January 29, 200422 yr Yes, it is an addiction. I'm a smoker, and I've been trying to quit for 3 years now. Even during the periods when I had stopped smoking, there was always a never ending urge.
January 29, 200422 yr i know the consequences. I know that dipping every now and then will not cause cancer. I also know that drinking coffee every day, and drinking lots of cokes, and eating candy is not good for you. All that sugar will rot your teeth worse than dipping EVERY NOW AND THEN, and caffeine is terrible for you. The key, is to do things like that in moderation. I'd venture to say that I am more physically healthy than 95% to 100% of this board. A dip won't kill me, but one time getting behind a wheel drunk sure can.
January 29, 200422 yr Author If I said, "I'll give you 20 bucks if you don't dip for two weeks" and you can say "sure, what the hell", then you are not addicted. Have you ever been ADDICTED to anything other than math or the yankees? Yeah, videogames. All I used to care about was this game TFC, team fortress classic. I broke that addiction. Its not some sort of drug though. The point is that people knew what they were getting into (back then people knew cigarettes were addictive), and as long as you don't blame others for your own mishaps, go kill yourself smoking.
January 29, 200422 yr smoking is 100 times worse for the health than drinking. the most harmful thing (besides elicit drug use) one could do for his health is smoke. it's linked to basically every major disease ever.
January 29, 200422 yr it's linked to basically every major disease ever. basically every major disease ever? Does that mean you can get infected with AIDS with a cigar? (sarcasm) IMHO, the smoking threat is over-rated... most people who die from emphasima or lung cancer usually were addicted to smoking (same as those addicted to alcohol who fry their livers). Moderate use of anything doesn't do much harm. An addiction is the dangerous part.
January 29, 200422 yr i know the consequences. I know that dipping every now and then will not cause cancer. I also know that drinking coffee every day, and drinking lots of cokes, and eating candy is not good for you. All that sugar will rot your teeth worse than dipping EVERY NOW AND THEN, and caffeine is terrible for you. The key, is to do things like that in moderation. I'd venture to say that I am more physically healthy than 95% to 100% of this board. A dip won't kill me, but one time getting behind a wheel drunk sure can. I agree FG. Moderate use of tabacco or alcohol doesn't do much harm...
January 29, 200422 yr I been to parties and i've been everywere were alcohol is at,but it just doesn't attract me,im str8,i ain't doing that sh!t.
January 29, 200422 yr Author Willis, there's no shame in it. My mother died from emphasima and I grew up in a smoke filled household. Most of the smokers who are suing the big Tobacco companies are the ones who got hooked when there were little to no warnings on the labels. I don't want second-hand smoke either. I think the best thing they ever did was do away with smoking in restaurants. People always knew smoking was unhealthy, but they had selective hearing. Hitler wouldn't allow people smoke around him because of the health hazard, and people back then already knew smoking made you "lose your wind" and was overall unhealthy because quitting was a thing people did back then too. So too bad if your parents exposed you to smoke or you expose yourself. Burning anything and breathing it in an hour every day CANNOT be good for you and people have always known this. So I think all people involved in those lawsuits are a bunch of vandal jerks. And one thing I can't stand is the no smoking in bars thing. People don't go to bars for healthy reasons... "Hey, I wanted the carrot juice!"
January 29, 200422 yr No-one in my house smoke,and my dad drinks but he's not obsessed he only drink @ parties and when he's tired sometime's.
January 29, 200422 yr Author No-one in my house smoke,and my dad drinks but he's not obsessed he only drink @ parties and when he's tired sometime's. drinking when you're tired? that will make you dad only more lethargic!
January 30, 200422 yr this is the beauty of America, if you want to do something stupid Go Ahead! who cares?
January 30, 200422 yr Author this is the beauty of America, if you want to do something stupid Go Ahead! who cares? exactly, just don't sue.
January 30, 200422 yr it's linked to basically every major disease ever. basically every major disease ever? Does that mean you can get infected with AIDS with a cigar? (sarcasm) IMHO, the smoking threat is over-rated... most people who die from emphasima or lung cancer usually were addicted to smoking (same as those addicted to alcohol who fry their livers). Moderate use of anything doesn't do much harm. An addiction is the dangerous part. *takes deep breath* smoking causes or is associated with a MUCH higher incidence of: heart attack sudden cardiac death diabetes stroke high blood pressure atherosclerosis (thickening of arteries) abdominal aortic aneurysm congestive heart failure leukemia oral cancer pharynx cancer larynx cancer esophagus cancer lung cancer liver cancer pancreatic cancer kidney cancer bladder cancer stomach cancer colon cancer rectal cancer cervical cancer chronic cough chronic bronchitis emphysema increased risk of respiratory tract infections pneumonia asthma decreased lung function shortness of breath heartburn gastroesophageal reflux disease indigestion peptic ulcers liver disease gallstones crohn's disease infertility early menopause miscarriages premature births birth defects stillbirths infant deaths low birth weight sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) osteoporosis hip fractures exercise-related injuries (tendinits, bursitis, rotator cuff) slower healing of fractures slower healing of wounds rheumatoid arthritis bad breath teeth stains gum disease impaired sense of taste and smell allergies peripheral vascular disease raynaud's syndrome burger's disease gangrene cataracts wrinkles erectile dysfunction :o the sad thing is, that's probably not even half of what it will do to you. that is why smoking is the single most harmful habit one can have (short of elicit drug use and picking up prostitutes every night). it's highly addictive and any kind of routine use will have harmful effects on your health. if anything, the harmfulness of smoking is underrated. most people only think it gives you lung cancer and heart disease. on the other hand, drinking alcohol is harmless compared to smoking cigarettes. unlike using tobacco, you can drink alcohol occasionally and not get addicted. drink away! :cheers
January 30, 200422 yr A glass of wine every day is actually healthy. I drink to dull the pain, so it must be working. Bottoms up!
February 12, 200422 yr it's linked to basically every major disease ever. basically every major disease ever? Does that mean you can get infected with AIDS with a cigar? (sarcasm) IMHO, the smoking threat is over-rated... most people who die from emphasima or lung cancer usually were addicted to smoking (same as those addicted to alcohol who fry their livers). Moderate use of anything doesn't do much harm. An addiction is the dangerous part. *takes deep breath* smoking causes or is associated with a MUCH higher incidence of: heart attack sudden cardiac death diabetes stroke high blood pressure atherosclerosis (thickening of arteries) abdominal aortic aneurysm congestive heart failure leukemia oral cancer pharynx cancer larynx cancer esophagus cancer lung cancer liver cancer pancreatic cancer kidney cancer bladder cancer stomach cancer colon cancer rectal cancer cervical cancer chronic cough chronic bronchitis emphysema increased risk of respiratory tract infections pneumonia asthma decreased lung function shortness of breath heartburn gastroesophageal reflux disease indigestion peptic ulcers liver disease gallstones crohn's disease infertility early menopause miscarriages premature births birth defects stillbirths infant deaths low birth weight sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) osteoporosis hip fractures exercise-related injuries (tendinits, bursitis, rotator cuff) slower healing of fractures slower healing of wounds rheumatoid arthritis bad breath teeth stains gum disease impaired sense of taste and smell allergies peripheral vascular disease raynaud's syndrome burger's disease gangrene cataracts wrinkles erectile dysfunction :o the sad thing is, that's probably not even half of what it will do to you. that is why smoking is the single most harmful habit one can have (short of elicit drug use and picking up prostitutes every night). it's highly addictive and any kind of routine use will have harmful effects on your health. if anything, the harmfulness of smoking is underrated. most people only think it gives you lung cancer and heart disease. on the other hand, drinking alcohol is harmless compared to smoking cigarettes. unlike using tobacco, you can drink alcohol occasionally and not get addicted. drink away! :cheers Alky, your a med student, so you're a smart guy. So please....tell us...is the methodology up to snuff these days? I smell an addiction to grant money from a lot of people behind these "studies". And yes, I smoke. I'm not one of the a**hole smokers (not many exist) who literally and figuratively blow smoke in non-smokers faces. But my tolerance for BS is historically low, and that's what comprises a lot of anti-smoking rhetoric these days.
February 12, 200422 yr So please....tell us...is the methodology up to snuff these days? I smell an addiction to grant money from a lot of people behind these "studies". And yes, I smoke. I'm not one of the a**hole smokers (not many exist) who literally and figuratively blow smoke in non-smokers faces. But my tolerance for BS is historically low, and that's what comprises a lot of anti-smoking rhetoric these days. it's entirely up to snuff. smoking really does cause all of that crap, and just about every single one of those associations has been demonstrated in clinical settings without any experiment-based grant money involved. it's the single most destructive thing a person can do to his body. i don't know if you smoke regularly or not, but if you do, i'm willing to bet you a lot of money that you will develop at least a few of those major conditions i listed. nicotine is extremely difficult to kick, so i'd honestly be willing to bet you money that you'd continue smoking long enough to develop a few of those conditions in your lifetime. i also thought the anti-smoking stuff was a lot of BS until i came to med school and learned just how much s*** it causes and just how strong of a causative effect it has. i don't think it's a big deal if someone smokes for a total of 5 years of his life and then quits, but it's very rare for anyone to just "quit" after picking up the habit. on average, it takes 5 attempts before a person can successfully quit, so if you haven't tried quitting yet, i suggest you give it a shot now.
February 12, 200422 yr So please....tell us...is the methodology up to snuff these days? I smell an addiction to grant money from a lot of people behind these "studies". And yes, I smoke. I'm not one of the a**hole smokers (not many exist) who literally and figuratively blow smoke in non-smokers faces. But my tolerance for BS is historically low, and that's what comprises a lot of anti-smoking rhetoric these days. it's entirely up to snuff. smoking really does cause all of that crap, and just about every single one of those associations has been demonstrated in clinical settings without any experiment-based grant money involved. it's the single most destructive thing a person can do to his body. i don't know if you smoke regularly or not, but if you do, i'm willing to bet you a lot of money that you will develop at least a few of those major conditions i listed. nicotine is extremely difficult to kick, so i'd honestly be willing to bet you money that you'd continue smoking long enough to develop a few of those conditions in your lifetime. i also thought the anti-smoking stuff was a lot of BS until i came to med school and learned just how much s*** it causes and just how strong of a causative effect it has. i don't think it's a big deal if someone smokes for a total of 5 years of his life and then quits, but it's very rare for anyone to just "quit" after picking up the habit. on average, it takes 5 attempts before a person can successfully quit, so if you haven't tried quitting yet, i suggest you give it a shot now. But, Alky, which portends a grimmer fate: a nonsmoker whose family has a history of lung cancer, and a smoker whose family has no such history of that or heart disease? I smoke about 10 - 12 a day, Ultra Lights. I don't believe it's a physical addiction at all, which is why I believe that tobacco companies should not be held liable. It's psychological, and provides the same comfort to me that say, Fritos would provide to an obese person. I also have a skepticism about these trials. I would have to look into the statistical significance of many of their tests, because in almost all the news stories I read, qualifiers are used. It may do this, it may do that, I may get hit by a bus tomorrow and suffer from progressive splatulation. I also abhor all the attention it gets. I do respect your position, though, don't get me wrong.
February 12, 200422 yr But, Alky, which portends a grimmer fate: a nonsmoker whose family has a history of lung cancer, and a smoker whose family has no such history of that or heart disease? a smoker with no family history of lung cancer has a greater risk of developing it than a nonsmoker with a family history. I also have a skepticism about these trials. I would have to look into the statistical significance of many of their tests, because in almost all the news stories I read, qualifiers are used. It may do this, it may do that, I may get hit by a bus tomorrow and suffer from progressive splatulation. I also abhor all the attention it gets. smoking's link to stuff like high blood pressure, diabetes, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer is so strong that you don't even need to assess clinical research to know that smoking is a major risk factor. if you even bothered to run a statistical test on it, you'd get a p value of 0 every single time. more than 90% of people with lung cancer who walk into your doctor's office happen to be longtime smokers. 85% of people with emphysema who walk into your doctor's office happen to be longtime smokers. 1/5 to 1/4 of all people who smoke develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (e.g. emphysema or chronic bronchitis). you hardly ever see that stuff in nonsmokers. it has been known for decades that smokers are 2 to 3 times more likely to have heart attacks and 3 to 4 times more likely to die from sudden cardiac death. it has been demonstrated to death. this stuff has been proven literally thousands of times, and it really doesn't take any fancy research protocol to retrospectively look at the death records of people who die and see if they smoke. it doesn't take any fancy research to look at all of your patients with bladder cancer and notice that an ungodly amount of them happen to smoke. it doesn't take any research to notice that every single patient you've ever seen with oat cell cancer of the lung happens to smoke. for an internist, it's not hard to notice that your patients with heart attacks are 2 or 3 times more likely to smoke than the rest of your patients. the things i listed have VERY STRONG relationships with smoking. none of these things i've listed to you were the result of merely a handful of experiments. when you're looking at a patient with a heart attack, one of the first risk factors you look for is smoking. when a patient is complaining about gastroesophageal reflux disease, the very first thing you ask him is if he smokes... this stuff is ingrained in medical practice, it is so well known and so obviously noticed. the kind of diseases in which people can dispute the link to smoking i didn't even bother to list. it's very hard to perceptualize the actual health risk due to smoking when you haven't actually studied medicine, and i can totally see why a person who doesn't have to spend years learning this stuff would want to look at the statistical significance of tests that show smoking's link to 100's of different conditions. i'd ask the same questions too. that's partly why i thought the anti-smoking stuff was a little bit BS before i entered medical school. i'm not exaggerating at all when i say that smoking is the single greatest risk factor for disease in humans. that said, if you are getting emotional and physical benefit out of smoking, i'm not going to tell you not to smoke. you have every right to continue smoking if you do so because you enjoy it.... but if the only reason you continue smoking is because you don't believe the scientific link between smoking and those major health conditions, let me assure you that the link between smoking and all sorts of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes is indisputable.
February 13, 200422 yr I don't smoke. I just hate the smell that gets on you. It also ruins your lungs. I don't care if people smoke but don't smoke around me. Inhaling the smoke is also bad. As for drinking, I drink once in awhile.
February 13, 200422 yr I've tried to quit three times. I can't seem too though. Does anyone know any good methods? Cold turkey doesn't seem to work, and I'm told that it is actually unhealthy.
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