Smoking is... good?

Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

It's quite a nice blast, actually.

Might hunt some down myself - for those long train journeys!
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

Fascinating - the snuff link, I mean. I'm not sure that I could snort anything up my nose, being, by nature, a woosy. Hmmmm - I'll have to think about this one. =)
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

I'm a non-smoker too admidst a whole family of smokers. I've tried a couple of times but realised that I was just drawing it into my mouth, not the lungs. So when my mother said to actually "inhale", it felt like a knife stabbing into my throat, so I probably won't be doing it again. Although, I suppose I could try my father's handrolling tobacco and do a little "experiment".
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

I have been a smoker for at least 7 years, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. I am one of those who have terrible problems quitting (blood type: O-). I think what bothers me most is the lung problems - but then, I am not quite sure if that could be a placebo problem due to expectation. Here in Canada we already have had the graphic images on cigarette packs for a few years, and they are offensive. Plus if so much of our disease is due to the fact that we think we will get it, seeing blood clots and damaged hearts all day might do harm.
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

Re: smoking

Well, my take on it is that if you try a cigarette and it feels like you're dying, then it's probably not a good idea to continue. But not everyone "turns green" or feels like they are inhaling a dagger when they first try a cigarette. I didn't. In fact, I also noticed that I could think far more clearly. I can even read faster when I smoke. As for the negative effects, I haven't noticed any. Heck, a recent trip to the dentist consisted of a five minute session where he poked, scraped a tiny tiny bit, and said, "Good! You're done. Your teeth are perfect! Keep doing what you're doing." So much for the claims that smoking will rot my teeth!

It IS possible for me to smoke too much - in which case I feel slightly nauseated - whereas other people I know smoke like chimneys and it has no negative effect on them at all. I do find that commercial cigarettes are nasty, whereas rolling my own with more pure tobacco is quite a pleasant experience. I also found that the tobacco and rolling papers that are harsh for one person are the least harsh for another. So, my advice is to listen to your body.

As for the other "evils" of smoking, a while back I was doing a search on smoking stuff for the Signs page and I stumbled across a page on the CDC web site, I think it was. The gist of the data presented was that although France had twice as many smokers as the US, the French rates for heart disease, lung cancer, and a few other often fatal illnesses were about half as high as in the US. Put that together with the neurochem stuff Laura has written about, and it kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?

In any case, I also discovered during my search that US cigarettes are allowed to have WAY more evil chemicals in them than pretty much everywhere else. For example, Marlboros in Canada and Europe are quite different from Marlboros in the US.

But as always, don't believe a word of what I wrote - do your own research! :)

In conclusion, I just thought I'd note that I used to be a rabid anti-smoker. That was back in the days when I believed what I read without doing my homework. Oh, how righteous and blissfully ignorant I was! :)
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

Hi,
I agree with Scott! :) It really depends on your body. I started smoking when I was 15 (store bought regular cigarettes) and quit for 2 years when I was 17.. then I started smoking again (organic tobacco) because of all the stuff I read regarding smoking not being as bad for you as THEY tell you it is. One thing that I noticed about smoking cigarettes (for my self) is that it really helps me with my stomach problems. I often get these stomach aches that I don’t even know what the causes are because I eat pretty healthy food and take care of my self. But when I smoke- my stomach aches and problems get eased greatly and soon they vanish. So, in this sense and many others smoking has helped me.

Just my experience to add…
Nina
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

There are a zillion medical reports that say smoking is very dangerous to almost every part of the anatomy.

The reason the mainstream has taken it up is COMPENSATION. The peasants (juries) awarded each other millions of dollars of it so the game was over. That's why the messages on the packets are there. They say "no compensation for peasants".

As I said before, the reason for smoking bans is INSURANCE.
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

The insurance point is valid. Is one of the first questions, when you visit the doctor where you are, whether you smoke? Here, it is. I broke my finger almost a year ago and went to the emergency room; during the intake, they asked me if I smoked. I asked them why they were asking, and the nurse said that they have to ask everyone for insurance reasons....seemed a bit odd to me. Then, several months ago, when I had vertigo, once again, "Do you smoke?" - I responded that I hadn't smoked anything to give me vertigo, recently. The doctor didn't think that was particularly funny, but it struck me as none of her business - but, I suppose that's archaic thinking here now - everything is their business. As a matter of fact, in Colorado now, they have to ask you if you 'feel safe in your home' when you go to the emergency room - this is what the intake nurse told me! After I got over the impression that she was asking if I had good locks on my doors, I told her that my cat had been giving me dirty looks, and my dog kept trying to trip me. Once again, a member of the medical establishment was not overly impressed with my humor. =)
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear.

I meant insurance for employers against being sued if their employees contracted lung cancer at work. A smoking ban in enclosed spaces (even in trucks in Scotland !) stops that completely.
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

OH, uhhmm, in that case, disregard my doctor stories. =D
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

It bugs me too when doctors and all medical professionals now - it seems - consistently ask "do you smoke?" as part of their initial evaluation of any problem. My initial thought is always "are they looking for an excuse to give me bad medical care, hoping they can blame everything on smoking?"
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

anart said:
Fascinating - the snuff link, I mean. I'm not sure that I could snort anything up my nose, being, by nature, a woosy. Hmmmm - I'll have to think about this one. =)
I bought some Wilson's of Sharrow "Irish High Toast" on my way to work on Friday - Wow! That's a great little discovery - thanks for inadvertantly reminding me of it.

Here's a link to an American supplier should you wish to investigate further...

http://www.sheffieldexchange.com/nasal.htm
 
Smoking prevalence among US & International adults

For work, I had to move across the state.
Being in a new area, I needed a new dentist.
I asked and looked around for one.
I made an appontment and went over to visit with my "new" dentist.
After 45 minutes of gruesome anti-smokering videos, I was then lectured on my evil ways.
In short, I was denied dental care because I am a smoker and have no need to quit.
I now have a new dentist.
 
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