Is smoking good for you?

everyone talks about how many people die of lung cancer, but no one talks about how it normally does not happen for 30-40 years, around the time that people would be dieing anyways. Plus quality of life for 30-40 years minus a few years of life......the answer to the equation depends upon what the person cares most about.

I grew up in the south where almost everyone smoked and worried about getting a suntan.

And I moved to the Pacific Northwest where very few people smoke and everyone uses sunscreen.

The people in the PNW look, on average, 15 years younger than their southern counterparts.

And you rarely see anyone luging around an oxygen tank like you see in the South.

I like cigarettes and once in a while I still have one (Hi Mom!) but I know better. I'm kind of old and my son is still quite young and I want to live to dance at his wedding. Especially if they play the Ramones. I'm not sure I can do that and smoke.

My Father in law died at 69, his brother and sister are now in their 80's. For awhile my FIL shared a room with a 44 year old man who also had lung cancer - he had two young daughters and a wife he would soon be leaving behind. From the time my FIL was in his late 40's, he woke up early every morning with a coughing fit so loud and long that the rest of family would end up getting up too. The house and his car stunk of stale tobacco which devalued them when they were to be sold after his death. I have no idea why anyone in this day and age would even try and justify smoking. It's a dirty, stinky habit that will eventually make the addict miserable, their loved ones bereaved and certainly shorten a life that could be productive and happy into a much older age. I just don't get it. I see no benefits and a lot of negatives.

hopefully you grant people the right to make up their own minds.

Myself, I used to enjoy cigars a great deal, never cigarettes, though I have always enjoyed the smell of cigarette smoke. I have also smoked a lot of pot. I don't regret a single puff.

I see....so relatives have fucked you over by dieing before you wanted them too and by devaluing their stuff. I believe in working together but I don't believe in living for other people, so I have no sympathy for you.

Who the hell are you?

George Burns?







Seriously, I'm kind of the same way --you've got to die of something so it might as well be something you enjoy.

The problem with cigs is that you can take out others with you.

I was never sold on the dangers of second hand smoke. It is however a good idea to try to avoid smoking around kids.

No, smoking is no good for you, fool.

Just about everyone who has ever smoked will inform you that it can be great for the soul, IE has good.

please stop comparing auto emissions with cigarette smoke.
you are more intelligent than that...

I'm not RP.

And, whatismore, the smoke from tobacco is a natural substance whereas the fumes fron vehicle exhausts contain not only solids but some wierd chemicals as well. And passive consumers of it have no choice which is not the case with tobacco smoke.

Those folks nattering about passive smoking should ask themselves which products they are using which require workers to expose themselves to hazardous substances. Overseas workers included if only to avoid the charge of racism.

When legislation gets made by a bunch of hypocrites picking and choosing what to focus on for their own reasons and ignoring that the principle they are dependent on for intellectual credibility, if properly applied, could well bring capitalism to its knees, we might be said to have "lost it" to the bunch who can make the biggest fuss and cow us all into subservience with their hysterical screechings and selective data applications.

The "Great Victory" was to get tobacco advertising banned. That brought the whole of Media onto their side because it could no longer make money from tobacco and any money spent on tobacco was not spent on products Media could get a cut out of some of which involved passive welding, passive timber machining, passive sofa stuffing etc etc etbloodycetera.

I have no problem with that. Go ahead and make Phillip Morris executives rich, it's probably good for the economy. I don't care if they legalize all recreational drugs if people use them at home and can still function without social aid. I feel sorry for addicts of any substance, but I'm not out to reform them. I do find smoking gross, I've never dated smokers and do not want anyone smoking near me, but if you want to sit in your own living room and indulge - go ahead, I have no urge to make you stop. Yes, smoking around kids is dangerous. My husband and both his brothers have lung problems that doctors have attributed to growing up in smoke filled home, but it someone keeps their stink to themselves I would not make a move to make them change. I do hope this habit just dies out in another generation - sort of like snuff in the 17th century . We'll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.

They sell snuff in my pub.

When I was growing up snuff was quite popular with little old ladies.

Well, you're British - you probably flavor your food with it.

Hey GW--how about replying to my longer post?

I don't see a lot of people lugging around oxygen tanks down here. I rarely see it...of course I am just in one little part of the south. I think smoking has declined greatly everywhere.

I heard something about this on the radio the other day:



http://psychcentral.com/library/depression_smoking.htm

I've explained that mismi. The radio station is not allowed to advertise tobacco so can make no money out of it and any money spent on tobacco is not spent on products it can advertise. It's simple.

Once Media is out to get tobacco for those obvious reasons it is easy to find some "research" or statements to help it do so.

Reading all the link gives a different impression.

I've worked on environmental issues for years. Addiction to a harmful substances and the bigger environmental/economic issues are two different things to me. Yeah, I would like to see cleaner air, water, forests and skies, but I don't exclusively blame smokers for those problems.

If you think that answers my post GW I suggest you work on your English comprehension for a few years.

And I didn't even cover the benefits to the medical profession of stopping everybody smoking. Ivan Illich claimed that the medical profession wants everybody in a long lasting sub-lethal illness.

Or the drift into one-party government caused by people needing expensive care long after they have ceased to be producers which surfaced last night in the TV debate between our three party leaders.

Or the fact that everybody who reports to a doctor is asked do they smoke or have they smoked and if the answer is yes whatever they have is deemed to have been caused by the smoking or that smoking was a significant contributory factor which amounts to the same thing when the inattentive public are reading it or hearing it.

Smokey treats,...mmmm.

I quit cold turkey over ten years ago. Very difficult to do. For about a year, I was down to four or so a day. I quit because of the effects smoking has on health. Also, statistics loomed in my mind, when pondering how short our time is.

I do not miss smoking at all. That is a lie.
Ten years plus, and I still would love to light one up.

Last month found me at a resort. Fine meal. Fine company. Fine single malt scotch. Slot machine, not so fine. Patron next to me, took a pack from his upper shirt pocket, my brand, lit one up, looked over to me: "mind if I smoke buddy?",..."No, no, go right ahead "(inhaling deep as I could),..flick of his wrist, a single smokey treat was introducing itself to me, "want one?" ......"No thank you",...I did not accept.

Some folks relax a bit more with nicotine. That does them good.

This is an interesting argument and one I've not seen before.

The big hole in it is that the reason they banned the advertising is because smoking is so bad for you.

Still, I think it's kind of crazy that they aren't allowed to advertise a legal product. Also, about half the prescription drugs they advertise list death as a "possible side effect".