Community Chat

[QueenDanceALot]

On 1/13/2014 Qwackertoo said:

The first 72 hours is the hardest. After that it is mostly habit. Or at least that is what they were saying back when I quit. And I'd tend to agree with that. I slept a lot the first 72 hours over a long weekend. Even had a few dreams that I smoked, I'd wake up mad at myself for a minute or so until I realized I only had dreamed I smoked. Crazy huh?

I had that dream for YEARS after I quit!

[QueenDanceALot]

On 1/13/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 1/13/2014 KittyLouWhoToo said:

On 1/13/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 1/13/2014 gazelle77 said:

I ask the same thing about why people eat so bad when they know that the saturated, trans fats sugar. simple carbs etc. are killing them.... why would you eat something just because it tastes good??, or just because it is Christmas or for whatever reason people eat wrong--- what ever the excuse. I would never consume food that is not good for me as I choose to be healthy as I can. People have to want to be healthy... and want to not smoke or eat wrong <em>more</em> than getting the few moments of pleasure(?) that these two things give you.

There's not a one to one relationship. Even a little smoking will hurt us, not true with Christmas cookies, nor are Christmas cookies addictive.

Sugar IS addictive.

It can be, especially if someone eats a large amount, but it's not 1:1.

I don't know what your 1:1 means in this instance.

I also don't know what "large amount" means.

[mgm2]

On 1/13/2014 NoelSeven said:

I just read an interesting article as reported by CNN. Here's the opening comment:

"Smoking can kill you. We've known that for at least 50 years -- and yet millions still smoke, and thousands more pick up the habit every year."

The awful truth in stats:

"Smoking is still the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, and has been for decades. It kills more people than obesity, substance abuse, infectious disease, firearms, and traffic accidents, according to the CDC. Some 443,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses every year, according to the U.S. Department of Health."

Why are people still smoking? Reportedly, it's defiance and addiction.

The good news and the bad news are the stats: "In 1965, 42% of the population smoked. Today, 19% of Americans do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number sounds comparatively small, but that's an estimated 43.8 million Americans -- and the decline in smoking has plateaued, experts say."

Any thoughts on why people you may know still smoke? It's very rare around here and there are a lot of restrictions on where people can smoke. None of our friends smoke, but we do have a neighbor who struggles with quitting.

Here's the article for those interested:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/11/health/still-smoking/

Good question..

I look at old movies and am appalled at the actors and actresses who smoked. Yes I know the dangers weren't known or ignored but they're so nasty.

Cigarette smoking lead to the cause of death for both of my parents. I HATE cigarettes!

[scotttie]

On 1/13/2014 rarejan said:

People smoke for many reasons. I smoked because I enjoyed it. That's hard for a non-smoker to understand, but then there are a lot of things people do that I don't understand and just leave it be. So I can only speak for myself. Was I in denial? Of course not. I was well aware of the health risks and knew several in my circle who were having problems related to smoking. Did I think it was cool? Again of course not. I wasn't trying to be cool. I enjoyed the act of smoking, taking that break, talking to fellow smokers whose life styles were similar to my own, making friends and forming bonds. There's a bond among smokers unlike others. And of course there's the addiction. But I certainly was well aware of what that meant and what it was doing to me. It was my choice.

Having said all that, I am smoke-free now for a few months shy of two years. It took me a while to make the decision and find a solution to my addiction. Those who thought badgering me or bullying me into not smoking made absolutely no dent in my resolve to do what I wanted. That sort of thing just does not work. The reasons people quit are as unique as each of us. I can share with a smoker what I used to finally quit, but it's an individual journey.

Hello, rarejan!

My question today has more to do with the younger kids....say 14 and up. It is sooo expensive something like $5.50 a pack depending on brand and where you live. It just is a surprise to me that young people would have that kind of money to spend. It doesn't take long to get hooked and be a pack a day smoker. That comes to around $38.50 a week or x four = $154 a month. Where in the world do they get the money.

I also notice it does seem the people who can least afford to smoke are the ones that do.

[scotttie]

On 1/13/2014 Predsfan said:

It's an enjoyable, relaxing addiction that is very personal. You don't need others or special places or circumstances to enjoy the feeling.

ahhh. Very well said Predsfan. My mom said something like that. Her cigarettes were her friend. My dh said something similar when he smoked a pipe. (He had to quit when he got tired of not being able to smoke anywhere!).

[QueenDanceALot]

I'm not sure how I feel about legalizing pot.

I do NOT think it is harmless but neither do I think that alcohol is harmless. Should alcohol be illegal, too? Didn't we try that already? Didn't work out too well as I recall.

[QueenDanceALot]

Cigarettes killed both of my parents.

I smoked until I was 29 and quit shortly after my mother died, although her death (or my father's when I was 21) wasn't what made me decide to quit.

[Qwackertoo]

I don't think the pot of today can be compared to the pot of the 80's. Today's stuff is so much stronger . . . not that I've imbibed . . . but the price and the quality has totally changed. From what I've read.

[scotttie]

On 1/13/2014 chickenbutt said:

Noel Hope you are having a lovely day today!

Somebody mentioned pets - One time, quite a few years ago, I was on ebay looking at stuff for the bird and I found this lady who was selling these really lovely little towels with the species of parrot and your bird's name embroidered on.

I thought that was a great idea and they looked so nice. I wanted one for him, so I got one made from her.

O-MG! When I got that I could not believe that this brand new towel was SOOOOOOOOO (even more than that!) saturated in smoke. It was truly sickening. It took me two weeks to wash and soak the smoke out of that thing.

Found out this woman has birds and smokes! That is just unbelievable. One has every right to destroy their own body but to do that to those poor birdies just - dam! I can't even think about it because it's upsetting me. I've seen birds that were taken out of homes of smokers. It's horrible what it does to them. Dogs, cats, other pets too. :'(

And children! At the nursery school the parents had to take turns being the "door opener" of the cars as they pulled up to the door. The smoke that would come rolling out of some of those vehicles made me want to scream "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!"

[mistriTsquirrel]

Smoking: higher cancer and heart disease risk, affects others in vicinity, may influence others to smoke, raises health insurance rates for everyone, smells bad, may cause fires...but less than a quarter of the population smoke.

Drinking: higher cancer and cirrhosis risk, may affect others who are killed by drunk drivers or killed by someone in a drunken rage, may kill the drinker when BAC is too high or alcohol is combined with other things, may influence others to drink, raises health and car insurance rates for everyone...most of the population drink at least occasionally.

Obesity/overeating: higher cancer risk, higher diabetes risk, higher risk of heart disease and stroke, may influence others to overeat, raises health insurance rates for everyone...more than half of the population are obese.

Maybe we need to ban cigarettes, alcohol, sugary and fatty foods. Oh, and anything that uses gasoline as fuel (pollution), guns, growth hormones and antibiotics in our livestock which also ends up in the milk produced, genetically-modified foods, all cell phone use while driving, walking, riding a bike, etc.

Then we can move on to making people have licenses to reproduce, making children have licenses to ride bikes, making verbal abuse illegal, and other such things.

After we're done with all of that, we can outlaw chewing with one's mouth open, nose-picking, farting and all loud noises.