Let's hear it!

[Quik]

37 hours without a cigarette  I'm prepared to murder for one, at this point.

You've got to be kidding me.. I doubt you smoked more then I used to, and it's been a few days for me and I am only experiencing medium cravings and stress levels. It's not that hard to quit, it's not going to kill you. Quite the opposite, actually.

We should study you more closely, apparently your experiences are the only experiences which matter. 

Of course. And why are your hands on a keyboard? They should be on the ground, while you're bowing to me. What's going on?

I was just trying to give my opinion on the "addiction". Yeah, it really is an addiction. But it's not crack.. the majority of people can get over it relatively easily. If you're dying that much, get some patches or gum or something.

Ender.. it's probably too complicated for you to understand if you've grown up hating it, haven't tried it, etc.

Sometimes, it's part of a culture. Often times it's encouraged by friends. Maybe it's something to do.

Most people start smoking with the expectation that they won't be smoking their whole life. That's because it's not that hard to quit, and most people assume that they will quit before it drastically affects their health.

This is only my opinion and what I've seen, though. Some people, like Warrior, will listen to it and take it to heart. Others won't care. So take it with a grain of salt. Or something.

My point was that there are people with wildly different experiences than the one you describe. It is foolish to state that because you've gone through something a certain way, that others go through it the same way.

This is not something you can dispute.

No, I don't think it's foolish. I've talked to plenty of people about it, and I've never had anyone describe it as being as difficult as rabbit was implying. Like I said, it's not crack.

Quik, I am open-minded. (Of course, that doesn't change the fact that long-term smoking does cause lung cancer.)

I think I see what you're saying. It definitely is a part of culture, albeit a bad part of culture. For instance, sometimes it's nice to hang out on the front steps on a cool night without really doing much of anything. But if you were to do this, in a completely idle manner, (i.e. doing nothing but sitting on the steps like Confucius), you would be viewed as somewhat weird -- you'd be hard to comprehend. Some people may judge you as being depressed. Others may view you as creepy. So our culture found a fix to this: if you're seen outside at 10PM smoking a cigarette, people wouldn't think twice about it. They may think you have an unhealthy habit, but they wouldn't puzzle about you and say things like you're depressed, creepy, awkward, out-of-place -- it would be familiar to them. It's similar for parties, too.

Of course, that does not justify it. You can just part with culture without picking up an unhealthy habit. More specifically, I object to smoking because:

[1] It's not worth the risk of addiction. (Even though I've never smoked before, I think I can say with some certainty that you downplay the effect of nicotine addiction. After all, it is a matter of neuroscience, which is probably more reliable than a single person's judgment.)
[2] Even if you do it for a few years and then quit, the process of quitting can interfere with your life in a very destructive way.
[3] I don't like the principle of giving in to the destructive aspects of society in order to conform. I think that most people who smoke probably wouldn't call it 'conforming', out of their own self-love, but that's really what I see it as. You are risking your health in order to acquire some vain social advantages. (The goal of acquiring transient pleasure is different -- I wouldn't call it conformity -- but it is just as nonsensical, because of [1] and [2].)

Sorry that this post is long-winded. I'm just interested in the reasons why people smoke.

Having never tried it, you don't seem to realize the satisfactions people get from smoking..

It's not just a habit. Sure, it's something to do. It's an activity to make you not look weird as you go for a walk at midnight.. But also, it provides mental stimulation. It has a relaxing effect, can make the user feel lightheaded, more easygoing in social situations, and overall less stressed out.

I agree, it's a habit that's not worth the side effects, but I have a problem with people who make assumptions and judge people based on some decisions such as whether to smoke or not.

Yeah, and I'm pretty sure everyone who smokes knows it causes lung cancer, as well as many other problems. It's not a surprise, you don't need to keep mentioning it.

Really though, enough about smoking. It's junking up this thread, hah!

[Warrior]

37 hours without a cigarette  I'm prepared to murder for one, at this point.

You've got to be kidding me.. I doubt you smoked more then I used to, and it's been a few days for me and I am only experiencing medium cravings and stress levels. It's not that hard to quit, it's not going to kill you. Quite the opposite, actually.

We should study you more closely, apparently your experiences are the only experiences which matter. 

Of course. And why are your hands on a keyboard? They should be on the ground, while you're bowing to me. What's going on?

I was just trying to give my opinion on the "addiction". Yeah, it really is an addiction. But it's not crack.. the majority of people can get over it relatively easily. If you're dying that much, get some patches or gum or something.

Ender.. it's probably too complicated for you to understand if you've grown up hating it, haven't tried it, etc.

Sometimes, it's part of a culture. Often times it's encouraged by friends. Maybe it's something to do.

Most people start smoking with the expectation that they won't be smoking their whole life. That's because it's not that hard to quit, and most people assume that they will quit before it drastically affects their health.

This is only my opinion and what I've seen, though. Some people, like Warrior, will listen to it and take it to heart. Others won't care. So take it with a grain of salt. Or something.

My point was that there are people with wildly different experiences than the one you describe. It is foolish to state that because you've gone through something a certain way, that others go through it the same way.

This is not something you can dispute.

No, I don't think it's foolish. I've talked to plenty of people about it, and I've never had anyone describe it as being as difficult as rabbit was implying. Like I said, it's not crack.

His habbits may differ from yours, he may not have the willpower, or he may be affected in a different way by the addiction. There are plenty of factors that contribute to the success or failure of quitting an addiction, acting as if there is only one possible reaction to have to something which is affected by so many factors is indeed foolish.

I know you like to build yourself up as this all-knowing guy who has lived life, but it does not suit you in this case.

[Quik]

37 hours without a cigarette  I'm prepared to murder for one, at this point.

You've got to be kidding me.. I doubt you smoked more then I used to, and it's been a few days for me and I am only experiencing medium cravings and stress levels. It's not that hard to quit, it's not going to kill you. Quite the opposite, actually.

We should study you more closely, apparently your experiences are the only experiences which matter. 

Of course. And why are your hands on a keyboard? They should be on the ground, while you're bowing to me. What's going on?

I was just trying to give my opinion on the "addiction". Yeah, it really is an addiction. But it's not crack.. the majority of people can get over it relatively easily. If you're dying that much, get some patches or gum or something.

Ender.. it's probably too complicated for you to understand if you've grown up hating it, haven't tried it, etc.

Sometimes, it's part of a culture. Often times it's encouraged by friends. Maybe it's something to do.

Most people start smoking with the expectation that they won't be smoking their whole life. That's because it's not that hard to quit, and most people assume that they will quit before it drastically affects their health.

This is only my opinion and what I've seen, though. Some people, like Warrior, will listen to it and take it to heart. Others won't care. So take it with a grain of salt. Or something.

My point was that there are people with wildly different experiences than the one you describe. It is foolish to state that because you've gone through something a certain way, that others go through it the same way.

This is not something you can dispute.

No, I don't think it's foolish. I've talked to plenty of people about it, and I've never had anyone describe it as being as difficult as rabbit was implying. Like I said, it's not crack.

His habbits may differ from yours, he may not have the willpower, or he may be affected in a different way by the addiction. There are plenty of factors that contribute to the success or failure of quitting an addiction, acting as if there is only one possible reaction to have to something which is affected by so many factors is indeed foolish.

I know you like to build yourself up as this all-knowing guy who has lived life, but it does not suit you in this case.

No, I understand it affects different people different ways. But as far as addictions go, I don't think nicotine can ever get to such a point where you'd be driven crazy and "murder for one".

Yeah, I love making people think I'm mature and experienced. I've done everything and know how everyone else feels about everything.

No, it's just that I happen to be quitting at the same time and would like to give my insights to it..

[rabbit]

I originally started because my friend (now roommate) wanted to quit, and he only had a few left, so I said, I'll smoke half because then you'll have fewer to smoke and it'll be easier.  HAH!  It was easy for him already, he told me he's got no urges at all.  Not so for me.  After a few hours without a cigarette (unless I'm asleep), I get angry and stressed out.  It does hit me pretty hard.  I also know the downsides of smoking, but my brain demands nicotine, and it tries to murder me if I don't get it any.

When I don't smoke, basically, I get VERY apprehensive, stressed, and angry, and it's all made worse by the fact that I'm full of anxiety most of the time anyway.  Smoking just makes me calm down for a bit, and I can deal with everything a bit better.  And a majority of people CAN'T get over it easily enough.  In fact, something like 9 in 10 can't quit smoking.  And on top of that, I have a pretty addictive personality anyway.

On a side note, I now have 4.9 packs sitting on my desk next to me, so I should be good for a while.

[iago]

I think a lot of people get addicted because they don't think they will. They smoke occasionally when they're young, and accelerate when they get older.

[leet_muffin]

37 hours without a cigarette  I'm prepared to murder for one, at this point.

You've got to be kidding me.. I doubt you smoked more then I used to, and it's been a few days for me and I am only experiencing medium cravings and stress levels. It's not that hard to quit, it's not going to kill you. Quite the opposite, actually.

We should study you more closely, apparently your experiences are the only experiences which matter. 

I was just trying to give my opinion on the "addiction". Yeah, it really is an addiction. But it's not crack.. the majority of people can get over it relatively easily. If you're dying that much, get some patches or gum or something.

Indeed. My dad smoked for 50 years (pack a day?) and quit cold turkey once, and it's since been two years without one. I'd really like to smoke a cigar with my dad, but it's not worth it. =/

[Ender]

I originally started because my friend (now roommate) wanted to quit, and he only had a few left, so I said, I'll smoke half because then you'll have fewer to smoke and it'll be easier.  HAH!  It was easy for him already, he told me he's got no urges at all.  Not so for me.  After a few hours without a cigarette (unless I'm asleep), I get angry and stressed out.  It does hit me pretty hard.  I also know the downsides of smoking, but my brain demands nicotine, and it tries to murder me if I don't get it any.

When I don't smoke, basically, I get VERY apprehensive, stressed, and angry, and it's all made worse by the fact that I'm full of anxiety most of the time anyway.  Smoking just makes me calm down for a bit, and I can deal with everything a bit better.  And a majority of people CAN'T get over it easily enough.  In fact, something like 9 in 10 can't quit smoking.  And on top of that, I have a pretty addictive personality anyway.

On a side note, I now have 4.9 packs sitting on my desk next to me, so I should be good for a while.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very helpful.

[skip]

This isn't targeted at anyone, but I really annoyed when people say, "you know that's going to kill you one day?" or "you know that causes cancer?" Thank you very much, everyone who smokes is 100% aware of the consequences of smoking and obviously that isn't going to make them stop.

[Hitmen]

This isn't targeted at anyone, but I really annoyed when people say, "you know that's going to kill you one day?" or "you know that causes cancer?" Thank you very much, everyone who smokes is 100% aware of the consequences of smoking and obviously that isn't going to make them stop.

Even more reason to say it!

[Quik]

This isn't targeted at anyone, but I really annoyed when people say, "you know that's going to kill you one day?" or "you know that causes cancer?" Thank you very much, everyone who smokes is 100% aware of the consequences of smoking and obviously that isn't going to make them stop.

Even more reason to say it!

I agree with him. You know what's going to kill you faster then smoking? Me, shooting you in the face for saying that to me for the millionth time. I don't wanna hear it, asshole.

[Newby]

I'm still sick. I am going to the doctor tomorrow if I am not better.

[deadly7]

I agree with him. You know what's going to kill you faster then smoking? Me, shooting you in the face for saying that to me for the millionth time. I don't wanna hear it, asshole.

But quik! Surely you don't want to die of lung cancer? I mean, that's not even the sexy cancer!

[Kaleeko]

I don't care what anyone else does to themselves, smoking included. If they want to fuck themselves up with drugs, unprotected sex, etc etc... That's cool. If someone feels the need to do it in the first place, isn't it assumed that they won't listen to any reasonable arguments from people telling them not to? There's so much "education" on the matters in schools these days, people are making educated enough decisions to be able to decide what they do and don't do to themselves.

Arguing about it seems a wee bit silly to me.

[Hitmen]

This isn't targeted at anyone, but I really annoyed when people say, "you know that's going to kill you one day?" or "you know that causes cancer?" Thank you very much, everyone who smokes is 100% aware of the consequences of smoking and obviously that isn't going to make them stop.

Even more reason to say it!

I agree with him. You know what's going to kill you faster then smoking? Me, shooting you in the face for saying that to me for the millionth time. I don't wanna hear it, asshole.

Well then, just don't smoke near me! And don't smoke in the fucking doorway, ughhhhhh if I have to breath that shit in when walking in and out of any public building then the smoker can deal with me being an asshole to them.

[leet_muffin]

This isn't targeted at anyone, but I really annoyed when people say, "you know that's going to kill you one day?" or "you know that causes cancer?" Thank you very much, everyone who smokes is 100% aware of the consequences of smoking and obviously that isn't going to make them stop.

Even more reason to say it!

I agree with him. You know what's going to kill you faster then smoking? Me, shooting you in the face for saying that to me for the millionth time. I don't wanna hear it, asshole.

Well then, just don't smoke near me! And don't smoke in the fucking doorway, ughhhhhh if I have to breath that shit in when walking in and out of any public building then the smoker can deal with me being an asshole to them.

What if it's a clove and it smells awesome?