smoking

BOO_cuddles

Hello everyone, I have just quit smoking so proud of myself for moving forward and not going back to that addiction. As i have learnt through with all it does, which is it makes you sick, tired, no energy and it makes you hate yourself because later in life you get cancer and diseases that KILLS YOU! I have also dealt with suicide and depression which turned me to cigarettes hoping i'd die slowly with cancer because i hated myself and for what went through with the l've life experience which was like death to me.
So tell me do i have a good opinion on smoking and if you'd like to respnd plz do i love a good debate. ;D

BOO_cuddles

lol i meant love life sorry my bad

hogboblin

For five years I smoked and chewed tobacco. For those five years I also had very few financial obligations. Once that was no longer the case, I decided to stop.

“I could be spending my money on things I enjoy more”, is what I’d concluded.

I wouldn’t say that you have a good opinion of tobacco use. I also wouldn’t say that you have a poor opinion of it. I’d say the same about myself, really.

In short: it’s something people do. That’s all.

My opinion on tobacco:

Tobacco, like sugar, is ridiculously unhealthy.
Tobacco, unlike sugar, is addictive.

I've tried both.

Because I value my health, and don't like being dependent on things, I try to steer clear of both; but it's harder to avoid sugar. Honestly, sometimes I don't even try on the sugar thing. I have a weakness for Parma Violets. And dark chocolate. ...I'm not an old British lady, I swear.

BOO_cuddles

yes you have a point but it still kills you and in general brings down all your happieness. i wanted to know if people thought the same about what it does to you mentally
....

BOO_cuddles

also it can lead you to drugs which is another also very unhealthy habit wouldn't you agree ;D

I'm not really the type of person who says things like "X is the devil!" Sure, tobacco kills. It's a poison, what do you expect? So's alcohol. Humans just love ingesting poisons, apparently. [See: https://mckitterick.tumblr.com/post/172591416803]

There is not one type of poison that is the root of all human troubles. Ingest enough poison, in fact, and all your human troubles will be over.

Humans are the problem, is my point. They're the ones who decided to consume all this stuff that's so bad for them. And me... I'm inclined to pat them tolerantly on the head and tell them to run off and poison themselves, since they like it so much. I ingest things that are bad for me too, sometimes. Let each human decide how poisoned they want to be, I figure.

hogboblin

@BOO_cuddles

“...it still kills you and in general brings down all of your happiness”.

That’s a bold claim to make. Not the first bit about dying. That’s a very general claim that can apply to most things, from sticking a fork into a toaster, to simply breathing in a big city for an extended period of time.

People can be very happy while using nicotine. Over time it becomes yet another thing one does without much thought; other instances carry far more weight than something so banal.

When it comes to nicotine usage, I’d say that delight in smoking or chewing peaks relatively soon. Then it becomes normal, with negative aspects (price, smell, stained teeth and gums) being, more often than not, dismissible. Then one gets mouth or lung cancer, and things quickly go sour.

So, there’s usually a lengthy period of time where nicotine consumption carries very little weight. Joys and sorrows come and go. Like always.

“...it can also lead you to drugs, which is also another very unhealthy habit, wouldn’t you agree?”

Another bold claim. I don’t see the connection, personally. As for myself, I did hallucinogenic mushrooms prior to smoking or chewing tobacco. After picking up those habits, I never felt inclined to shoot up heroin behind a dumpster at McDonald’s, for instance.

One time, a kindly Canadian lady offered me cocaine at a bar because I’d played Skinny Puppy on the juke box, and we proceeded to get along spectacularly. At that time I was going through a tin of snus every two days, and a pack of cigarettes every four. Alas, I was not at all interested in gacking up a fat rail of coke.

While most drugs are certainly unhealthy, I’m of the opinion that a person’s meat is theirs to do with as they like.

BOO_cuddles

I like what you wrote there nothing more to say

BOO_cuddles

oh hang im not done yet ....

BOO_cuddles

while i was smoking i also got dragged down doing pot and other drugs and thats when smoking turned me into a drug attic and get this i did't have a choice in it because my mind was always high. I also nearly died 3 times because of being high and being around the people who were doing drugs and smoking.

BOO_cuddles

and im not saying i nearly died from an overdose no i nearly died because i ran myself into a moving a car, i nearly got bashed but an ice attic man and thirdly i had no control over my decisions becuase i was just brain dead i wasn't there all the time like a normal person.

hogboblin

You can get most drugs out of your system within several weeks. After that it’s purely psychological—and a choice.

I don’t mean to sound rude, but it sounds like you consistently made poor choices. Some people can do drugs without it ruining their lives. It seems like none of that stuff was for you.

And that’s cool! Whatever works for ya.

BOO_cuddles

ok clearly you have never done drugs before and the effects it has on your body. It doesn't matter whether it works for u or not. it still kicks you in the mind and has effects mentally on everyone psychological or not and yes at the start people do have choice but then they can't stop because the body craves more and more of that poison until they can't just nicotene and tobacco and alcohol.

hogboblin

None of what you said applies to me in any way whatsoever. So, here’s one instance of your claims being entirely wrong. And I’m not special in the slightest.

It sounds like you’re having difficulty accepting weakness of character as a source of one’s problems, and that you’re turning narcotics into a sort of boogie-man.

TouchIsTLC

@BOO_cuddles Sooooooo I'm not sure what your plan here on the forums is - you've brought up a few VERY polarizing topics (religion/god = Christianity is the answer, everyone else is wrong and now smoking = drug addiction and death) and yet, I don't see your positions and arguments going well for you. What's the game plan? Just to incite animosity toward yourself?

Based on your stories above about your own journey and experience with cigarettes and pot, you are missing a sense of personal accountability - who chose to start smoking in your scenario? YOU. Who chose which people to hang around people that chose to use drugs? YOU. Who chose to then start doing drugs (pot, which imho is not as bad as cigarettes)? YOU. Who chose to get behind the wheel of a car and endanger herself and others recklessly while under the influence of these drugs and then crashed her car? YOU. Addiction is a real thing, but so is CHOICE... unless there's more to your story about being forced at gun point or similar circumstances to chain smoke cigarettes and then pot and whatever else, there is no blame for your actions other than YOU.

I have smoked a cigarette, I have smoked pot, I have tried other drugs, I am not an addict, I have done less overall drugs in my entire life than some of the people I know do in a weekend, EVERY weekend. I understand the science behind chemical dependency, I also believe higher in the power of personal choice and personal accountability. People choose things they want and then look for who or what to blame. Just walk into your bathroom and look in the mirror. That is the root of all your evils, trials and tribulations. Life sucks, life is hard, bad things happen to people all the time. Please, don't blame the existence of drugs, or cigarettes or demons for your bad choices. Just own them and if you don't like the results or consequences, make different, better choices for yourself.

I believe in me - funny quote a friend and I created back in my college days - "Become an atheist and be your own god." Meaning, believe in YOU, own your actions and be the driving force in your life that earns you the things and life you want. That's just being a good human, not being a someone with superhuman powers. Free will is the best gift you have - that is indeed your superpower, don't squander it with poor choices and then blame someone/something else for your troubles.

MOD Edit: Swear word removed. Suggested edit is italicized. [SoulcuddlerZ]

EDIT: That's hilarious! I almost typed it with "***'s" but thought I'd seen a lot of other swear words on posts and thus left it. My apologies. And look I' learned something! _italics!_ Still need to read up on "Markdown." _Italics?_ Whatever...

TouchIsTLC

Also - I wanted to say I'm rather impressed - addicted to smoking, pot, being "always high and brain dead," survived a nearly fatal car crash, found God, Jesus, not religion and all of this by 18 years old! Truly impressive!!! Makes me feel like I haven't accomplished anything with all my years here.

UKGuy

@DarrenWalker - Sugar not addictive? I suggest you do some research! Regarding smoking, it's bad for you, that's proven but it's not as bad as alcohol. Alcohol kills far more people than smoking. Smoking is viewed as anti-social since it affects other people via second-hand smoke. Alcohol is seen as relatively harmless because it's often done among friends and does not adversely affect anyone else.

laylanie

Oh well, I am a smoker. Hi.. Lol

I'm well aware of the damage it causes and I'm 100% not out here trying to convert people into my choices. I genuinely like the taste and smell of smoke, as disgusting as it sounds, and I'm the last person to defend smoking as being a good decision.

I am always proud of those that do quit, however I personally do not think talking down to those who have not is going to help someone quit and because you've said the reason you smoke was because of a lack of self love applies to everyone is just another way of imposing what you think is right for another person.

One thing that I have noticed is that addiction is something that truly never breaks. People who have addictive traits may end one thing to pick up a new addiction. The addiction can be harmful (I.e. smoking, alcohol, etc) or it can be the socially acceptable (exercise, church, peanut butter). Even in AA meetings, sober people usually don't say "I use to be an alcoholic" they usually say "I am x sober" because addictive personality is a thing. It's a demon that they live with even after the chemicals have left their system because of a built dependency to usually feel complete, usually at whatever cost.

Tldr: drugs r bad, m'kay?

TouchIsTLC

@laylanie Kudos to you! From my end of this... I don't care what you do as long as it doesn't interfere with other peoples right to freedom, life, liberty and their pursuit of happiness. That being said, you take ownership of your choices and choose to smoke because you enjoy it! (addiction or not) and I actually applaud you for that - enjoy your life the way you want, especially if you are informed and aware of the action/consequence cycle associated with your choices.

I know addiction is a real thing, but if you know you are an addict, make choices to limit your risk factors if you don't want to slide down that slippery slope. (BTW, I soooooo have an addictive personality and I choose to have very non-traditional forms of expression of that addiction, I feed the beast in my own way in a controlled fashion - it's all about informed consent and awareness - CHOOSE your poison and accept that choice, don't blame the effects of that choice on the instrument you chose or some mythical creatures for your situation) (not that you were @laylanie that was more for the OP).

@UKGuy: "Sugar isn't addictive" could be an inaccurate premise. I've just never experienced withdrawal when going cold turkey with it, the way I have with cigarettes, coffee, etc., so I assumed.

Babichev

Congratulations on quitting smoking!

If you'd like one more incentive, here's one: smoking makes you less prone to chronic pain and if you develop chronic pain, it will tend to make you have more pain. Some pain management doctors won't treat smokers because the chances of failing are that high.

It will also make your skin wrinkle more.

So, do what you can to stay on track. You deserve a healthy life! If you get the urge to smoke, take a run around the block or do some push-ups! Do something good for yourself!

I wish you the best of luck.

Babichev

@DarrenWalker - ""Sugar isn't addictive" could be an inaccurate premise."

I've read some of the research on addiction. Specifically, David Linden's book on Addiction and what's going on in the brain. Turns out sugar, per se, doesn't fit the description of an addictive substance, it's the taste of sweetness that's addictive. The intense sweetness we get from sugary treats hardly exists in nature. We're programmed to respond positively to sweet. In nature, it usually means something is good, like fruit. However, when we get that shot of supersweet, it triggers an intense response.

Ah, I see! That's fascinating. Thank you, @Babichev.

BOO_cuddles

so wrapping up everything people have the same opinion about smoking as me and others on here dont. we are all different people and this forum was a good debate hahahah, thanx everyone for the supportive comments on my topic.

laylanie

Yeah. Thanks for agreeing that smoking is bad for your health....

Umm... Next topic: is water wet?

TouchIsTLC

@laylanie I disagree! Ice is NOT wet - in fact, if you approach a block of ice with wet hands, the ice will turn your wet ands into ice, freezing them to the ice and effectively converting the wet water from your hands into not wet ice... and in the process sticking your hands to the ice with painful consequences!

Need a real life example? A Christmas Story - tongue on metal pole... his tongue WAS wet (with water) - pole was covered in frost (also water) and the wetness was frozen away! (because you know, movies are real life right?)

(Ice is water for those people that miss the purpose and sarcasm of this post)

laylanie

Lmao! Oh @TouchIsTLC I appreciate the heck out of you ❤

Ah, yes. The point of this discussion has been well established. 17 MAR 2019 06:31 EDT. Closed.