They say the most annoying preachers are the reformed, the reborn. I must admit I smoked for a couple years back in high school, and yes, I judge smokers harshly.
The biggest differences between now and back when I smoked are the widespread availability of information demonstrating the detrimental effects that smoking has on your body. I regularly find stories percolating up at digg.com that tell of new ways smokers have higher heath risks than non-smokers.
To get straight to the point, I think smokers are fools.
I know some smokers who are complete idiots in numerous facets of their lives, and so their smoking does not surprise me much. Their smoking actually fits neatly in with the train wreck that is their lives.
However, I know some smokers who are actually very smart people, some of them almost brilliant. I may have known them for years, or I may have had deeply intellectual conversations with them that I sometimes cannot reach with non-smokers.
So it boggles my mind why some of these brilliant people would continue smoking cigarettes. They seem so logical and in control of their decision-making process, then they throw those intellectual values to the wind and give themselves into addiction.
Do they like their moods being uncontrollably tied to a product? Do they like their moods to be swung wildly out of their control merely because they cannot get regular access to a retail product? Do they like to stink up an entire room after smoking (yes, smokers, we can smell you as soon as you enter the building, and it is not a smell you want to be known for)?
I have a two-part theory about quiting smoking. The question smokers must ask themselves is when they think they will have had enough? All smokers must quit eventually, right? Taken to the extreme, smokers know they will eventually be in a cancer ward, hooked up to all sorts of life support machinery, and they know they will be forced to quit smoking at that point, right?
So I ask smokers if they want to wait until that moment to quit, or would they rather quit a few years before so they might not end up in that cancer ward? Then I ask if they plan to quit a few years before the cancer ward (which could be 20 or 40 years down the road), or if they want to quit sooner, like in the next few years?
I often the response that they figure they will quit in the next five years or so. I add five years to their current age and ask them if they will remember when the reach 35/40/45/50/55 that they wanted to quit by that age, that it was some kind of milestone marker? I ask them what benefits they expect from smoking another five years? They are investing their health in smoking, so what returns are they expecting from their health investment?
The other part of my quiting theory addresses how many times a smoker wants to go through the quitting stages. I know that tobacco has addictive properties, possibly on par with cocaine or heroine. I know smokers struggle hard with quitting, and most times they will go through days of hardship, only to finally give in and resume smoking.
Those days of hardship when smokers quit are no fun at all. Nobody wants to experience that, and yet smokers put themselves through it each and every time they try quiting. Since we know (a) that smokers must quit eventually, and (b) it is a hardship emotionally and physically each time they quit, it would seem most logical for smokers to quit once, and quit for good.
Do smokers like the feeling of quiting several times in life, and failing at quiting? I know I personally hate it when I failed at something I invested myself in. Nobody likes the feeling of failing or quiting, so why do smokers continue this depressing cycle?
At least chewed tobacco’s effects start showing faster than smoked tobacco’s, so chewers see holes in their lips and quit sooner. Tobacco chewers are a lot like kids that huff gasoline and other inhalants: they quickly fall apart or quit within 10 years.
Smokers who are looking to quit should Google the topic and will find more resources than you could ever need. Idaho has also funded Idaho QuitNet to help smokers quit.
What do you think of smokers’ quitting shenanigans? Smokers, what do you think?
Popularity: 10%
Related posts:
Let's have a new poll, alright, Joe?
:@:)
Loading ...
{ 125 comments… read them below or add one }
I tried to just let this go – but I just have to make a few comments about this post. First let me say that I am amazed that Joe has such harsh words for smokers. He actually calls them “idiots.†That’s odd to me. Several times I have been in debates on this site with people who, in my opinion really were idiots. After trying to reason with these people, it became clear that they were in fact “idiots†and were just not going to get the point. Out of frustration, I gave up – and made what I believed to be a factual statement – calling them “idiots†as I signed off. Joe responded with comments similar to; “it’s a shame that people cannot make intelligent comments, and must resort to name calling.†I thought about his comment, and in my mind I felt as though I was stating what I believed to be a fact about these people (not just name calling†– but I also had to admit to myself that it was not very polite and I should have not used that word to describe these people.
I grew up in Idaho Falls back in the 60’s and 70’s. During that time, smoking was still pretty popular. You could smoke in the grocery stores, office buildings and just about everywhere else. Movie stars smoked in movies and on TV. The tobacco industry was spending millions of dollars in advertising to make sure that I and many in my generation would start. When you are young, you are invincible. You have no idea about how fast time passes or anything else related to your own mortality. I started smoking while in the US Army. At the time, I would say that 80% of the people in the Army smoked. If you didn’t smoke when you went in, you probably would by the time you got out. It was almost part of the culture. So, many people start “fooling around†with cigarettes when they are young. Some are able to quit (as was Joe) and some are not. Now I believe that people are all different. Not everyone who drinks heavily in their late teens and 20’s will become an alcoholic. I drank like a crazy man during my 20’s in the service. I was fortunate, and never became addicted to the booze, and now rarely if ever have a drink. But I have friends who are serious alcoholics. A few are not even really functional. These guys start drinking the hard stuff at 9:00 in the morning, and are sauced by noon. I guess I am smarter than they are. The truth is that we all do some pretty stupid stuff when we are young. Some people are lucky, and some are not. I had friends killed in car accidents drunk driving. I drove drunk a few times when I was young, but I was fortunate and got away with it. It’s easy for me to look back on those “idiots†now, and tell you that I am here today because I was smarter than they were. I dabbled in smoking and became hooked very, very badly. I have tried to quit but have not yet been successful. Am I less intelligent than Joe? Am I weak and he is strong? Or was he fortunate enough to not become as physically and mentally addicted to cigarettes as I am? Why do we look at so many addictions as “illness?†Alcoholism is now called a “disease.†Its not their fault (or so they claim) In today’s world we try so hard to be “tolerant.†We accept many different people for many different things. As long as it isn’t smoking. Those smokers are just “idiots.” Joe, you should try to be a little less judgmental of people with a terrible addiction, and just be thankful that you were able to quit.
You make a great point, and I have to apologize for name calling.
My aim was to illustrate how smart some of these people are in all aspects of their lives, and then they flush their smarts down the toilet when they light up.
I can understand the smoking issues in the past, it’s hilarious to watch old television shows where the people are smoking on set.
However today we have so much more information about the first and second-hand effects of smoking, it is becoming a social pariah to smoke, and many intelligent people still smoke.
Quitting can be very tough, but it is not impossible.
Why do otherwise smart people continue then? I don’t get it.
It just might be that for some people quiting IS impossible. I pray that I am not one of them — but its a fact, nicotine is more addictive than nearly any other substance. In your initial post you make quiting sound as easy as a Google search — “Smokers who are looking to quit can just Google the topic and will find more resources than you could ever need.” It isn’t that easy — as you know.
One thought I have always had… My mother smoked when she was pregnant with me, so in reality I was addicted to nicotine even before I was born. I wonder sometimes if that makes it harder to quit than if my mother had not smoked while pregnant. It might be that since this is my 2nd time around, and I was addicted as a newborn, it may be more difficult for me both mentally and physically than perhaps someone whose mother never smoked. An interesting point as well… the number of surgeons who smoke is really quite high compared to the national average. The AMA won’t tell you that, but I have seen it in my own life, and have had many nurses and Drs. tell me the same thing. I have always wondered about that as well.
I am geared up to try to quit News Years Eve. I have my patches, Welbutrin (sp?) and am at a point in my life where it is literally “do or die.” Wish me luck!
Joe I hardly think “smoking for a couple years in high school” even qualifies you as an ex-smoker. Nor are you qualified to preach. Feelinlucky I wish you the very best of luck.
I also wish you the best of luck, FeelinLucky. Please let us know again in a few months how you are doing. Even if you fell off the tobacco wagon, let us know why it was so difficult.
guest, I suppose it comes down to relativity. If I had smoked for a couple years and quit in the last few months, would I be “qualified” as an ex-smoker? If I smoked five years but quit 60 years ago, would I be qualified then? I think it’s relativity.
I think anyone who scrounged for money to buy packs and cartons and sometimes picked butts out of the ashtray because they were so hard up would qualify as a smoker, because only smokers do those things. Listen to me defend my ex-smoker cred!
Smoking is a subject I think even non-smokers are qualified to preach on, because everyone gets affected by the second-hand smoke, and because we can all plainly see the “quitting cycles” I described before.
I held off for months writing this post because I knew inevitably many visitors smoke, and I wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject without hurting feelings.
I am sorry for using the term “idiots” since it came across as name-calling. I meant it to actually describe idiotic behavior. There is a difference between a bad man and a man that behaves badly, right?
My biggest point is about these smart people who smoke. FeelinLucky has left some great intellectual comments that made me think of new things, and yet against the logical odds choses to smoke.
Maybe it’s one of those “I know I need to get around to it (quitting) someday” type of things?
Feelinlucky
Thanks for writing. I do remember some of those other posts and I think it is good if we can all try to be as respectful as we can as others.
You are right about some health care professionals smoking. I’ve always heard it was more the anesthesiologists than the surgeons. And plenty of nurses and other technicians. High stress jobs make people have a need to relieve stress. If only as a society we didn’t make people feel guilty for just taking a break, no cigarette needed, just a chance to step away for a few moments.
The posts have been insightful. FeelinLucky, an interesting thought you have about your pregnant mom. The data now shows second hand smoke to kids who had parents smoking to be as damaging. Keep us updated on that part, if you learn more.
I’m pulling for you FeelinLucky! If you can’t sleep at night, get on here. We have a host of people who are either at work, are winding down or whatever and I know I’d sure be happy and proud to chat with you and hopefully give you a word of encouragement or suggestions of how to get through a tough time. I’ve never smoked, but worked with many who have quit. It is work and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!
If you log on at nights, just remind us how many days it has been. I would like to hear about your progress more often than Joe has suggested. It might be cool if you wrote an article (BTW – I’m sure you know about holding a pen or pencil instead of a cigarette). What a way to get through a tough time, long-hand writing what you want to post here in a potential “Diary of a Smoker” or whatever you may choose to do. There is NO PRESSURE, only possibilities.
Good luck, I’m really proud of you for taking this big step! I’m in your corner.
Well, I too am a smoker, so Feelin Lucky, I’m with you brother. I have been addicted to numerous things in my life and have found that this is the hardest to quit.
I know all the facts, read the articles, and listened to everyone complain. Yet I still smoke.
I have been smoking for about ten years now and have made the attempt to quit numerous times. For those of you who are non smokers, it is difficult to quit, harder than anything you can imagine.
Smoking has become just another part of the day, as routine as walking, eating, and breathing. To replace something that has that kind of grip on your mental and physical well being is difficult, what can you replace it with, or do I just become an awnry SOB for a week.
I hope my next attempt to quit, which will be soon is my last attempt, and hopefully I will be smoke free forever. I wish the best for anyone else who decides to get through the most difficult thing they will ever face, but hey, if we can quit smoking, we can do anything we set our minds to. It’s gonna take a whole lot of willpower, but it will be worth it.
I wish you the best luck with your quitting, also.
“…do I just become an awnry SOB for a week”?
I think it is inevitable. The best you can do is communicate to everyone around you that you are quitting so they can cut you a little more slack that week.
I think most non-smokers are willing to be patient with people quitting smoking while they go through that difficult period.
What really burns us though is smokers who say they are quitting, ask us to be patient, act like a jerk for a few days, then revert back to smoking. If we give you the benefit of the doubt while quitting, we don’t want to see you start back up again!
Think about how each time you quit, it gets a little harder than each time before. How many times more do you want to fail at quitting, making it harder the next time you try to quit? I hope you can make the next time the last time.
One reason smokers do it is to help deal with life’s hassles. However you have to admit that smoking is itself a big hassle with everyone bugging you about it, the high prices, the stench, the ashtrays around your home, and the time taken up by smoking. Eliminating smoking will actually get rid of one of your biggest hassles.
There’s been a lot of talk about how hard it is to quit smoking, but no one has mentioned how hard it is to start smoking.
You have to first ignore the fact that you are inhaling approximately 4,000 chemicals, at least 250 of which are toxic and/or carcinogenic.
You then have to overcome your body’s natural reflex to reject these hazardous compounds. You have to train your lungs to accept oxygen-robbing smoke, which also burns your eyes and the lining of your nose.
You must also disregard the mountain of medical evidence, the warnings printed right there on the packs, and the history of deception perpetrated by the tobacco companies…all of which are systematically killing off their best customers, and are constantly trying to recruit new ones: your children, nieces, nephews, etc.
Let’s not forget the social stigma that smokers are “forced” to endure. It’s hard to make friends when you have sticky yellow fingers and your breath and clothes smell like death.
This time of year, many smokers in the workforce have to withstand sub-zero temperatures in order to enjoy their regular nicotine fix.
And those who smoke in public have to ignore others’ rights to breathe clean air in favor or their own right to smoke, and pass all the wonderful health benefits of second-hand smoke on to them. The resulting cognitive dissonance can be stressful. It’s hard on a person’s conscience to do such a thing.
It’s not easy for smokers in the U.S. to kill over 30,000 non-smokers every year, or to send as many as 1 million children to the hospital with new cases of athsma. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work.
The moral of the story: Quitting is easy in comparison.
And those are just the facts. My personal opinion of smoking? I believe smoking to be reprehensively idiotic, socially pollutant and irresponsible, and should be banned in public altogether.
Personally, I have a hard time relating to people who knowingly volunteer themselves for a lifetime of addiction and struggle. But I try not to judge smokers or any other addict harshly for their behaviors. After all, we are all equals. We all have our battles.
Many addicts are simply ignorant and don’t understand the consequences of their actions, and I wouldn’t necessarily consider them stupid. But anyone who starts smoking now (or anytime in the last 42 years) cannot claim ignorance. Only stupidity.
But in that regard, smoking is no more stupid than swimming with sharks, but people do it. It’s just one of the many ways that humans take risks with their own lives. And they’re free to do so.
However, it’s criminal to allow one person’s actions to harm others. Second-hand smoke is a murderous weapon, and those who use it should be punished severely, and spared no sympathy.
Whew! That’s enough for now. I’m going out for a smoke break.
Having been called many things, “Unique Fool†is now added to the list. Smoking issues most certainly need to be addressed. There are many, many ways to approach and discuss the subject. The avenue that Joe took would not have been near the top of my list. A comment to his statement, “However, I know some smokers who are actually very smart people, some of them almost brilliant.†is Albert Einstein was a pipe smoker. I must be a victim of ‘smart people sometimes do, or say, foolish and idiotic things’.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a smoker. I know it’s bad for me and I know I need to quit. I also know that I try to be careful, I never smoke in my own home (I can’t stand the smell) and I never smoke in my car if I have a non smoker in it. If I’m sitting with a group of people in a bar and I’m the only smoker at the table, I will either go outside or go to the other end of the bar. I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but I’m tired of being labeled as a bad person because I have this one vice.
Smart people are not immune to addiction of any kind. What I fail to understand is that certain addictions are socially acceptable. Alcoholism is the first one that comes to mind. I don’t think those guys are idiots, I think they have a problem. Mental or physical or both, just as I think smokers have a problem. Alcoholism will kill you just as surely as cigarette’s will, but those guys aren’t idiots, they’re ill.
Please understand, this is not a slam on you, Joe, this is a venting of my frusterations!
Feelinglucky,
I’ve been thinkng about you today. During the last year several very important subjects have been posted and discussed here. However, perhaps this thread and any tips or encouragement previous smokers or non-smokers can give you and others who are trying to quit, may be the most important subject addressed here.
My offer still stands for you or anyone else who is a smoker who is quitting. If it is a rough time, log on and if I’m here, I’ll be more than happy to chat with you. I worked in Smoking Cessation professionally for several years. Hopefully, I might have a few suggestions.
That old rubber band around the wrist can help.
But mostly, remember relapses do happen. What is MORE IMPORTANT is what the person does after the relapse. Do they immediately start their smoking cessation again or quit?
Good luck to all of you. I’m truly in your corner on this one, and support you 1000%!
i love cigarettes god bless them!!!!! smoking is good for the nerves. I wish I had 50 cartons and have no plans of quiting unless the church takes full control of the constitution and makes it illegal .
i’m not a smoker, but u sound really smug and arrogant….so there is a difference between intelligent people smoking and the less learned?..u just cant figure that one out yet?
what ever
I don’t know what those last 3 comments are about, but anyways.
I can see I may have overstepped in language here. I just see normal anti-smoking techniques do not seem to work that well in convincing smokers to quit. I thought I would add my own observation, one I don’t ever hear.
I hope smokers might look past my offending them to the gist of my point: the smoking habit does not match up to the smart habits that some smokers exhibit most of their days.
It’s like seeing a normally reserved family person turn into a speeding maniac when they start driving.
I just feel like us smokers are on the witch hunted list. I love to smoke and I see nothing wrong with it. So what it kills people. Yea when everything else is killing them that is. You all will die some way or some day some how. My great grandma lived to be 103 years old and she smoked alot. my uncle smoked and died at 67 from lung cancer. My aunt mary got throut cancer when she was 56 and is still alive and is now 63. My gandma is 79 years old and she still smokes and has an oxygen tank with her. Its pleasurfull to smoke I like the taste and the smell of tobacco and I will enjoy my freedom to do it as I wish to. I love to smoke.
And, in the meantime, you and all your smoke blowing relatives are raising my health insurance premiums higher and higher. Get real.
I honestly don’t care if you smoke or not – I tend to light up every now and then if I’ve been drinking. I don’t think it’s a big deal so long as you’re in a place where smoking is acceptable (like a bar, your own home, etc.)
I really get annoyed living in an apartment complex with smokers, though. I end up sweeping up piles of butts all summer. It’s ridiculous.
I smoke but sure would like to quit. I’ts very scary cuz I do turn into a monster, and the first week is so.. difficult. We do add to the cost of insurance, but probably not more than obesity, and we at least pay smoker taxes plus whatever the State gets for law suits. Just a pet peeve I have. I have always wondered what would happen to the State budget if every Idaho smoker quit.
Guest2 — good point. I wonder if Guest2006 above is 20 lbs. over weight — has high cholesteral, does not wear a seat belt or bike helmet or does not get enough excercise. If so — he/she is adding to my health insurance costs too. Or if he/she is a greedy money grubbing lawyer who has been involved in some medical malpractice law suit seeking millions and millions of dollars for some human error made by a Doctor. I might smoke, but I jog 2 miles a day, eat well and if I live 10 years less than my grandfather (who smoked for 55 years) I will likely outlive guest2006 when I die at 87. But nonetheless, I am trying to quit as we speak. Not for guest2006 or anyone else. For me.
Feelinlucky,
Good for you! Hang in there. Nothing works if you don’t do it for yourself. And you were pleasant in your post.
Let me know if I can help in any way.
I just recalled a memory that helps explain to myself why I am so passionate about quitting smoking.
When I was about 8, my neighbor (who was a little bit father figure) got trampled by his horse around Irwin.
He was really banged up and hurting from the horse trampling alone, but the worst was the first four days of him suddenly being off nicotine. It was horrible to see him in such double agony.
That’s why I say eventually every smoker will have to quit. I’m sure most people would rather quit in a more pleasant manner.
Anyone and everyone can quit.
Ability to quit is not in question.
Resolve to quit is the key.
guest 2006
you said “And, in the meantime, you and all your smoke blowing relatives are raising my health insurance premiums higher and higher. Get real.”
For your information there is a real high tax on tabacco products and your raising health care cost are due to to many people abusing the medical system encluding doctors not people that smoke.
When you make comment’s try to make sense with them. try not to target someone based on habits.
May he who has no sin cast the first stone.
“May he who has no sin cast the first stone.”
This should have been your only reply – the cigarette tax has little to do with health insurance, and more to do with our out-of-control tax structure in America. I’ll leave it to that.
But, he’s right. We all have our stupid addictions. Mine’s caffeine. It may or may not kill me, but it’s still an addiction. It’s no less harmful than a smoker when you think about it – how many people are killed by trade tariffs and child-labor that involves coffee? How many people die from consumer too much coca-cola in their lifetimes every day? (The answer may surprise you.) Most of our actions as Americans involves hurting somebody, and as soon as we realize that and stop making scapegoats out of smokers, drinkers, and hollywood movies, the sooner we can begin to amend our own behavior to live more mindfully.
right on good reply jeremy
I just found this post and had to put my 2cents into the mix.
As much as I hate to admit it, I have been a smoker on and off for about 20 years. (more off then on, but a smoker nonetheless)
If you do a little research, you’ll see that (and I’m not quite sure of the percentage) but there’s twice as many addictive chemicals in cigarettes today, then there was 10 years ago. So it’s definitely harder for people to stop smoking these days.
I didn’t start smoking until I got into college. It was just casual at first, because all my friends did it, and it was nice to have a smoke when you’re out having a beer with friends. I didn’t smoke all the time since my girlfriend at the time didn’t smoke and I didn’t smoke around here. So I didn’t have a problem with the addiction part. And a few years later we were married and I stopped smoking altogether. Six years later we got divorced and I started up again. I smoked for about 8 years and tried on and off during that time to stop.
I don’t know if it’s true, but a lot of scientists have said that cigarettes are more addictive then heroin. I wouldn’t know since I never tried heroin, but I do know nicotine is a monster of a drug! I’ve never been hooked on anything other then caffeine, but cigarettes took a hold of me and wouldn’t let go.
Like most people I tried everything to stop. I’d try cold turkey and make it a few days, then I’d have a stressful day and end up bumming a smoke from a friend or co-worker and tell myself, just this one won’t hurt or make me relapse. A day or two later I’d buy a new pack and was back where I started. Now granted I’ve never been more than a pack a day smoker, I’d buy a pack and it would last me almost three days, but a smoker is a smoker is a smoker, whether it’s a pack a day or a pack a week, I knew I needed to quit.
Finally this year I had the doctor prescribe me Wellbutrin and that did the trick for me. It takes about 2-3 weeks for the chemical in Wellbutrin to alter the dopamine levels in your brain, but once that happens, you really do loose the craving. I found that around the 3rd week, I was going a half a day without having a smoke and I remember thinking to myself, wow…I would have usually had a 2-3 by now, but I don’t a craving at all. It was amazing I must admit. Then I was sitting at home one night watching tv, and thought to myself, I sure could use a smoke. Again, I didn’t really have a craving, but it’s been such a habit for so long, it just felt strange not to go outside after dinner and have one. All smokers will tell you there’s nothing like having a smoke after a good meal. I have never smoked in my house or my car, so that night I got off the couch and went out on the back porch to light up. I took a couple drags and it tasted really nasty! I ended up putting it out right then and there and I haven’t looked back since.
It’s been a little over a month now and I’m still “smoke freeâ€. I feel SO much better since I stopped. I don’t cough anymore (except a little bit in the morning as my lungs are still getting rid of all that tar!), my sense of smell is so much better then it used to be, my sense of taste is a lot more heightened and I’ve got a lot more energy then I used to have. I’ve always been an active person, regularly biking, hiking, camping, snow/water skiing, etc. But since I stopped smoking, I can do all of these things for a lot longer, and without taking the time to rest and catch my breath as much.
I know like any other addiction that it’s always going to be something I’ll have to work on to keep from relapsing. But it gets easier and easier every day. It really is a great feeling to not have a drug like nicotine controlling my life anymore.
I know first hand how difficult it is so I implore the rest of you to not judge or call names because someone is a smoker, but to give encouragement. It is a very addictive drug and a habit that is extremely hard to break.
I know a lot of intelligent people that smoke, so to call someone a fool or an idiot, just isn’t fair. Sure, we all know it’s bad for us, but it’s easier said than done when it comes to actually quitting.
I wish you all the best of luck in your attempts to break free from this habit. And all I can tell you is that Wellbutrin worked wonders for me! I tried everything from nicotine gum, patches, cold turkey, weening down and nothing worked. Plus with the gum and patches, you’re still putting nicotine into your system so I hope you won’t continue to waste your money on those products.
I’m now slowly weaning off the Wellbutrin and won’t have to take it anymore by the end of the month. If you’ve got the insurance, go get some since its now covered by most insurance companies. It only cost me 15 bucks a month but without insurance its still only about a hundred bucks a month, and believe me it’s well worth it.
Like Jeremy said, there’s quite a few of you out there addicted to caffeine. You may not think it’s a drug, but it is. Try going without your coffee or pop for a week and then come talk to me. Sure it won’t be as hard a habit to break as nicotine, but I guarantee it WILL be hard. Personally I love my coffee and don’t see myself giving that up anytime soon. (one thing at a time I say)
Whatever you decide, please do whatever you can to get off the nicotine. You’ll be so glad you did. I know I am!
Hang in there pal. I’ve never smoked but have lots of friends who did/do. The ones who quit had a rough time doing so. Many of them relapsed many times in the quitting process. Good luck to you.
Yeah I wish you luck also.
I’m sure I’ve said it a couple times before but I might as well again: sorry for being a name calling hater.
My (muddled) point was that many people I admire for their brilliance do the stupid thing of smoking, and it just doesn’t make sense to me.
And I want to highlight meso’s point about “Many of them relapsed many times in the quitting process.”
How many more times do you want to go through the agonizing quitting process? Will this be the last time? Who wants to do it 5, 10 more times?
I hope you can make this your last time quitting.
I spent 12 years in the military, and boy howdy, there are a lot of smokers in the military… and they had a hard time even waiting until they were out of the government vehicles to light up. Sometimes the only “clean” air in our command vehicle was the 2 or 3 inches near the floor where I had to dive down to for a breath of fresh air every now and then (remember that, Joe? – oh wait, weren’t you one of the ones there smoking?) Back then, it didn’t bother me that much… in fact, I kinda started liking the second-hand smoke.
BUT, now that I am a father, it REALLY bugs me when someone lights up near my kids. With all of the studies on second-hand smoke and the effects (especially on children) – ARGH!
Being a non-smoker, I can only imagine how hard it is for a smoker to stop smoking (heck, I can’t even quit drinking Mt Dew), but I agree with Joe. With all of the FACTS about the dangers and effects of smoking, it is hard to imagine why someone would start and/or continue smoking. Especially around children. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am sitting at a red light and glance over to the car next to me and see (vaguely through the smoke) an infant in a car seat in the back and the parent in the front seat with a cigarette.
Good luck to any of you out there trying (hopefully successfully) to quit. For those that still choose to smoke, please do so courteously (i.e. not around my kids!).
The only thing I’ve ever been addicted to besides alcohol and caffeine was SEX. I met this great girls and married her and would you believe she cured me of my addiction. I quit cold turkey too! I have made ot more than 10 years. If a guy can give that up to quit smoking should be a breaze.
One eye – It’s fun to have you post again.
Yes, that is a great joke and you wrote it quite well.
I hope it brings a laugh to everyone’s day.
I’m really proud of everyone who is trying to quit smoking. Meso made a good point about relapses. If someone is an alcoholic and fals off the wagon, we don’t immediately say that person is an alcoholic. Rather, we focus on how to help the person stop drinking again.
Besides our words of encouragement, jokes from One Eye Trout and stories from those who have been successful quitting (and what they did), is there any other ways we can help or encourage you who are trying to quit?
I totally back you, if you’ve decided to make this change for yourself. If it’s not the right time, thanks for reading this thread. Maybe there will be a right time for you too.
But, I will never be anyone’s judge as the chemicals in cigarettes are so addictive.
Good luck!
The two biggest mistakes in my life were made in my youth. Start smoking is number 1. No question.
I’m very happy that Idaho has outlawed smoking in most public places. Nothing used to annoy me as much as being forced to breathe someone elses cigarette smoke. I rightfully used to feel that if they were going to force me to inhale and wear (odor) their secondhand smoke that I should be allowed to go make them inhale and wear the backwash of whatever I was drinking.
Now if employers would start deducting the ten minute smoke break that smokers take each and every hour out of their lunch hours I’d be happy. Or start letting me take a ten minute break every hour as well.
So Neal Larson spoke about the proposed smoking ban in bowling alleys. He railed against it for personal freedom issues, and a caller said 90% of bowlers smoke and alleys depend on the leagues because families don’t bowl anymore.
Take one guess why people do not bowl anymore. I don’t want to take my kids into a smoke-filled bowling alley.
The restaurants howled against last year’s smoking ban, and then realized a family will be much more profitable than a single smoker.
Neal Larson howled about letting market forces guide bowling alley owners. I think he was naive to believe that telling the guy behind the counter that you don’t appreciate the smoke will cause them to ban smoking. Sometimes business owners need their heads forcibly jerked out of the sand. Idaho restaurants are a prime example of this.
If we should let market forces guide us, why not allow casinos and porn shops everywhere in Idaho?
I believe in some of the power of market forces, but keep in mind market forces were the prevailing wisdom during the middle (dark) ages.
Bowling owners should ask the North Hiway cafe if the smoking ban can help business.
Exactly! That is the true reason why we do not bowl as a family and the reason that we never ate at the North Hiway Cafe.
We loved to have a beer at Lost Arts when they were around for the same reason.
Just a thought on the addiction to tobacco:
Changing the what you eat can actually help you quit smoking. Making your body more Alkaline versus Acid will help. By eating more leafy green vegetables this can help. Increasing your intake of Magnesium can also help.
This is from Dr. Mercola’s website and what he has to say about smoking might surprise you. He says don’t do it until you have changed your dietary habits. Check out his video:
http://vitalvotes.com/QA/Why-I-Don-t-Recommend-That-People-Stop-Smoking-1943.aspx
well Smoking should be put somewhere outside but have mercy on them. They should make a outdoor smoking area thats covered from rain and weather for smokers so there isnt any hard feelings. And then the rest of the community doesnt have to be around the smoke. Smokers will try and stay real close to the building if its rainy and cold. If they have a place to go then they will use that.
Why should a business have to pay the expense of building a covered smoking shelter for smokers just because they can’t go an hour or two without smoking? They are the ones that CHOOSE to smoke, others shouldn’t have to cater to them just because they made that choice.
you people really miss the boat on this one… “Why should a business have to pay the expense of building a covered smoking shelter…” blah blah blah. The fact is that if a busienss wants to be a smoking or a non smoking establishment — or if they WANT to build an outdoor area for smokers, it should be left up to the business owner to decide, AS A BUSINESS DECISION. If it attracts more business to allow smokers, then do it. If it detracts from business to allow smokers, then decide what you want to do. We don’t need the government once again telling people what they MUST do. A few posts up some rediculous nut says they never went to the North Highway Cafe because of the smokers. Like it matters. Like we care. The North Highway Cafe did a great business for a whole lotta years without her. And the beauty of it was that she didn’t have to go to the North Highway — and those that wanted to go in and have a cup of coffee and a smoke actually could. Imagine that. A free country. I personally prefer a non smoking establishment. However, I can fuction in either. I just get upset whenever government tries to play nazi and tell us what to do in increasingly more and more ways.
I have actually heard that since they did ban smoking that North Highway Cafe has seen an increase in business because families will now go there where they would not before.
I never said that it shouldn’t be up to the business to decide if they should build a shelter for the smokers. Actually I agree it should be up to them to decide.
I only meant why should they have to even consider putting up that extra expense.
If someone can’t even make it through dinner without having a cigarette, maybe they should consider getting help to quit.
well this country is becoming more goverment controlled anyways. Might as well bend over and let them take it all away. resistance is futile. You will be assimulated
I believe it should be up to each restaurant to decide whether they allow smoking in their establishments.
Permit the clientle to help the business owner / local manager choose which is best for their business. Take a poll. Let the customer have a voice.
I smoked in high school – back in the dinosaur days. I started college and still smoked. It became annoying when I had to leave class to take a smoke break.
I chose to quit – this is over twenty years ago. My partner @ the time and I quit together – he has since quit more times than I can count (including the time when my current partner and my former partner quit together).
Some people are more successful @ quitting cigarettes (or drugs or abuse of alcohol or gambling) than others. I don’t know why. If I did, and I was a savvy business person – I’d patent my understanding in a sellable form and market it for a large sum of money.
I believe that most serial quitters do want to quit – but they want more to not deal with the pain of quitting. When I quit I literally had to send myself to a school counselor because I entertained a suicidal thought or two – very out of character for me and very scary! THAT was pain. Quitting an addiction hurts, it feels lonely, it inspires depression. That’s why, I believe, some aren’t successful doing it. We are not designed to purposely cause ourselves pain – and although we do cause ourselves greater long term pain by continuing to be addicted to an unhealthy substance, our short term pain usually carries the weightier cards in the game of life – so often we cave under the pressure of not wanting to endure current pain.
It is almost as if quitting an addiction goes against one’s instincts – the defining meaning of addiction IS after all to be “reliant” on something. Like air and food. We rely on those things. In the mind, an addiction is much like air or food – you neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed it. Anybody who has been addicted to anything knows what I mean by that. When I was a dedicated smoking addict I felt I neeeeeeeeeeeded that toxic nicotine – giving it up was like giving up an unhealthy love affair. It hurts. That’s why some people remain for their entire lives in unhealthy relationships (a different topic I know).
My point is – smokers aren’t necessarily idiotic, they might just be choosing unwisely based on what their bodies are convinced they neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.
There is probably not one here among us who has never neeeeeeeeeeeeeded something that we knew was not the best choice for us – even if it was a mere indulgence of the moment. Take that indulgence and multiply it by itself several hundred times – and there you have an addiction.
Addictions don’t always lend themselves readily to deductive reasoning – just like momentary indulgences in gooey chocolate cake or in a new IPod because it holds more music than the LAST IPod lend themselves to readily to reasoning. It doesn’t make us stupid – it just makes us humans who don’t always see the forest through the trees (our own best interest through the desire of a thing).
The fact that indulgences and addictions are sold to us in many ways is another topic for a different day – but please try to keep that in mind. We may be addicted to LOTS of things that have been sold to us as a “need”.
Let s/he who has no sins cast the first stone – or however that saying goes.
So the PR reports our legislature did something I can finally agree with (they are not pure dinosaurs I’ll admit): banning smoking in bowling alleys.
I thought it was neat that dozens of bowlers said they wanted the ban to increase participation in the sport.
I believe in the free market forces for some things, and sometimes not. Bowling alleys and many restaurants would have never banned smoking if they had not been forced to by our government, and they are reaping the benefits of having their heads forcibly pulled from the sand.
Can I walk around nude then? Would libertarians support my right to stroll around Idaho Falls in my natural state? If people don’t want to see my hideous body, they can avert their eyes or just don’t go to places where naked people hang out. If I want to bowl naked, why can’t I?
Bring smoking back! I mean it. I’m not a smoker, but I hate the government telling me when and where I can do something. If you don’t like cigarette smoke, don’t go places where people smoke – and if a bowling alley wants to ban smoking to accommodate families, let ‘em! Sorry, the libertarian in me is showing.
Good point. But I don’t see a correlation between being naked and smoking. Perhaps it’s a social thing – banning smoking is the new black in America, mostly fueled by popular media’s negative portrayal of smoking (some of those commercials are just disgusting!), but the media hasn’t yet tackled public nudity.
I guess I value the right of an individual to choose what he or she is exposed to. If you chose to bowl naked, I’d take up billiards. Know what I mean? I don’t like the government trying to make everyone’s taste the same, making everyone’s choices for them, or making my decisions for me. Morality and health are a personal choice, and it should remain a person’s choice to make.
Yea total control over the population of earth is the real agenda. We are all living Nazi Germany over again. History does repeat over and over.
Our Government should not have powers to control what the civilian population does with its self.
The LDS church is taking over the earth. We will all have to act and do what the church says to do. Unless everyone bans together and says no!!! We will not do what you say. Smoking and public nudity is a god given right.
I want to organize over 10,000 people from Idaho colleges to parade naked while smoking down the streets of Idaho falls.
( I hope you all know I am totaly kidding just thought this would be funny)
I’m not sure what you’re using to base your opinion on regarding the New Mormon World Order … but I think you’re wrong. Living in Idaho and Utah, sure the Mormon church seems to have a foothold on public policy, but the world? Outside of the west, Mormonism is a fringe religion, and even more fringe outside of the USA.
Now, if Mitt Romney is elected president, we’ll talk …
This debate does bring up governmental control and regulation and goes pretty deep into what we view the role of government should be. But then again, we live in a reality where we really are very controlled and regulated and theorizing about what is the optimal doesn’t really change the actual.
What can we do to change the the actual? How about demonstrating personal responsibility? Big Mother has to ban smoking in public places because parents don’t use enough sense to not take their kids to places where people smoke.
We are at fault and we are the only ones who can fix it.
What?! “Big Mother has to ban smoking in public places because parents don’t use enough sense to not take their kids to places where people smoke.”
Smokers are everywhere! Your comment boils down to “… parents don’t use enough sense to not take their kids out of the house.”
Before the ban, sure, you had the choice of a smoking or non-smoking table at a resteraunt. The difference? Oh, about 4 feet. Not to mention the smokers standing around the entrances to stores, resteraunts, and hospitals. How do parents avoid that?
Wow… that has to be the dumbest thing I’ve heard today. I hope it was a joke.
Not a joke. It’s common sense – parents should raise their children, not the government. America is great because of the freedoms and liberties we enjoys – and little by little, those freedoms are being eroded by political correctness, special interests, and the politics of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. If you don’t want your kids exposed to cigarette smoke, don’t take them to places that have lots of smokers (perhaps to Perkin’s instead of, say, TGI Fridays?)
I don’t know where people got this idea that the world should accommodate them. I don’t like smelly people, so should it be a law that you bathe? Nope, because it’s your right to be smelly as an American.
Absolutely – parents should raise their children, and I agree that there is a problem with that in this country. But, were you also against the measures to improve the daycare facilities in Idaho?
I don’t like Big Brother (or Big Mother in this case) telling me what to do, but I whole-heartedly support any ban/law that keeps smokers and their second-hand smoke away from me and my family.
It’s a proven fact that smoking and second-hand smoke causes cancer.
I can’t walk the streets of Idaho Falls with a baseball bat, swinging at anyone I meet, but you can blow your cigarette smoke in my face. I can’t poison the city’s water supply, but you can blow your cancer causing, second-hand smoke in my face. Doesn’t make any sense to me.
Why would you not support a measure that improves the quality of life for you and your family?
I think we should all be able to stroll around naked if we so desire. I do not personally so desire (my body is not “hideous” but I certainly don’t have a “if you’ve got it flaunt it” form anymore either) but I think the US is way too uptight about nudity.
The art festival on the Idaho Falls Greenbelt – they STILL can’t display paintings of nudes, right? SILLY! As if we aren’t all NUDE under our clothes.
That’s another topic, sorry.
The point is – nudity is not really like smoking. Passing by a nude person may intrigue or offend a person, but it’s likely the affected person shan’t suffer from “second hand nudity” illnesses. They may feel they do, but that’s probably part of the intrigue or offended senses.
I’m all for letting the bowling alleys and so forth decide for themselves based upon what THEY think works best for THIER OWN business. That would be both for smoking and for nudity.
Here’s where your comparison breaks down – hitting someone with a baseball bat is against the law. It’s called assault and battery. Smoking isn’t. So, if someone smoking offends you or makes you think you’re in danger of health issues, walk away from them or eat/drink somewhere else. If we start making laws against everything that annoys us, where will we be? Like I said, how long is it before we regulate against certain hairstyles because they annoy somebody?
So, if you’re annoyed by smoke, don’t do it, and don’t hang out where people do it. I don’t smoke, but I enjoy the bar scene from time to time, so I put up with the smoke in exchange for a night out. That’s called compromise.
Comparing annoying hairstyles and smoking is apples and oranges. Somebody’s annoying hairstyle is not having an effect on anybody’s health like second hand smoke is.
It has been proven second hand smoke causes cancer, plus smoke aggravates asthma.
In Jeremy’s point about going to the bar to enjoy a night out and putting up with the smoke to be there, you are right that that is your choice. And going to a bar you’d expect it to be smokey in there, and you would not choose to take your family there.
However, it’s a little different when a family wants to enjoy a family activity and go bowling together why should they have to come away smelling like an ashtray to do so.
You mentioned earlier about people wanting to be accommodated, isn’t that exactly what smokers are asking for as well? No one is telling them they can’t smoke, but there should be some places that it is not allowed.
Anyone who read that article and still smokes must be a fool, right? No. These people are addicts of the worst degree, doing their nicotine in broad daylight, ignoring the costs to their employers, their family and friends, themselves. It is right in our faces as Mr. Vandal pointed out, not hidden away. These people need rehabilitation, regular looks at the effects on their lungs, and Nicotine Anonymous, a good strong 12 step program to get them clean and on a good track. Society need no longer tolerate ignorant attitudes about the deadly effects of tobacco. Outlaw tobacco smoking, rehabilitate smokers, and educate our children to never, ever smoke a cig. All smokers, listen to what was said in the article. Just quit now. You are wasting your money and your life.
I guess we went off on a couple tangential analogies to prove a point on the logic of allowing anyone to do anything they want. Not sure if the analogies were very effective.
“… decide for themselves based upon what THEY think works best for THIER OWN business. That would be both for smoking and for nudity.”
If ya’ll support businesses doing what they want and people can choose if they go there or not, why can I not open a stripper lounge? Why can I not host live sex acts on stage? Those market forces will drive me out of business because nobody wants to see that, right?
Why can I not open a casino in IF?
I think we have to admit we give up some things by living in a society. If you want the benefits of living in a society, you have to give up some freedoms you would otherwise have living on your own island.
So we give up walking around nude, the ability to gamble, the right to swing a bat freely, the right to public drunkenness, and yes, we give up the right to smoke in places that kids might go.
If one does not want to give up those freedoms to be part of our society, it is a big world and there are other places that will accommodate you.
I just like what Steve Martin said long ago on the subject:
Smoker: “Mind if I smoke?”
Steve Martin: “No. Mind if I fart?”
The fact of the matter is…if people want to smoke and kill themselves quicker, let them! It’s their right and nobody elses! We’ve come a long way as a society in banning smoking from the workplace, restuarants etc. But that just isn’t enough for SOME people!! Now they want to stop people from smoking outside, ban it from parks, etc! Get over it already! You non-smokers have made it so smokers have to sit in their car with the windows rolled up to smoke! And even THAT is going to be against the law soon!
The problem is we have a generation of whiners! You’ve all won by banning smoking most everywhere, so what if you have to smell it for 2 seconds when walking into WalMart or the Mall? Stop yer whinin’ already!
This entire story only amounts to one conclusion. You are all freely giving up your constitutional rights in order to force people to stop smoking in public. If you don’t like the smoke move somewhere else. Just like when choosing a hooker if you don’t want an asain,white,or black chic and want the spanish one go for it. You don’t have to choose any of the others. Same with anything else in life. I want the choice to chose. I dont want anyone telling me how to live my life or where i can smoke.
I hope everyone wakes up and smashes cop cars and burns the town to the ground before allowing total government control.
I know what side im on and thats the constitution of the United States of America.
Look around the world and here. You will see a large NAZI Org taking over earth and mankind.
You can give them the rest of the control or fight it. Go stand outside the courthouse with a sign and tell others how you feel.
You have to be active in polititcs. And vote. Riot against opression. Do not lay down and get bent over. really fight for freedom.
You make some valid points Guest!
Funny stuff!
I also LOL about the hooker comment.
I think I have a constitutional right to clean, smokeless air, thank you.
Guest was a bit dramatic, but sums up my point – we have a choice whether we want to allow personal freedom at our inconvenience (having to deal with smoking from time to time) or we can use force to control those around us at their inconvenience (not having to deal with smoking.) So, we have to ask a very basic question about our society – are we really willing to squash freedom in the name of convenience of the majority? Are we willing to trade the tyranny of the majority and get homogenized ways of life? Do we really want to remove all sense of inconvenience from our society?
“… are we really willing to squash freedom in the name of convenience of the majority?”
I don’t think restricting a couple of activities harmful to people (like smoking around children) can be equated to totally squashing our freedom.
Again, I think it is a small trade-off for the benefit of living in our society.
If you feel your freedoms are being ’squashed’, I say again that it is a big world. Love it or leave it.
Exactly what jimmyjam pointed out…there really IS a generation of “whiners’ here that have to complain about every little inconvienence. I say grown up and get over it already. Don’t sweat the small stuff….lifes too short to be so worried about lifes little inconvienences.
I believe its those same people that will drive around the mall or WalMart parking lot for 20 minutes trying to find a parking space right up front because they don’t want to walk 100 feet! This type of mentality has produced a society of lazy, sue-happy whiners like no other generation before us. It’s pretty sad actually.
btw…as an ex-smoker I DO agree with the smoking bans in the bowling alleys, and other places where children frequent. Our children shouldn’t be subjected to their parents or others cigerette smoke. Banning it in parks is another story. I know quite a few cities in FLorida that recently banned smoking in public parks and that upset ALOT of people down there. Although it is disgusting to have cigerette butts laying everywhere you kids are running around and playing in the grass, etc, but I don’t think it should be banned. I think providing those trash recepticles that have the ashtrays on top would help. I just think they’ve gone too far when they start banning smoking “outdoors”.
Personally I don’t think parents should smoke in front of their children anyways. Children are very intuitive and like to copy their parents actions and mannerisms, and I really think its giving your child the wrong impression. Their going to grow up thinking its ok to smoke since Mommy & Daddy do and thats just starting them off on the wrong foot in my opinion.
But Joe, didn’t you just kind of back me up? It’s a big world, love it or leave it – if you don’t like a place where people are smoking, leave. Don’t try and toss my view off just because you don’t like smoking – really think about what you’re saying. You’re essentially telling me “Well, this is the way it is, and if you don’t like it, move to France.” I expected more from you, Joe.
Jeremy, I see your point, and it would seem to go both ways.
However our perspectives diverge in that I believe to accept the benefits of living in a society, a person has to give up some freedoms. One does not have to accept all freedoms being squashed, but a person does have to give up some freedoms.
So if any person does not like what our society has deemed an acceptably small freedom forfeiture for the benefit of everyone living in the society, then they should exercise their freedom to go elsewhere in search of a more suitable environment.
I do not think it is logical to say people who do not want to give up a few small freedoms should stay in the society and force others elsewhere.
*** I rewrote this comment to include more “I” statements and less “you”; what a difference it made in tone! ***
To all smokers. The world is not your ashtray. Stop throwing your butts out the window of your car and stop throwing them on the ground outside the door of where you work.
Guest: actually the world IS a big ashtray! YOU are going to complain about some cig butts on the ground, when we’ve got raw sewage being pumped into our rivers, lakes and oceans by the tons each minute of the day? like some ohter poster above stated….stop yer whinin! If you really want something done about it, write to your congressman and find out what YOU can do about stopping all the pollution that big business is spewing into our air and ground water each day. Your whinning on a website about some cig butts certainly isn’t going to do anything fix the problem.
But hey, we all like to complain dont we
Joe Vandal wrote -
If ya’ll support businesses doing what they want and people can choose if they go there or not, why can I not open a stripper lounge? Why can I not host live sex acts on stage? Those market forces will drive me out of business because nobody wants to see that, right?
Why can I not open a casino in IF?
I write -
You can’t do any of that in Idaho Falls because (I assume – I don’t actually live in Idaho Falls) there are “community standard laws” that dictate you can’t.
Go to Vegas maybe? Lots of areas in Vegas will allow you those businesses.
A bowling alley that’s been around since 1942 or so – that HAS permitted smoking – that’s the guy who should get to choose whether he or she wants to continue to permit smoking in his / her long established business. That’s what I think.
The new bowling alley guy, the one who wants to open up next month, perhaps the codes have changed – now HE or SHE gets to decide “Do I want to open a new bowling alley that’s smoke free?”
It’s really simple. Let the established business decide, let the new business live (or not) by the current standards. It’s JUST like building codes – older homes have fewer safety codes than newer homes.
As for nakedness – like I said before – if I were in charge of the world we never would have been compelled to don those silly fig leaves in the first place. Human nakedness is only such a hot seller NOW because it’s been so forbidden for so many generations. I promise you if sexy adults walked through your local supermarket naked, there’d be fewer adult video sales. Why buy the eye candy when you can gawk for free? Less sexy people could be gawked @ too – if one is so inclined. Sexiness is in the eye of the beholder after all.
After a while – it would start to all be a lot less shocking and we’d all just get on with our lives. Those who want to be naked could be naked, those who want to be un-naked would be un-naked.
We Westerners are stupid about the nude human form. That’s what I think.
Yeah, I have to admit my philosophy was too harsh.
So if any person does not like what our society has deemed an acceptably small freedom forfeiture for the benefit of everyone living in the society, then they should exercise their freedom to go elsewhere in search of a more suitable environment.
I write -
I totally disagree with this. It’s the “America – love it or leave it” mentality – and it is really very “anti-freedom to disagree”.
I think those who disagree with what our society has deemed acceptable should feel entirely free to speak up, voice their opinons, and see if they can get a different mind-set in their midst.
To me – THAT seems more like the “American” way.
I thought about it overnight, and realize I went off that tangent too far saying ‘love it or leave it’. Sorry!
I really do feel that we all give up some freedoms by choosing to belong to a society.
The debate is necessary and great to have, but I hate to hear people exaggerate that ALL of their freedoms are being trampled when only a one or two are being restricted (not outlawed completely).
Smokers complain about their rights to smoke wherever they want to, but what about our rights to not have to be around the smoke in a family environment?
I am not saying it should be banned in all places. But I do believe it should be banned in any indoor place that children may be.
I know a few people that have kids with asthma and they all have said that the smoke aggravates the asthma, besides the known facts that second hand smoke can cause cancer.
I agree with Joe. It is not ALL of your rights being restricted. ONLY smoking, which can have harmful effects on those around you.
Yea I was a bit exagerated on my last comment. But I thought it might help some of the single minded peole out there understand where some of the other people are coming from.
I tell ya our world is changing real fast. People realy like to control each others choices. I Want to control my choices.
I actualy stopped smoking. That is because I started having some health concerns related to the smoking.
Data will show and actual facts will show that cigarettes and tabbaco products have killed 7 times more people than Adolf Hitler. I am also sure in the future George Bush will beat that with his eyes closed.
I also believe (see I used the word I) it is fair to ban smoking at some places where people eat or let the owner decide. I also believe you start using forced banning of tabbaco use there will be more unwanted bans in the future. What is next no smoking in bars? Because non smoker drinkers don’t like the smoke?
I say let the owner of the establishment decide. Its his or hers house. Let them decide.
What would you think about paying a breathing tax or purchasing a license to breath oxygen>? Or a license to drink water? I am sure you would not like that. You give uncle sam an inch he will take a foot.
We the people need to stop crying about stuff and start taking responsibility for our own community. Why do we need people from Boise to tell us how Idaho falls should be governed?
I think this entire debate is silly and if you don’t like the music turn it down or off. If you dislike the speed slow it down. You do not like the smoke move somewhere else. These are choices you can make your self. Why take away choices? It only makes it so there isnt any choices and that makes your life and my life really suck.
I also think that smoking should be allowed in some public places and businesses. It’s getting to the point where it’s practically not allowed anywhere. There should be more freedom for the business owner to decide what’s appropriate for their own business. And then their customers will either patronize them or not.
There is probably enough demand for a business that is either exclusively smoking or non-smoking that a place that is advertised as such could succeed either way. And I think that it should be legal for restaurants to have smoking and non-smoking sections as long as they have somewhat separate ventilation.
Just my two cents. I think that if there were at least just a few places you could smoke in public, non-smokers would avoid those places anyway. So why are people depriving others of their right to smoke?
You know what I like to do? I like to carry around a bullhorn wherever I go. Public parks, street corners, wherever…I turn up the volume (to 11) and just say whatever is on my mind.
Sure, my ideas, colorful language and the amplification may bother some people, and if I get close enough to someone, it may do some hearing damage. But if they don’t like that, they should just leave.
Because isn’t it within my rights as an American citizen to do what I please without considering how it affects other American citizens?
Why should my rights be amended to suit others?
***Sarcasm intended***
Furthermore, dividing a restaurant or public area into smoking and non-smoking sections is (and always has been) completely absurd. It’s like having a non-peeing section in a swimming pool.
Whatever happened to the old American belief that “Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins”?
Someone please explain how smoking in public does not apply, if we believe that statement to be true.
Amen.
I agree with jimmyjam on post 62, this country has turned into a bunch of whiners. Although I don’t smoke anymore, I don’t have a problem with people that do. We’ve had smoking banned everywhere, but that still isn’t good enough for some people.
Guest mentioned above “whats next, no smoking in bars”? Well it’s already happened in some states! You can’t smoke in the bars anymore in Florida or even a number of city parks. OUTSIDE for cryin out loud!
What people dont realize is we’re slowly being stripped of all our freedoms in this country, but that doesn’t seem to matter to most people. As long as they don’t have to smell somebodys cigarette smoke. C’mon people!
Has anyone here read all the laws enacted by the Patriot Act after 9/11? Why aren’t you complaining about those things that REALLY matter?
What about auntrose’s comments regarding all the millions of tons of sewage being pumped into our rivers, lakes & oceans? That doesn’t seem to bother anybody because it’s not affecting them directly. But let somebody stand outside of WalMart having a smoke, and a dozen people are going to complain because they got a whiff of their smoke walking in the door!
Just doesn’t make sense to me! Too many people are complaining about all the wrong things. We’ve got more important things that need to be addressed like the war in iraq, the healthcare problem, the drug problem. We spend millions of dollars each day housing non-violent drug offenders in our prison system, when they need to be treated and rehabilitated, not thrown in a jail cell. But nobody raises as much stink about these things then they do about cigarette smoke. (pun intended!)
Just makes no sense I tell ya!
People smoking outside doesn’t bother me because it is OUTSIDE and not confined inside like it is in buildings.
The only places I think it should be banned are indoor places that children may be. Obviosly children aren’t in bars, so smoke in a bar all you want.
A family shouldn’t have to be subjected to second hand smoke while trying to enjoy a family activity such as bowling.
Just by restricting a few places that you can smoke, that is not stripping away all of your rights.
All I hear in this argument is the same sound I hear when my baby is hungry or tired.
I’d keep smoking after you’re told otherwise, dangitt. Free will! You’ve had a good run for 6 decades, let’s not stop now.
“We’ve got more important things that need to be addressed like the war in iraq, the healthcare problem, the drug problem.”
Tobacco is a HUGE part of the healthcare problem.
I’ve been reading ‘The Tipping Point’ a great book by Malcolm Gladwell about why trends or epidemics go big.
He pointed out research suggesting most smokers actually use the nicotine doses to treat depression. Some smokers treated for depression found they didn’t need to smoke anymore.
Some anti-depressant medications also mimic the way nicotine affects your brain. They said Zyban was good for helping depression and smoking cessation, but others like zooloft treated a different way and so are not as good at stopping smoking.
Just wondering if some of the smokers out there had considered this before. Also wondering if anyone has quit smoking since this conversation roared several months ago?
Wellbutrin, which is a generic for Zyban, helped me kick the habit. It works by altering the dopamine levels in the brain and after taking the medication for usually 2-3 weeks, that craving just isnt there anymore.
There’s nothing worse than wanting to quit but not being able to. Wellbutrin gave me that extra little edge to make it happen. After taking Wellbutrin for three months I was able to get off that medication and I still don’t have any desire to go back to that nasty habit anymore. Sometimes I’ll have a really stressful day and I think to myself, man I need a smoke. But after I close my eyes for a few minutes, take a couple deep breaths and remember how crappy cigerettes made me feel, the craving quickly passes.
Good luck to all those trying to quit. Stick it out and keep yourself busy. Get on a work out routine, start walking or riding your bike and begin building that energy back up. Before long you won’t be a slave to cigerettes anymore. Not to mention all the money you’ll save. We’re actually going on vacation with all the money we’ve saved. My better half and I both put the money we would normally spend on cigerettes each week into a jar. After 6 months we had enough saved for plane tickets for three and our hotel for a week. We’re taking a vacation to Southern California the beginning of next month.
So between the Wellbutrin, keeping busy, and using the extra money as an incentive we were able to kick the habit for good.
I’d be interested in hearing others success stories on breaking this habit.
Best of luck to those trying!
Do You Smoke? U Got To Watch This… – Awesome video clips here
I’m trying to quit smoking and I took Chantix to do so. I seem to be having some kind of reaction to it, though so my doctor said to stop taking it. When it was working, it was amazing. I didn’t want one at all. Now I need to come up with a new plan. I’ve got the Wellburtrin idea, any others?
I tried the Wellbutrin, but guess I didn’t stay on it long enough. It didn’t work for me. As long as I was on Wellbutrin, I was able to cut down, but I was only prescribed for 3 weeks. I’m going to talk to my doctor about Chantix, but the side effects don’t sound too good, but all side effects on meds sound bad. Keep your ideas coming, because it is not easy to quit especially when you have smoked for a long time.
There were a few people in my environmental law class last year who smoked. I thought that was — well — sort of funny. They would get upset about laws not being strict enough on air quality and then would walk outside, smoke a cigarette, and then throw the butt on the GROUND! Ha! Democrats addicted to cigarettes — you know the Republicans in the big tobacco corporate board rooms laugh about that.
I agree with the first person who posted that we all have things we do that are very stupid.
Do you know what that is? It’s because we are all stupid. We can’t even fathom how much we don’t know about our world, let alone someone else’s perception of it.
Therefore, since we’re all stupid to varying degrees, smoking is one way some people express their weaknesses. It’s also a way that is really obvious and proclaims to the world “I’m stupid, duh!”. So wheras some people have not noticed how stupid they are personally, you’ve erased all doubt about your stupidity when they see you smoking.
If more people felt much more stupid for smoking than they already do, it wouldn’t cure every body but it would cure most. This is the same reason why most people don’t pick their nose during a job interview (and the few that do are obviously clueless). If it didn’t have social consequences, I’d pick my nose whenever I felt like it.
So the moral is, associate cigarettes to picking your nose or worse and you’ve got your own cure. Many people already view it much worse than picking your nose and they won’t tell you. Simply realizing the powerful truth more often than you already do helps a lot. It sure has helped me be less stupid than I already am several times.
We can’t always know what’s true and what’s not true before we can notice what works.
So I guess all people that drink alcohol are stupid too huh? And all of us that drink our coffee or soda for the caffeine are stupid too? Don’t presume to think you know everything and you yourself don’t have any vices. Nobody is perfect and for you to come on here and tell people to think about picking your nose and you’ll stop smoking, well obviously you don’t know the addictive qualities of nicotine. I see people driving down the highway picking their noses all the time. But I don’t honk at them and call them stupid. Maybe you don’t, I don’t know. Regardless, I suggest you take your chinese proverbs like in post 96, over to the overeaters anonymous website and have a chat with them. I’m sure they’d enjoy being called stupid as well. While you’re at it, drop by the compulsive gambling website too and let them know their stupid ways! When you’re done with those, come back, I’ve got a few more for ya!
Actually, smokers keep smoking. The Google ads in the article help Joe keep this good site alive.
Time for me to register with Google and write a controversial article about smoking too (in a way that offends people). So light ‘em if you got em!
I guess AuntRose didn’t pick up on the satire.
VickiM –
Let me know if you want more ideas of how to deal with kicking the habit. It is unfortunate you had the reaction that you did to Wellbutrin.
I admire all who have even tried to kick the habit. One thing I think is important to remember is not to be too punishing of yourself, if you lapse. A lapse is just that. Tomorrow is another day.
One thing I do know about stopping smoking is it is far easier to stop if you have support. Stopping with a friend, or having friends to call through a tough time etc. all are really important.
Good luck everyone in the process of trying to quit. It’s a big step.
I’ve always found conversations about smoking to be rather humorous. Yes, there is no question or doubt that it’s bad for you. I’ve also seen so many condemn smoking like it was criminal and then drink themselves into divorce, family crisis, DUI’s, etc. Or they weigh in at 400 lbs. Or an even better addiction, sex, oooh la la, internet porn! Cheat on your girlfriend, wife, husband, whoever, cuz ya just can’t get enough. I honestly don’t know of anyone without some addiction of some kind. I’ve worked with medical staff for years, some were closet smokers, others verbally beat on smokers but went home to the bottle. Personally, I’ll allow a smoker in my home much faster than a drinker. Addiction is addiction is addiction. None are good for you or those around you. So instead of beating up others with name calling, sometimes it’s best just to look at yourself, try your best to get rid of addictions without trading them in on new ones, pray to God that your addiction doesn’t hurt those you love and care about, and leave others alone.
I recently watched “Supersize Me” at freedocumentaries.org (yes you can see the whole thing for free there legally).
One interesting part was a described dinner party where a smoker was identified, and other guests berated the smoker to no end. Seated at the same table was an obese person, and nobody berated that person, though it was described that all the things they said about the smoker could have also been said about the obese person. However it is not socially acceptable in our country to openly mock obese people to their faces, but it has become socially acceptable to berate smokers this way.
I just hope the smokers think about how much it sucks to go through quitting and starting up again. How many times do you want to quit and start again in your life? Eventually you will have to quit, so decide if you want to quit once, or ten times.
Joe, quitting is a whole lot easier said than done. I am starting on Chantix as soon as it gets here. My doctor told me cigs are more addictive than Heroin and Meth and they are even more addictive now than they were 20 years ago. (Incidentally, he also told me that I am pretty darn healthy.) In my entire working career, I have only met my medical deductible a hand full of times. I have smoked for more years than most of you have probably been alive. When I first started, it was considered “cool” and all the “in crowd” did it. It was very acceptable where I grew up.
I am convinced that most of the “smoke bashers” have never smoked or if they have, they didn’t smoke for very long. I appreciate the folks that admit that there are worse things than being a smoker. Some of us are pretty nice people if you get to know us and don’t spend our time bashing other folks and their over-eating and drinking habits. Note that I didn’t say drugs — but I do emphasize with the addicts because they have a tough row.
Excellent post Idaho Native.
Thanks!
I goofed in my last post (Post #103). The last sentence should read that I have empathy for drug users not emphasize. My fingers go faster than my brain.
Another excuse/defense for those overweight souls out there. I am in the process of quitting smoking after 50+ years. Let me tell you, it is not easy. One of the worst things is that I am hungry all the time. I am taking Chantix — it really helps with the physical cravings, but the psychological cravings are pure hell. Food or cigarettes? I have started an exercise regime, but the weight is still packing on. Hopefully this is temporary until I get over the hump — but who knows when that hump is.
Unless I really missed it when I read through the postings, I don’t recall anyone addressing the issue that there is a crucial difference between an alcohol/food addiction and the addiction to cigarettes:
For the most part, when you are addicted to eating and/or drinking yourself insane, the main individual you are affecting is YOURSELF. Other than the sad emotional and economic devastation the addict causes to his/her own immediate family, they are mostly hurting their own bodies. That’s their CHOICE. Call it free-will or whatever you want to call, no one can really stop it.
Cigarette addiction, however, leaves all the rest of us who made the CHOICE of maintaining the cleanliness of our houses, cars, clothes, hair and ultimately of our lungs, completely choiceless. Smokers hate to have labels placed on them, but I must say the majority of them earn the label of disrespecful and rude by being so blatantly invasive of other people’s clean air.
If there were no laws enforcing that smoking be banned from restaurants, I doubt the average smoker would even think twice by seeing a child seated at the table next to him/her. What else do you label that behavior but selfish?
Idaho Native, if you haven’t tried Wellbutrin yet(the generic for Zyban) give it a try. It really worked for me when I was trying to quit. And you don’t gain as much weight the way you do with those other smoking cessation products. Granted I did put on 7-10 pounds in the beginning, but I believe that was because I enjoy having my chocolate fix late at night. I cut out the chocolate (late at night that is) and now I’m back to the same weight I was in high school.
I still eat my daily chocolate fix, but now it’s after lunch instead of after dinner. So I have the whole afternoon to burn it off. Another key is not eating anything after 7pm. We usually eat dinner between 5:30-6:30 depending on whats cooking that night. I’m sure its not the same for everybody, but I really think those two things helped me loose those pesky 10 pounds I gained after I quit smoking, and helped me to keep it off.
Best of luck to you. It was definately one of the hardest things I had to break. (habit wise) Another thing is finding something to replace that pyschological craving of having something in your hands. What I do now is chew a lot of gum and I keep a jar of cinnamon sticks in my desk at work. Cinnamon sticks are about the same size at cigarettes. Keep one next to you throughout the day and hold it the way you would a cig. when that need arises. Plus you can suck on them or just put the end of it in your mouth every so often. It really works believe it or not and they taste good. It may look strange and people may look at you funny at first. But who cares? You’re working towards making yourself healthy not them, right?
I liked your comments four posts up. It REALLY IS easier said than done. I can’t even tell you how many times I tried quitting over the years, before it finally took. (thanks to Wellbutrin) And every smoker I know has had the same problem. People that don’t smoke really don’t realize how addictive smoking is and that their far more addictive than they were 20 years ago.
Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!
jacksparrow: thanks to all the ridiculous laws we now have, there is no smoking in restaraunts or even bars these days. The problem is these days people complain about EVERYTHING. When I was growing up people didn’t complain so much. Sure my grandparents smoked around me when I was younger, but guess what, I didn’t complain about it and I don’t have lung cancer. People smoked in office buildings and in airports. And guess what…people were even allowed to smoke in the back of the airplane and nobody complained about that! I’m sure you read the whole post where many people discussed how our society has become one of a bunch of whiny cry-babies?
An addiction is an addiction is an addiction. They each trigger the same pleasure receptors in the brain. Whether it’s food, drugs or cigarettes. And ALL addictions effect the people around them one way or another.
I notice that someone noted that they took Wellbutrin but only had 3 weeks worth. I quit on Wellbutrin and you need to take it for at least 3-4 months. It takes 2-3 weeks before it even starts to work. The Dr told me to continue smoking as I normally would when I first started on Wellbutrin, but to cut back a little bit each week. By the third week I had cut back from 1 pack a day to only 4-5 a day. By the end of that third week I had run out of smokes and I just didnt buy anymore, plus I didn’t have the cravings. I stayed on Wellbutrin for almost 6 months. By the middle of the 4th month I started weening myself off the Wellbutrin. You’re not supposed to quit taking Wellbutrin cold turkey. By that 6th month I was off Wellbutrin and off cigarettes.
Give it a try and stick with it. Most insurance companies now pay for both Wellbutrin AND Chantix.
Good luck to all
If you STILL smoke, then I do not think you are real smart or just don’t care about yourself.
It is a disgusting habit. No it is not COOL. Your breath stinks!! You must want cancer and other health related problems. And women, you can take the prettiest woman in the world and all you have to do to make her ugly is to stuff a cigarette in her mouth.
John, obviously you haven’t been reading the whole post. AND you’ve never smoked before. Because if you had, you would know that smoking is the hardest habit to break. Harder than meth and heroin. People are on this post talking about HOW to quit. They don’t need you calling them names or telling them they don’t care about themselves.
Grow up and learn to discuss a topic with a little more dignity, compassion and tact.
Thanks everyone for your positive comments and remarks. They do help. Comments like those from john49, don’t do anybody any good. He doesn’t have a clue as to what he is talking about. Day 10 and counting. It’s not a whole lot, but 10 is better than 9.
Vickim: How are you doing?
CR67: I went right out and bought some cinnamon sticks after reading your post. Giving them a try now. Thanks for the suggestion.
AUNT ROSE
Yes, I smoked before!
John: I highly doubt that you were a smoker after reading the comments you left. You may have “smoked before” just to see what it was like, but if you truley a smoker, you would have never said the things you did. Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions there is to quit. Its not about being “smart” or “not caring about yourself”. Smoking is an addiction, and if it were that easy to quit, there wouldn’t be a multi-million dollar market right now for smoking cessation products. Everthing from gum to patches to pills. It’s a hard habit to break and those that ARE trying to quit need encouragement, not put downs.
Good luck IdahoNative….one day at a time!
Maybe you should start smoking again john49 because it sounds like you have a lot of unrelieved stress.
IdahoNative – not so great. Maybe I need to join a quit smoking group. I didn’t have such a great reaction to the Chantix and I gave up. I don’t know what to do at this point. I’m so frusterated.
I think a quit smoking group would be great. If you find a good one, let me know. I’ll be kind of looking around also. The Chantix seems to be working real well for me — so far. I know that you can’t really say you have quit smoking until it has been a year, and I have to admit that seems a long way off.
Are there any quit-smoking groups in Idaho Falls? If we have a newcomer’s club I think a quit-smoking club could thrive here.
Wow all of this talk about smoking makes me want to go out and smoke a whole pack of cigarettes. I am going to smoke right now. Everyone should smoke this world is a stressfull place to live. How about we get rid of the stress in the world first then everyone can work on quiting later.
“get rid of all the stress in the world”.??
Confuscious say:
Your world is only stressful if you make it that way. If you’re living a stressful life, thats because you chose to live your life that way, and only YOU can change that. The world itself is not stressful.
OK-so today is my official quit date. I m using the commit lozenges and Idaho Quitnet. Here’s their web address: http://idaho.quitnet.com/qn_main.jtml. I only had one cigarette yesterday and none today. The thing that sent me over the edge was the third diagnosis of walking pneumonia. There don’t appear to be many people in this area who are on quitnet, though. I’d like to get together and go for walks or something. Sorry this comment is a bit of a ramble!
Good Luck Vickim. I haven’t had a cig since Jan 8. Some days it is really hard, some days it is just hard and a few days are okay. But, I couldn’t have done it without the pills I’m taking which are Chantix. But, I’m just taking it one day at a time. The Insurance Companies say you haven’t really quit until you have been off the cigs for a year. I’ve got to get into a exercise regime myself. I’ve gained about 10 pounds. Keep us informed of your progress — and don’t beat yourself up if you slip every so often. Only a smoker knows what you are facing. I was on the Chantix for over a month before I finally decided to try it for good. My original goal was January 1, but as you can see, that slipped by over a week. I’m going to go into Idaho QuitNet and see what they have to say.
i actually had joined Apple Athletic Club back in December and was going for a while, but then injured myself, then got sick, then injured myself again! Yeesh, it will get better, I tell you, it will!
I just can’t wait for spring. There’s a place over by Snake River Landing that I can take my dog for a walk off leash. It’s a little hilly so it gives a pretty good work out to me as well as giving my dog some freedom.
Awesome! It’ll be a decision you never regret, and it will get a little easier the more days pass.