smoked a cigarette in my life, I had no need to. Both of my parents smoked Camel (no filter) in the house in the car at all times except when sleeping, then they probably dreamed of smoking. Smoking was ubiquitous, every where and it seemed that all adults did it, at work and at home, about the only place they did not smoke was while in church. Enough trips in the car at winter time with my parents when the air was a blue-grey color and I was trying to breathe thru the sleeve of my coat to filter the air had me dead set against smoking.

One thing I can add is of all of my friends from school that had parents that smoked, it had effected their parents health in later years and for most was part of the cause of their death, just as my dad died of complications along with the emphasema. For me as time went on it was clear that that was a definate tye-in.

The doctors saw a rise in cancer, particulary lung cancer from the time of WWI when it was first common to supply the troops with free cigarettes. Referencing cigarettes as cancer sticks and coffin nails comes in about that time or shortly after WWI and continues today, and as direct a reference as it is, it seems to rarely be a consideration for those that start.

As Americans we do have a Puritanical streak that comes out of an over whelming urge to help people inspite of themselves, but the pendulem has swung too far. Out here in the Repulik of Kalifornia, you can not smoke out doors in a park in many places and you cannot smoke in a vehicle if there are minors in the car! (What are they going to do with teenage smokers that drive and smoke?) In some towns you can't even smoke in your own back yard or if you live in an apartment. I heard they wanted to make smokers wear bubble suits next but it may be years off.

As to damage from tobacco cigars and pipes are not without risk but it is much lower than cigarettes which really gets involve with the blood oxygen exchange chemistry thing. Even chewing tobacco has bad risks, I have a friend that is going to lose most of his front teeth from it's use and other problems are common with his friends that are using it too. Again the quitting factor seems very difficult for them.

It is a matter of choice but a matter of respect for others too. We need balance not Fascism. In the end though, I'd simply suggest to stear clear of smoking cigarettes if you have an addictive personalityand are thinking of trying it.

With all of that I will smoke a cigar now and again when the weather is nice and in the backyard.

[Mr. Lucky]

Anyone got a light?

[Mustang]

Here we go word-parsing again (apparently a favorite past-time in the FL)!


So much for "sticking to my guns" and not bowing out (sorry for the pun):rolleyes: :eusa_doh:

You say word-parsing is a favorite past-time here, but the truth is, you did compare smoking with gun control...regardless of your intention. An analogy is a comparison. I also thought it was especially without tact, considering the text that you quoted was one where the guy is saying his mother died. I'm not saying that was your intention, but that's how it appeared...call it what you will. [huh]

I do agree that personal responsibility is going the way of the dodo bird, and it is one of my biggest concerns with the direction of our society. shakeshead :mad:

[luvthatlulu]

So much for "sticking to my guns" and not bowing out (sorry for the pun):rolleyes: :eusa_doh:

You say word-parsing is a favorite past-time here, but the truth is, you did compare smoking with gun control...regardless of your intention. An analogy is a comparison. I also thought it was especially without tact, considering the text that you quoted was one where the guy is saying his mother died. I'm not saying that was your intention, but that's how it appeared...call it what you will. [huh]

I do agree that personal responsibility is going the way of the dodo bird, and it is one of my biggest concerns with the direction of our society. shakeshead :mad:

Have it your way then. Hopefully, the point I was trying to make still stands: If we're going to enact laws to protect us from ourselves for one reason, why not do the same for all others? Who in Tennessee honestly believes its in our best interest to allow patrons to bring loaded weapons into a restaurant rather than a lit cigarette? That's all I was saying. Just happened to make it in the wrong reply...and I've already apologized for that. :)

P.S. - To put it another and more simple way: If I walk into a bar and everyone's cleaning their firearm...I walk out. If they walk into a bar and they don't like the ciggie smoke...guess what?

[MrNewportCustom]

It is a matter of choice but a matter of respect for others too. We need balance not Fascism.

I'm a devout non-smoker, never have-never will, but to me it's all a matter of respect. When a friend who smokes lights up, I don't complain. I just move upwind of them and politely tell them why. Now, most will move downwind before lighting up. It's a mutual respect. :)

Ironically, a TV for something called, "Zerosmoke" just came on the TV. It's two tiny magnets that you wear on your left ear (an accupressure thing) for "a couple hours a day" to reduce your craving. Why didn't I think of this money-making scheme? :eusa_doh:


I do agree that personal responsibility is going the way of the dodo bird, and it is one of my biggest concerns with the direction of our society. shakeshead :mad:

You can see this going in both directions. Some people won't take responsibility for their own actions and blame everyone else for the problems they create for themselves, while others want to invade every aspect of our lives for our own good. I'll deal with my own problems, thank you. :)


Lee

[Mustang]

Hopefully, the point I was trying to make still stands: If we're going to enact laws to protect us from ourselves for one reason, why not do the same for all others? That's all I was saying. Just happened to make it in the wrong reply...and I've already apologized for that. :)

Hey, for what it's worth, it still stands with me :cheers1: . I hope there are no hard feelings. I'm just as guilty as the next guy for saying something, then going back later, and to my horror, it was taken way out of the context I'd intended! :eek:


You can see this going in both directions. Some people won't take responsibility for their own actions and blame everyone else for the problems they create for themselves, while others want to invade every aspect of our lives for our own good. I'll deal with my own problems, thank you. :)


Lee


I really don't see those two things as polar opposites of each other [huh] . Privacy is very important, and so is taking responsibility for your actions...or lack thereof.

[luvthatlulu]

No problem. It happens. Written words are read differently by everyone, I suppose.

I'm pretty much a "get-unnecessary government-off-my-back" kinda guy. I like guns. I've owned guns. I believe in gun ownership--with accepted responsibility of civil behavior and good judgment. Lulu hates 'em and won't allow one in the house. Iluvlulu more than a gun, so guess who wins that argument.

I don't like ciggie-poos, but I'll tolerate those who do as long as good judgement is shown. I like a good cigar, but won't smoke in my own home and respectfully ask for permission to do so first anywhere else.

Live and let live.

So, if I buy you a beer and offer you a cigar...can I shoot your gun(s) once or twice? :D

[Mustang]

So, if I buy you a beer and offer you a cigar...can I shoot your gun(s) once or twice? :D

Sounds like a fair trade to me. It's a deal. ;)

The funny thing is, after all that has been said, we both find we have the same convictions about the above mentioned items! lol

[John in Covina]

- To put it another and more simple way: If I walk into a bar and everyone's cleaning their firearm...I walk out. If they walk into a bar and they don't like the ciggie smoke...guess what?
***************************
I would like to say that if you found such a bar, it would actually be one of the safest places around (as long as the partrons were law abiding) as a large display of firepower tends to subdue all thoughts of malicious mischief, theft and bodily harm on the part of bad guys. People tend to be polite at gunshow too.

It is remenicient of the story of two guys that decide to hold up a bar but they did not do their homework. Turns out it's a place frequented by the off duty police in the area. The crooks never saw so many guns pointed at them after announcing it was a hold up.!

Best wishes!

[MrNewportCustom]

I really don't see those two things as polar opposites of each other [huh] . Privacy is very important, and so is taking responsibility for your actions...or lack thereof.

I guess I should have said, "coming from both directions", because it was not my intention to label them as polar opposites. But whether it's someone imposing his ill will upon you for problems he's created for himself or someone imposing his "I know what's better for you than you do" attitude, yes, it's an invasion of privacy (not an aspect of the discussion I'd intended, but nonetheless related) and are both annoying and always done by people who feel they are better than you.

And I'm with Notthelulu: get unnecessary government off my back. Same goes for unnecessary neighbors who think the problems they cause for themselves should also be mine. So I say to both camps; You're not my keeper and I'm not yours.


Lee

[Mustang]

I guess I should have said, "coming from both directions", because it was not my intention to label them as polar opposites. But whether it's someone imposing his ill will upon you for problems he's created for himself or someone imposing his "I know what's better for you than you do" attitude, yes, it's an invasion of privacy (not an aspect of the discussion I'd intended, but nonetheless related) and are both annoying and always done by people who feel they are better than you.

And I'm with Notthelulu: get unnecessary government off my back. Same goes for unnecessary neighbors who think the problems they cause for themselves should also be mine. So I say to both camps; You're not my keeper and I'm not yours.


Lee

Amen.

[Miss Brill]

I smoke American Spirits. A lot. Ever since I've lved in California, I've smoked outside, even at home. And I'm a lot more conscious about trying to keep it away from people. When I lived in Oklahoma, it was another story. So many people smoke there, nobody thinks much of it.


I love those, even though I'm not a smoker. I get my hands on a pack sometimes & it is all I can do not to smoke the whole thing. Regular cigs just give me sinus problems & a headache.

ETA: I usually smoke (1 cig) maybe once or twice a year, I don't want the habit, because I don't want to look old. It is like booze, I don't drink because it is a waste of calories.

[Miss Brill]

My brother and I usta hide them from her when we were kids





I did the same thing to my mum. Did not work.

[luvthatlulu]

Sounds like a fair trade to me. It's a deal. ;)

The funny thing is, after all that has been said, we both find we have the same convictions about the above mentioned items! lol

Ain't America great?

[Jovan]

I think it's a good idea to quit if you're addicted. Lung cancer is not fun in the same years you should be winding down on retirement. lol On second hand smoke, Florida thankfully has a law against smoking inside enclosed areas (http://www.floridasmokinglaws.com/) unless it's a bar. So honestly, you CAN avoid it here if you want to. No sense complaining about it. I have no idea what the laws are in other States. I really do want to slap the parents who smoke inside the house with their kids.

That said, I'll actually smoke with my friends, but I don't inhale, just draw it into my throat a little. It's something to do to pass the time. [huh]

[$ally]

Reminds me of that Jim Jarmusch film, "since I quit, I can have one whenever I want."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sr2zI99bvso

[Dixon Cannon]

I grew up in a smoking household and all my close relatives smoked. We were so used to it back then that we couldn't smell a thing - that smell was normal!

My first brand was OP's - that's right!... other peoples!

I smoked for Marlboro for about twenty years before quitting cold turkey with half a pack remaining one day. That has been thirty years now. I have to admit I like the look of smoking - there is a lot of elegant gesturing with a cigarette in hand or between the lips - but I've never been tempted to go back. Never the slightest urge for nicotine! Especially when I go into a smoking home and smell that smell!

I'm finally weaned at last. :eusa_clap

-dixon cannon

On a side note: My Dad smoked unfiltered Phillip Morris cigarettes for about fifty-years. His fingers carried the yellow nicotine stain for as long as I knew him. He died at the ripe old age of 64! Geesh! That's not old anymore! You think the cigarettes might of had something to do with that????

[KilroyCD]

I also grew up in a smoking household, but I never had any desire to smoke cigarettes. One time, maybe when I was eight or nine, I found one of my sister's cigarettes that was half-smoked. I found her matches and lit it up and took a drag. That was the end of that! I thought I was going to turn inside out, I was coughing so hard! Never had any desire to smoke cigarettes after that. I did try smoking a pipe in the early 80s, but that was short-lived. I kept getting thrown out of bars because of it. Oddly enough, I have been giving that some thought again, as the classic style of a good briarwood pipe appeals to me.

[LocktownDog]

I've spent a third of my life smoking pipes and cigars. Habit picked up from my great-grandfather before he passed away at 94. I've even got an antique clay passed down to him from his grandfather. I've never smoked that one, as it was bought on a european vacation sometime immediately after the civil war.

Funny thing is ... I cannot tolerate the smell of cigarettes. My mother chained smoked 2 packs a day for 30+ years and it still disgusts me. Although to give her credit, she quit cold turkey last year and her lungs are completely clear.

Richard

[Joie DeVive]

I grew up in a household where my mother smoked, a lot. I reeked of the smell of smoke. By the age of 13, on a regular basis I was accused of smoking by teachers and classmates alike. I've never touched a cigarette. I hate the things. They contributed to the death of my beloved Grandfather, made my life miserable, and now they have made my mother very sick.

I don't want to go all bleeding heart on you all here, but one thing that has always haunted me about my mother's cigarette addiction was what she sometimes said to me when I would get on her case to quit when I was a child. She would tell me that maybe if she got more help around the house, or if we would behave better, or if she didn't have to nag us kids to do our homework she might be able to quit. Looking back, I know in my head that it was just the line of an addict, but as a kid I didn't know that, and I blamed myself. Even today, though my head tells me different, my heart still feels guilty.
I guess my point here is that making the choice for yourself is one thing, but when you choose to smoke, you affect other people, especially your children. My Mom's behavior had an impact on me, from wheezy breathing, to being told I stink, to this very day where I deal with her stage 4 lung cancer, to the future where I probably will be needing to have spiral CAT scans every few years to monitor my own health. Don't get me wrong, I don't want Big Brother living in my back pocket. I don't want progressively stricter laws babysitting the public and telling us what we cannot do. I don't want our personal choices to go away. What I do want to advocate is responsibility, and careful consideration of personal behavior.

If you smoke right now, I am asking you today to consider quitting. It's none of my business, I fully acknowledge that. I just ask, because I'm pretty sure you don't want to go through what my Mother is going through. It's ugly, and it's hard, both for her, and for those of us who love her. I don't want this for any of you kind people, nor for your spouses, children, parents, other family and friends. Please don't be angry at this request, I mean no harm by it, and I promise, I'll pipe down now.

Joie

[Michaelson]

I'm sorry for your loss, David. Still, its a matter of (her) personal choice. In Tennessee, people die everyday of accidental and intentional gunshot wounds but no one wants to discuss any form of gun control here. You can even get a permit to carry a weapon in most of the same establishments that won't permit a cigarette! Go figure! :eusa_doh:

Hummm. Interesting argument. I live and work in Tennessee. I have had a Tennessee concealed carry permit ever since they were first issued. I have gone into Tennessee restaurants and while eating a meal with my family have had second hand smoke literally blown in my face from nearby tables. To date I have never gone into those same restaurants and waved my .357 under anyone's nose, nor are they even aware when or if I'm 'packing'. Not sure that's the best comparison or example

I, for one, am tickled to death the bill passed here in Tennessee, and to date not a single restaurant in our area has suffered from the ban. In fact, business is booming here in South Central Tennessee. Sorry to hear things have gone bust in Knox-vegas.

The funniest thing I heard during that debate was from a fellow (not me) who said that he detested the fact that even when he went to restaurants that had separated smoking and non-smoking areas, he always came out reeking of cigarette smoke. Not only was he forced to breathe the second hand smoke, but he smelled of it for hours afterwards. He proposed the following.....he loved coffee, but as an after dinner drink, just like smokers enjoyed an after dinner cigarette. He proposed that after a meal, all coffee drinkers be allowed to take at least two sips of their coffee, then spit every 3rd sip on a smoker. The smokers get to leave wet and reeking of coffee on their clothes, and would be getting 'second hand' coffee to boot. That way it's even all the way round! I laughed when I heard it!!

Regards! Michaelson

[luvthatlulu]

I, for one, am tickled to death the bill passed here in Tennessee, and to date not a single restaurant in our area has suffered from the ban. In fact, business is booming here in South Central Tennessee. Sorry to hear things have gone bust in Knox-vegas.

Regards! Michaelson


Oops. ;)

http://www.rctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS0201/712310358/1001/NEWS

And would you be equally tickled if they should ever decide to rescind your right to carry or own a firearm? If you aren't willing to stand up for other folks' rights now, don't be upset if they're silent when yours are threatened, too.

[Michaelson]

LOL!! I carried before I had the CCP, so it wouldn't make much difference anyway....;-)

Notice your link is to Nashville. I don't LIVE in Nashville, and the small towns are STILL doing fine, thank you very much! Looks like the bigger cities are taking the hit.

I'm an ex-pipe/cigarsmoker, and I'm still mystified at how a smoker ties this as being an attack on personal 'rights' when it's the non-smoker who has had to live without their personal rights for so many years.

Regards! Michaelson

[luvthatlulu]

So you're saying when it comes to your rights, you'll just break the law to continue on as usual. In other words, your rights matter...no one else's does.

Non-smokers have, as always, enjoyed the freedom to choose whether to frequent an establishment where smoking is allowed or not. Like you waving your .357 magnum, I've yet to see a business owner herding non-smokers inside at gunpoint and forcing them to breathe second-hand smoke.

[Michaelson]

lol It's apparent you missed the smilie at the end of the CCP line too. That's ok. Its apparent you're on a mission. I'm not.

If you feel that strongly, I suggest you jump onto the folks in Nashville and fight for your 'rights'. I'm still trying to understand how you equate Constitutional right of gun ownership to your right to blow smoke in my general direction. I choose to own a gun. Me owning and carrying the weapon neither affects you one way or the other, especially if you have no knowledge that I'm even carrying the item. You blowing cigarette smoke indiscriminately in an area that I am also trying to exist in is stomping on MY personal rights, as I AM being forced into participating in YOUR chosen 'vice' against my will, so how do we meet in the middle on this? That's the real question, isn't it?

Regards! Michaelson

[luvthatlulu]

Where the heck have I suggested anyone has a right to blow smoke in your face, Michaelson? Your right to a CCP and their right to smoke (neither of which is illegal, mind you) has to be tempered with good judgment! Did someone suggest that, given the CCP, you had the right to wave the gun around?

Is this really that hard to understand?

[Nathan Flowers]

That's enough. This is off track from what the vices section is about. It's about enjoyment of your vices, not a place to debate whether they're proper, or should be allowed more places, or bad for health, etc. Smoking is fine to talk about as long as it's under these circumstances.

--Thread copied over to Observation Bar, where it can be continued.