Yes, I do smoke.

And wish I didn't but It has become obvious that I don't have the mettle to quit. I am also what I believe to be a good Democrat. I am also a person who gives to others and am a pretty good steward of the land.

It's not easy being a social pariah but someone's got to do it.

If you don't smoke, good for you. If you have quit smoking, good for you as well. I haven't quit. Wish I could. Please don't portray me as some sort of antichrist because I do smoke. I'm just like you except I chose to smoke.

sounds like you have an addiction you can't quit.

Have you tried any of the new patches, etc. lately? (and not to start a whole "thing" - but SOME people have related that they found success thru acupuncture. . . )

Chantrix, E-cigs, gum, lozenges. None of them worked for me. It is an addiction and one I either can't or don't want to beat. I'm not alone here and am sorry for the concerns that the anti-smoking contingent's overconcern on my "malady."

I bet you never smoke another one!

smoking again which was totally psychological. Even though I LOVED the freedom of not smoking (much to my shock) and I realized the "enjoyment" I got was actually just giving my addiction an "ahhhh" when I started jonesing, somewhere in my mind I still equated smoking with pleasure. Crazy.

The first time was surprisingly easy and I assumed I could easily quit again, but I haven't been able to yet. I keep trying, though. It's so wonderful not to be chained to ANYTHING.

They do (sometimes) help curb the desire to smoke.

I did and it worked. No withdrawal - very easy. Ask your doctor.

My son who smoked like a chimney quit but, due to $ stress and various other nuttiness going on he used that as an excuse to start again.

on edit: sorry I didn't read the line you wrote that you 'choose' to smoke. Ok, in that case, carry on. :hug: I quit for my health and I really was tired of the smell and the cost.

:yourock:

But I appreciate the sentiment.

Particularly as you crowd around the ingress/egress?

I feel as you do.

Don't overdramatize. It doesn't help your cause.

I'm a smoker too. I have tried and failed to quit over the years as well.

However I don't litter my butts. I don't smoke in crowded places where it is inappropriate, especially around children. I also only smoke outdoors well away from the entry, even where indoor smoking is permitted.

It's clear you can make assumptions that the OP, or no other smokers for that matter, don't think about your needs while feeding their addiction or choice to smoke.

blows!

I'm an extremely considerate smoker. I have never refused to give space and clean air to anyone I was not aware I was offending and pointed it out to me. In fact I go out of my way not to offend with my habit.

Your stereotype is no more acceptable than racism as far as I'm concerned.

Your words are quite clear.

edit to add:

Quite insulting as well.

Such is life.

Quite classy of you.

I also quit cold turkey the day I found out I was pregnant. I stayed that way until my daughter was almost two. I started up again, don't know why. Wish I hadn't.

HOWEVER....

I don't smoke around my kid, and I would never get angry if someone asked me to smoke somewhere else if I was outside. In fact, I'd probably put it out. I hate it when people smoke in entry ways. I hate having to walk my daughter past someone who is smoking.

I wish people here would stop ASSuming that ALL smokers are dickheads.

i smoked a bit when i went back to work on breaks. i would bum a cigarette. i figured if i didn't buy them then i wasn't a smoker. but eventually i figured i would have to either stop it or start buying cigarettes. i quit going outside during breaks and just stopped before i got too attached again. part of it was that i was afraid we'd end up smoking in the middle of the room with the kid right there. so i could be the stop for that. i have known disrespectful smokers in my life, but i'd say that more of them would be like us than the disrespectful ones.

oh, and i remember when i used to go to friendly's at the mall for lunch. we'd have to go through the smoking section to get to the bathrooms. that was hilarious.... a divider would be enough to separate the smoking from non smoking. i never could understand how folks could smoke while they were eating. but i look back on that memory of walking through the cloud of smoke to the bathrooms... now this was before i smoked when i was about 19.

Just because you don't smoke around your daughter doesn't mean she isn't exposed to carcinogens from your habit.

really felt stupid for still smoking. It's changed these days so we smokers are hardly ever near non-smokers, so it happens far less frequently.

Please remember to confront the drivers of idling cars and trucks.
If they refuse to turn the engine off, report them to the police for their $500 fine.

"Idling buses, cars and trucks in New York City spew out as much pollution as nine million diesel trucks driving from the Bronx to Staten Island, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. That’s roughly 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 940 tons of nitrogen oxide, 24 tons of soot particles, and 6,400 tons of carbon monoxide each year."

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=idle-moments-turn-into-to

(No pun intended).

Most people are enraged at smokers while ignoring the millions of tons of PM pumped out by vehicles.

It's always puzzled me (living in NYC) that people willingly inhale the worst air in the United States
on a daily, lifelong basis, but go berserk if they smell a cigarette.

I think I remember reading that CA has more cars than anywhere else. If it does, it stands to reason that we also have more drive-thrus. That's a lot of idling cars at lunchtime on a weekday...

better to remove yourself from any perceived threat you are facing? In other words ... If you don't like the fact that someone is smoking next to you, move.

Or, are your "rights" more important than the smoker's "rights?"

It seems that we have devolved to a point where everyone wants the freedom to do what they want to do; but reserve the right to tell others what they want them to do ... any get offended when others don't comply.

California has pollution you can cut chunks out of. Yet you choose to live in it, and rail against a smoker. :eyes:

...you are in California and he is in Kentucky. The prevailing winds are west to east, so any air pollution you cause is more of a threat to him than his smoke is to you. Shame on you!

Two years ago my heart function and congestive heart failure were so bad, I figured I may as well go ahead and smoke anyway. Last week my cardiologist's exact words were "You are a miracle" (because of the improvement in my ejection fraction, congestive heart failure, and overall physical ability over the past two years). And yes, my cardiologist does know I smoke.

:eyes:

Have you considered joining your fellows in the republicon cabal?

You are a nicotine addict. No different from any other drug addict except your substance of choice just happens to be legal.

are nicotine addicts. Nicotine is a drug. Therefore, smokers are drug addicts. It may sound harsh to some, but it's the truth. That's all I'm saying..

..whicjh is killing us and the planet much more than smokers. Just sayin'. :)

you said, .... no you are not a person, you are an addict

to be clear.

you create all he is as a smoker. and that is dehumanizing. just as creating all a woman is a tit, or all a muslin is a terrorist. dehumanize a person so you can ridiculously and easily hate.

We probably live in different states, I am very considerate with my habit in that I don't smoke in areas that would subject another to my habit. I acknowledge that it is bad.

It's a weakness of mine. I'm sorry that it offends you so much.

That's all I'm saying. :eyes:

Yes, I am an addict. I have an unreasonable compulsion to ingest tobacco. Wish I didn't but it's a fact of life for me.

I wish you success in your efforts to quit. Recognizing you have a problem, instead of rationalizing it away, is a good first step.

:eyes:

and help me on due date. she had a breakdown and wasnt available, lol. was like, no fuckin way. anyway, i felt it. i think it could have worked

in my position would do is guide you, not "put you under". It would be optimal if you were to continue the visualization, etc. at home.

If you want to try it, get a self-hypnosis stop smoking tape. The key is to reinforce it with daily sessions (just 10 minutes or so) and FEEL the EMOTION of being a non-smoker.

ETA: If you feel it would "work" better visiting a hypnotherapist, then by all means go that route, but just wanted to let you know that you don't really need anybody else to help you achieve that state.

this when i do quit date, friday. i spent lots of time meditating and am good at going under, lol. but walked away a couple years ago. have been wanting to get back to it. monday seems like a good day to start.

appreciate

then it was a good thing, lol. thanks. sometimes.... sometimes not as much as i would like.

it brings. I didn't notice any great physical improvement, didn't start jogging or anything :eyes:, food ALWAYS tasted good, so it was the eye-opener of how much smoking controlled my life that was the shocker. None of the "I've got a 30 minute drive, that's two cigarettes" or "when is the intermission??" stuff like that.

And, despite my glee and giddiness at being a non-smoker, I'm back at it again. With gusto. It's a tough one. :pals:

and still pisses me off now that I have quit. Holier than thou bullshit.

in someone's smug, sanctimonious face.

They might even kill me with fists, if I have the gall to ask them to move.

:eyes:

And yes, before I quit I was a considerate smoker.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

:thumbsup:

Want to change your world as far as smoking is concerned? Wanna quit cigs without actually having to quit the habit? I can show you exactly what you need.

Thanks in advance. :hi:

You might enjoy the book (political satire) by the same name.

And enjoyed it very much.

I am going through watching my former boss kill himself with alcohol. Unfortunately, I watched my dad do the same thing. It's devastating. Meanwhile, alcohol continues to be the most socially accepted potential addiction.

My son is in the same boat you are with smoking. He'd like to quit, but recently went through a lot in his life. He doesn't quite feel the physical and mental stamina right now that's needed to quit.

When the Office of Drug Control Policy wanted to budget money to fight illegal, underage drinking,
the liquor industry unleashed 1,000 lobbyists on Washington.
Of course, the proposal died.

The liquor industry wants children to drink! To create the future alcoholics who will consume 60% of their products.

And it's getting worse. We now have hard liquor ads on TV with a tiny, two second scrawl which says "enjoy responsibly".
It's a farce.

Something similar got me to stop thinking fur was beautiful. A PETA TV commercial of a high end fashion show, hawt models strutting down the catwalk in beautiful coats, the audience politely clapping. The models get to the end of the runway and turn with a swirl of their coats, and blood sprays onto the audience. Sobering, but a dose of reality. I think "your" labels would make people think, too.

Alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the UK by a considerable margin, beating heroin and crack cocaine into second and third place, according to an authoritative study published today which will reopen calls for the drugs classification system to be scrapped and a concerted campaign launched against drink.

Led by the sacked government drugs adviser David Nutt with colleagues from the breakaway Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, the study says that if drugs were classified on the basis of the harm they do, alcohol would be class A, alongside heroin and crack cocaine.

Today's paper, published by the respected Lancet medical journal, will be seen as a challenge to the government to take on the fraught issue of the relative harms of legal and illegal drugs, which proved politically damaging to Labour.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/01/alcohol-more-harmful-than-heroin-crack

I quit several times before it took. It's sad to see people helpless and controlled by an addiction. I don't think you're a villain but your post made me sad. Quitting is hard but also one of the most satisfying experiences I had. There's a lot in this life we don't have control over but being a smoker or non-smoker IS in your hands.

I like that you stated it in that way..."Quitting is hard but also one of the most satisfying experiences I had."

That phrase could apply to any major change you're trying to make in your life. For instance, I need to lose 20 pounds and have shed 5--that 5 pound loss has been really tough. When the full 20 pounds is gone, I'm going to feel enormous satisfaction!

:thumbsup:

It can really hard for people to understand how difficult nicotine withdrawal is on the body. Add that to the everyday little habits that must be changed, and it's quite a daunting task. If you're used to a cigarette with your cup of coffee, it becomes part of your daily routine and can be very hard to change.

Congratulations on your success. :)

For awhile I was having Irish Breakfast Tea in the morning instead of coffee -- because coffee I associated with a cigarette. Then I joined the &Y and started lap swimming compulsively. You can't smoke when you're wet! I went to the Y after work and spent the weekends in the ocean. Water cure! But WHATEVER IT TAKES...!!! Also became an aroma nut -- candles, perfume, lotion whatever smelled delicious, nothing like a cigarette to mess that up!

I smoke too, but I cannot in good conscious defend the act or justify my addiction by stating it's because "I choose to."

And I'm a smoker too.

Weird, huh?

Don

some have towards smokers. i quit several years ago when i found out i was pregnant with my oldest who is now 11. it helped that even trying to smoke a cigarette made me physically ill. then when i found out i was pregant i stopped because i didn't think it was fair to a baby. i was lucky. my husband tried to quit for years! he just stopped one day while taking welbutrin for depression. quit for a year. i wanted to kill him when he started again. but a couple of years ago he tried chantix and just kept smoking until he was smoking less and less and then stopped. has been smoke free since. but he had a hard time quitting.

we do not all see smokers as pariahs. and i don't think it ends up being as much of a choice as we think it is. you start out no big deal and end up feeling like you'll die if you don't have a cigarette.

Just don't do it around me.

My need to breathe is greater than your need for a fix.

Just set fire to that thing outdoors and we'll get along just fine.

your life.

If you are just like me then you are suffering from congestive heart failure, due to smoking, An Acute MI which should of killed me, COPD, oxygen 24/7, a left ventricular aneurysm. If I get another year, and mind you there are no guarantees. then I can look forward to another year of stints, I have 7 in my heart already. Been in the hospital 5 times this year alone. Can't even get a bi-pass because my arteries are too small.

You are not the Anti-Christ because you smoke, however you are sure to meet your maker faster than you think if continue to smoke.

I also suffer from CHF and luckily my arteries and circulation are good at the moment. I have quit other various addictions in my life and stopped other bad habits. This is one thing that I haven't been able to kick. Wish I could.

I wish he would quit, but I understand that isn't easy for him to do. :-(

until I quit. I thank them every day for it... :hi:

humongous amount of publicity regarding the dangers of smoking, and the horror tales from those who have tried (some with success) to quit - it is just mind boggling that anyone would start.

anyone know what happened to the excessive tax money collected from smokers for 'children's health care?'

Didn't think anyone knew.

you are not alone.

My dad is 86... he is NOW on Oxygen and no, he cannot beat it either.

In fact there are genetic factors at work here, some folks get the lottery and can quit easily, others cannot... yes there are now studies on this.

I hope that those studies lead to new meds that will help those who are that prone to not be able to quit, well to be able to quit.

And by the way I also blame the cig industry... they have made them THAT MUCH addictive. What you are smoking is not tobacco, but crack tobacco... think of coke leaves and cocaine, same idea. The leaves are pretty mild and non addictive. Cocaine on the other hand... and yes there are chemical changes on it.

I just hate the smoke since well, it really kicks my asthma into overdrive. It could be a life-death situation, which places me in a weird situation with dad. I cannot stay for more than a week... I know that.

that it was easier to kick the heroin than the cigarettes.

And I don't think that most smokers are. We don't enjoy supporting the tobacco industry. We don't enjoy the leers and comments from non-smokers, I don't enjoy having to walk a block to find a place to smoke.

I'm nothing more than a human being trying to do his best. I have failed in this area and I challenge you to claim there's not an area in which you have not failed if you are throwing stones here.

There are a lot of people in this forum. Most, I believe, are very good people. Some of them smoke, some of them drink, some of them do other things that you may or may not agree with. But we are all here for a reason.

Celebrate that reason and hold a harbor in your heart for those that aren't just like you. It might surprise you and make your own life better.

:hug:

I'm using one now and it's worked wonders.

It seems to be the best alternative I have found to date.

Best thing I have found so far.

four months ago. Love them! But I think a lot depends on finding the model that "fits" you. For DT and any who may be interested...

Lots of info on the choices here:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/

Or here, if that site is too "vanilla" for you:

http://www.vapersforum.com/


The model I found that I like a lot is a 2-piece model called the "G400" by Greenworld. Battery charges last @ half a day, and it can use the cheap KR808D-1 cartomizers ($1-2 each, refillable multiple times from e-liquid).

http://shop.nhaler.com/GreenWorld-G400-Single-Battery-Kit-g400.htm?productId=157


E-cig vapor smells like very mild air freshener, which is really cool. It's well worth the "learning curve" that it takes to figure out what works for you. There are so many choices - something could fit just about anybody. But often, it takes a little trial and error to find it. The information offered at the forums above sure helps though, to narrow down the choices without having to buy them all.


Anyway DT, I don't think you're a bad person for smoking. Smoke nazis annoy me, not smokers.

Highly recommended, BTW. I'm quickly transitioning to no "analog" cigarettes. :D

I have plenty of Johnson's smoke juice in my desk. Maybe it's time to give it another shot.

I personally choose not to smoke because it increases my chances of getting lung cancer, and I want to live a long life.

of smoking, most of that time 3 packs a day. It really wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I've also been very careful not to turn into a smoking Nazi...I just minimize contact with people smoking but if someone does happen to have one lit up it doesn't make me crazy :-)

and he can't.... yes that is recent research... some people have an easy as time quitting... others have a harder time but can... and there is a group that simply can't.

Research has found different genetic markers for this. Thank the gods for winning the genetic lottery.

I also did. I tried it as a teen... did not like it... that was it. I mean I got physically ill.

The smug types who say anyone can quit don't know what they're talking about.

... reading about a survey in which smokers were some of the most critical of tobacco companies--even more than non-smokers. Rather than being happy customers, they were angry that they couldn't quit and blamed the tobacco companies for their addictions. Most smokers know they shouldn't smoke--it's not news to them that it's bad for them. I mean, President Obama smokes. He certainly knows it's not good for him, and a negative influence on today's kids too.

I'm lucky to have grown up around almost all non-smoking adults, at a time when anti-smoking campaigns had already started. So I never started. Given the glamour surrounding smoking at one point--in the movies, on TV, and in advertising--I can't say for sure I would have resisted the temptation otherwise.

And I'm not ashamed.

Is it a bad habit? Yes. Is it dangerous to other people? Yes. But like others, I keep it to myself. Never around kids, never in public, never around people who don't like it.

But after three months of war-related PTSD and suicidal thoughts, I took up smoking as a way to cope with the stress.

If I'm smoking, I'm not getting short with my fiancee or my family.

If I'm smoking, I'm not on the internet looking up porn.

If I'm smoking, I'm not drinking and doing things I would regret.

If I'm smoking, I'm not out getting into fights.

And if I have a cigarette in one hand and a lighter in the other, I'm not using those hands to aim a double-barreled shotgun down my throat like I was three months ago.

So, yeah, I smoke. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed of it either. I'm an adult--I should be able to make decisions about my body and how I cope so long as I don't hurt anyone else. Which I'm not doing when I smoke.

Smoking is the least of many problems in the world today. It sounds as if you have a lot of shit to work through and I understand. If you want to talk about it feel free to PM me.

Been there, done that, have the tee-shirt.

Thank you. Peace to you too sir. :)

Are you okay?

But I'm not suicidal anymore at least. So no need to worry :)

But if you've been through the Iraq/Afghanistan grinder I feel for you. That's a row I wouldn't want to hoe myself. Those feelings suck bigtime and they aren't very easily released. The VA has help there as well as many other local organizations. Or hell, just dump it out here or to a drinking buddy.

You don't need to beat this thing by yourself. There really are folks out here who want to help. Please let them.

But smokers tend to foul large amounts of air in their general vicinity.

Running the smokers' gauntlet standing outside buildings is a modern hazard.

And I used to smoke, too. Don't anymore, but it's been purely my choice, although I still have weird dreams of having a cigarette in my hand and smoke in my lungs.

I believe that smokers today - at least the ones I know, and I know quite a few socially - are quite a bit more considerate than, say, I was when I smoked. I know NO smoker who will smoke indoors, in a hotel room or restaurant or around a non-smoker without permission. Not even if the prevailing wind blows smoke onto that non-smoker. I find that - refreshing. Perhaps it's the type of people who I associate with, but perhaps not - maybe it's just the way that people ARE. I certainly had no such compunctions when I smoked. I didn't give a damn.

Say what you will, social restraints and all. But smokers today have a lot more responsibility than they are given credit for, IMHO. They don't deserve the demonizing that they are given, and the generalizations. No one does, for that matter. Just sayin.

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That is a mean and rude thing to say.

That's the biggest load of nonsense I've ever heard.

Not to mention it's just insensitive jackassery. Classy.

there's one in every thread.

Still getting my nicotine fix, but 'smoking' at work, in theaters, in the house, etc and sleeping better to boot.

Visit my friends at puresmoker.com

It just may change your life without taking away your pleasure.

Lots of pot smokers would love to have your current social status.

The post boils down to this:
1) I smoke.
2) I choose not to quit.
3) But I'm a victim because I smoke.
4) So fuck everyone else.

Smoking is universally recognized as a serious health hazard. Anyone who still smokes is gonna get some blowback. It's unrealistic to believe otherwise. That's the reality.

It is about being considered a social pariah for a particular habit. It's about being a human being regardless of your personal feelings toward me and others like me.

The fact that you consider it to be a fact of nature that smokers should be getting "blowback" is interesting at least. It's as if you feel that you have a license to hate a particular segment of society. I guess some feel they need that.

That seems to be the main point.

I smoke in my own home, by myself. In hiding.

There are no excuses or inflammatory rhetoric here about how smokers are secretly trying to kill you. Your reaction is what I was talking about in the OP. Just because a person smokes does not make him a good or bad person and it certainly doesn't mean they have a vendetta against non-smokers.

Perfumes, Diesel, garlic...

The simple smell of smoke isn't detrimental to a person.

Probably the only reason I'm not a smoker is that I luckily never started. I'm sure I'd have a hard time stopping and make all kinds of excuses to justify it. So I'm definitely not going to judge. Just take it outside, and we're cool.