smokers vs non-smokers

[Izzy]

Dude, your attitude is disappointing. Smoking is addictive. I do not have the willpower or infact the want to quit. I do realise I'm killing myself, but I cannot quit, and I don't really want to.

My attitude is dissapointing? Ur a seemingly intelliegent person who admits to killing himself and not caring......damn

U don't want to quit? Fair enough if spending a fortune on something u burn, slowly killing urself and smelling awful appeals to u then....go for it

[Acquiesce]

I have no problem with smokers who are respectful of others, but I agree with the areas that ban smoking in public places. I believe a person's right to breathe fresh air outweighs a person's right to pollute their lungs. Smoking should be banned in all public places including pubs. I shouldn't have to worry about smoke irritating my eyes and throat when I go out. I shouldn't have to worry about coming home smelling like shit because someone else has a disgusting habit. Let the smokers have to deal with the inconvenience since they are the ones who choose the nasty habit.

[Wheres Izzy]

Not to turn this into a political thread now but non-smokers should devote some of that energy about smokers ruining their health towards other, larger issues. A couple years back Bush revamped the clean water act to allow mining wastes to be dumped into streams and I don't recall hearing much fuss about it. Yet everytime I lite up I am treated like OJ.

[Hammy]

Dude, your attitude is disappointing. Smoking is addictive. I do not have the willpower or infact the want to quit. I do realise I'm killing myself, but I cannot quit, and I don't really want to.

My attitude is dissapointing? Ur a seemingly intelliegent person who admits to killing himself and not caring......damn

U don't want to quit? Fair enough if spending a fortune on something u burn, slowly killing urself and smelling awful appeals to u then....go for it

It has got nothing to do with lack of intelligence.? You dislike the smell not all people do.? Many smokers do want to quit but some don't.? People smoke because they enjoy it and even if it's killing you some may enjoy it too much to want to stop.? A friend of mine said he would rather die at 50 and smoke the rest of his life than never smoke again and die at 80.? In other words he is so addicted and enjoys it so much he'd rather be happy the next 30 years than not as happy for the next 60.? Also i don't know whether this is a 'fact' (my other scientific fact about beer making a cigarette taste better and vice-versa is a fact though Dizzy stupid as it may sound) but many have said they heard smoking is more addictive than heroin and to tell you the truth that would not surprise me.? Now this is not to cause offence but like i said before non-smokers don't 'get it' fact is your not addicted you don't get the enjoyment we do so you cannot see things our way, with the exception of those who quit but hell if you've quit you probably weren't as addicted as some .? I've always said unless you try something or experience something you can never trully understand it....and before any wise ass even thinks about it don't bother using the 'I don't need to put my hand in the fire to know i'll get burned' phrase, my mum has really pissed me off with that over the years.

[Cornell]

Infact, the only public place you are guarenteed a smoke now is the pub.

You can't even smoke in a pub where I live. 

[Dizzy]

my other scientific fact about beer making a cigarette taste better and vice-versa is a fact though

Really?? In what encyclopedia can I find this 'fact'?? ?

A friend of mine said he would rather die at 50 and smoke the rest of his life than never smoke again and die at 80.

That just goes to show how much you smokers don't get it.? Dying is the LEAST of your worries.? You will be LUCKY if all smoking does is kill you.

Ask your happy ass friend if he'll be just as content at age 50 when he's breathing through a hole in his throat because he had cancerous tumors removed.? Or ask him if he'll be happy at age 50 when he has to sleep hooked up to a respiration machine because portions of his lungs had to be removed.? Or take the case of a guy I once knew: at the age of 24, he had to have his gums removed due to cancer from smoking.? Yes, you read that right, 24 years old, having his gums removed.? And how about my former next door neighbor: a single mother of four, dead at the age of 48 due to lung cancer.? And guess what, it didn't kill her quickly.? She had to suffer through an agonizing 18 months of chemotherapy first.? She left four children behind with no parents because she "enjoyed" smoking.

So go ahead, fella.? "Enjoy" smoking.? Because it feasibly won't just kill you, it'll kill you slowly and excrutiatingly painfully.? And we'll see if you're singing that "happy" tune when your hair is falling out and your skin is turning green while you're undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

you don't get the enjoyment we do so you cannot see things our way

I'm glad you said that, because it provides a perfect avenue for refutation....

Smokers like you can't see things our way because your "enjoyment" of smoking clouds your judgment just as much as filthy cigarette smoke clouds a room.? As long as you're enjoying it, you'll keep justifying a smoker's alleged "right" to pollute the environment of a non-smoker.? And because you'll undoubtedly ignore all of what I just told you, you won't ever understand the true enjoyment of breathing clean air and having healthy lungs.

I've always said unless you try something or experience something you can never trully understand it.

Nooooo, of course not!? Unless I actually try polluting my lungs, mouth, and numerous other places, I can never understand how stupid it is!      I guess I should go start huffing paint thinner and inhaling car exhaust so that I fully understand that.   

and before any wise ass even thinks about it don't bother using the 'I don't need to put my hand in the fire to know i'll get burned' phrase, my mum has really pissed me off with that over the years.

Your mum is a wise woman.? Tell her I said so.

[Ignatius]

I've been half a smoker for the past 10 years. I say half because I have never smoked that much. Maybe 2 or 3 a day but increased the dose to 15 everytime I would go out. Now it's time to put it to an end. I'm quitting for the first time. I've never tried this before so I sure don't know how hard this is gonna be. So far, I've gone " smoke free" since wednesday. I know it's nothing, but hey, I managed to overcome the addiction over the weekend!

If any of you out there have taken the same road, let me know and we'll both rely on each other. Any suggestions on what's the best treatment/program out there to quit???

[Hammy]

my other scientific fact about beer making a cigarette taste better and vice-versa is a fact though

Really?? In what encyclopedia can I find this 'fact'?? ?

A friend of mine said he would rather die at 50 and smoke the rest of his life than never smoke again and die at 80.

That just goes to show how much you smokers don't get it.? Dying is the LEAST of your worries.? You will be LUCKY if all smoking does is kill you.

Ask your happy ass friend if he'll be just as content at age 50 when he's breathing through a hole in his throat because he had cancerous tumors removed.? Or ask him if he'll be happy at age 50 when he has to sleep hooked up to a respiration machine because portions of his lungs had to be removed.? Or take the case of a guy I once knew: at the age of 24, he had to have his gums removed due to cancer from smoking.? Yes, you read that right, 24 years old, having his gums removed.? And how about my former next door neighbor: a single mother of four, dead at the age of 48 due to lung cancer.? And guess what, it didn't kill her quickly.? She had to suffer through an agonizing 18 months of chemotherapy first.? She left four children behind with no parents because she "enjoyed" smoking.

So go ahead, fella.? "Enjoy" smoking.? Because it feasibly won't just kill you, it'll kill you slowly and excrutiatingly painfully.? And we'll see if you're singing that "happy" tune when your hair is falling out and your skin is turning green while you're undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

you don't get the enjoyment we do so you cannot see things our way

I'm glad you said that, because it provides a perfect avenue for refutation....

Smokers like you can't see things our way because your "enjoyment" of smoking clouds your judgment just as much as filthy cigarette smoke clouds a room.? As long as you're enjoying it, you'll keep justifying a smoker's alleged "right" to pollute the environment of a non-smoker.? And because you'll undoubtedly ignore all of what I just told you, you won't ever understand the true enjoyment of breathing clean air and having healthy lungs.

I've always said unless you try something or experience something you can never trully understand it.

Nooooo, of course not!? Unless I actually try polluting my lungs, mouth, and numerous other places, I can never understand how stupid it is!? ? ? I guess I should go start huffing paint thinner and inhaling car exhaust so that I fully understand that.? ?

and before any wise ass even thinks about it don't bother using the 'I don't need to put my hand in the fire to know i'll get burned' phrase, my mum has really pissed me off with that over the years.

Your mum is a wise woman.? Tell her I said so.

My ma smiled, happy someone supports her anti-smoking cause ? I have told her i will quit since i am scared of dying (see the Fear Thread) and i start university in a week and money is going to be real tight so some things will have to go.? So today i think she said she'll get me some nicotine patches or gum or something so hopefully i can quit and when i come back to the board at Christmas i'll be a changed man.? That 24 year old thing really freaked me out, i am 18 and probably a bit naive and also thought smoking never really catches up with you until at least 30....looks like i was wrong....just out of interest how much was your mate smoking a day and from what age i mean if he'd been smoking 100 a day from age 12 then i could understand it.? On a side note i would rather die painfully over 18 months than straight off because like i said in the fear thread there is nothing at all in this world i fear more than death.? Also since i did not smoke for the first 15 years of my life i have been on the smoker and non-smoker side of things so maybe if you think about it i am better placed to see both points of view ? As for my 'Scientific Fact' i'll find it and prove it's a fact before i leave the board just so i can prove i am right

Edit: Despite you thinking i would i did not ignore all you told me although i still believe ignorance is bliss 

[Mr Cowbell ?]

To me in America, "The Land of the Free" in a business or any business I believe the owner of the business should be allowed to make it smoke free/allow smoking/ or have a smoking section. In NY you cant smoke in any of the pubs, why can't someone with their own bar be allowed to determine wether or not people can smoke. Maybe 90% of their clientel smoke. I think smoking in business shouldn't be dictated to, but be determined by the business owner. As I dont smoke cigarettes but I do enjoy them when I dont have a cigar with me at the pub.

[MadmanDan]

All you non-smokers that complain all the time about smoke not being healthy and polluting the atmosphere,please do a little experiment:

Go into a garrage with 10 smokers and have them smoke non-stop for one hour,You will come out of there with smelly clothes,a bad taste in your mouth and teary eyes.

Then,drive into a garrage and leave the engine running for an hour.You come out of there in a plastic bag.




Oh and another thing: Why the fuck can't people smoke in open-air Football stadiums? Or at least make a smoking section...

[loretian]

Dan, I don't get your argument at all.  I don't even necessarily disagree with you, but what's your point?  Most people don't sit around inhaling carbon monoxide all day, or go to bars where carbon monoxide is constantly floating around them.

I think CowBell has a great point, and I don't even think cigarette smoking is that bad as far as second hand smoke, but come on.... the car pollution argument is hardly relevant.

[Dizzy]

All you non-smokers that complain all the time about smoke not being healthy and polluting the atmosphere,please do a little experiment:

Go into a garrage with 10 smokers and have them smoke non-stop for one hour,You will come out of there with smelly clothes,a bad taste in your mouth and teary eyes.

Then,drive into a garrage and leave the engine running for an hour.You come out of there in a plastic bag.

As Loretian said, what's your point?? I'm not going to sit in a garage and inhale exhaust all day, so your "argument" is pointless.

What is also pointless is attempting to minimize or deemphasize the damage caused by smoking by comparing it to something "worse".? It's like saying "polluting the air this way is better than polluting the air that way."? The only thing it proves is that smoking is so indefensible that you must resort to frivolous comparisons in order to "defend" it.

Oh and another thing: Why the fuck can't people smoke in open-air Football stadiums?

Because the seats are close together and smokers are blowing the shit all over everyone around them.? I've been in those situations, and that's why I applaud stadiums for that rule, even though many smokers disregard it.

[Oddy]

is there anyone else that enjoys cigars?

i feel like im the only 18 year old that enjoys cigars, but has never ever had a puff of a cigarette........not one.......ever.

[Mr Cowbell ?]

They could still have a smoking section. Maybe not in the seats but have a room or an outside area where you can smoke and then go back to your seat. 

Nicotine is addictive, and if the gov't dont want people smoking in public and what not they should make nicotine gum and patches cheaper. What smoker is gonna pay the price of 2-3 cartons for a pack of gum.

[Chris Misfit]

Nicotine is addictive, and if the gov't dont want people smoking in public and what not they should make nicotine gum and patches cheaper. What smoker is gonna pay the price of 2-3 cartons for a pack of gum.

In the UK you can go to your doctor for these kind of things, it costs the normal price of a medication order, which is around ?6, that's not bad for around a months worth of patches.

[Izzy]

Dizzy, u post a good argument, u beat me to every point i would have made - always a pleasure to know down to earth people still exist.

[Miz]

Out of curiosity, how many of you smokers would continue to smoke if someone nearby asked you to stop?

Like I already said, I don't really see the massive problem with it.  As someone pointed out earlier, there are much bigger environmental problems which are probably more hazardous to your health, than smoking.

And it seems no-one actually read my post before, how many of you how are so anti-smoking, have ever been to a barbecue?  Did you politely ask you're hosts not to make so much smoke?

[MadmanDan]

Dan, I don't get your argument at all.? I don't even necessarily disagree with you, but what's your point?? Most people don't sit around inhaling carbon monoxide all day, or go to bars where carbon monoxide is constantly floating around them.

I think CowBell has a great point, and I don't even think cigarette smoking is that bad as far as second hand smoke, but come on.... the car pollution argument is hardly relevant.

What do you mean you don't sit around inhaling carbon monoxide all day?? Do you all live on top of a mountain?Millions of cars drive around you all day,burning tons of gasoline. What I wanted to point out is that people inhale much more car smoke than cigarette smoke.I had the same opinions when I was a non-smoker.

Doctors say that 5 or less cigarettes a day are not a hazard to your health.Can any non-smoker say that they inhale more that the equivalent of 5 cigs a day??

[Will]

I am a smoker and I get irritated by the fact that in the ny/nj area we can't smoke anywhere anymore. I don't know if our friends overseas on this board share this problem but it's a heavy annoyance over here.

MS. is not too bad, but of course a pack of 20 cost like $2 around here...

[Hammy]

Out of curiosity, how many of you smokers would continue to smoke if someone nearby asked you to stop?

That's very situation specific.  For instance if i was waiting for a bus or something and someone asked i would just move away from them rather than stop.  If in a pub chances are i would not i would either move or tell the person asking if they have a problem with it to move.  Obviously if i had sat next to/near them i would move but you often get people who come and sit near you and complain.  Well if they had a problem why the fuck did they sit near me in the first place? (and before anyone says i may not of been smoking then, whenever in a pub i have my cigs on the table with my lighter next to them to save me having to keep going into my pockets so it's clear i am a smoker).