Stop trying to kill me (with secondhand smoke)
Quote: WizardBased on the title, I thought this would be about the scheme to overturn the smoking ban in bars that serve food: Tavern owners urge lawmakers to clear air on smoking ban. At least that is how I would have titled a post about it.
Considerate soul that I am, but you can judge that better once you take posession of it <g>, the time we met I was careful not to smoke around you, knowing how much you dislike tobacco smoke. But I do smoke. And, yes, I'm aware that can kill me, too. But there's a big difference. Cigarettes take a lifetime to do you in, while drug resistant bacteria can do it in a few months at the most. Also I can quit smoking, I cannot quit having contact with bacteria.
BTW I plan to quit once I'm done losing weight. You just, or I just, can't manage both at the same time. But I've made a promise to myself not to become an anti-smoking fetishist once I quit.
So there :P
Just thought I would recommend it in case you haven't tried it, or were on the fence.
I've never been addicted to smoking, but every smoker I've seen successfully quit had to adopt a deep loathing and hatred of cigarettes. I've never seen anybody quit for long who didn't declare a personal all out war against tobacco.
Webmaster JB tried those electronic cigarettes, but he said after a short time it was like breathing painfully hot air. Maybe he didn't replace the filters often enough or something, but whatever the case, they didn't work out for him.
Speaking for myself...Quote: Nareed. . . I was careful not to smoke around you, knowing how much you dislike tobacco smoke. But I do smoke. And, yes, I'm aware that can kill me, too. But there's a big difference. Cigarettes take a lifetime to do you in, while drug resistant bacteria can do it in a few months at the most.
I've never smoked cigarettes (yeah, I smoked pot in my college days...), but I tend to shy away from cigarette smokers.
it's not so much the fear of the poisons within second hand smoke that has me on edge, but the smell of the smoke, as well as the smell of the smoker who hasn't adequately aired out after their last cigarette.
I don't feel the same way about pot and pot smokers, because I find the smell pleasant, not to mention the second-hand high a welcome treat.
FWIW: I felt that way even before I smoked my first joint. And I continue to feel that way even though it's been about 30 years since the last time I smoked pot.
Quote: avargovI have begun using the Njoy electronic cigarette almost exclusively. They don't help you quit, but they do exclude all of the crap sans nicotine. I feel much better physically, and they are much cheaper, not too mention I can use it anywhere.
I tried an electronic cigarette. It's ok, but the idiots who sell it here claim you don't need nicotine. I claim I do. I can suck one dry over the course of an hour, and I still feel like having a real cigarette. So I found nicotine for the gadgets, but now they taste terrible.
I'm determined to quit. if something is worth doing, it's worth overdoing.
Of course, if quitting is so good for me, I may just do it more often :P
Quote:Just thought I would recommend it in case you haven't tried it, or were on the fence.
Thanks.
Quote: DJTeddyBearSpeaking for myself...
I've never smoked cigarettes (yeah, I smoked pot in my college days...), but I tend to shy away from cigarette smokers.
it's not so much the fear of the poisons within second hand smoke that has me on edge, but the smell of the smoke, as well as the smell of the smoker who hasn't adequately aired out after their last cigarette.
I think the dislike of smoking and smokers, more than any real dangers from second hand smoking, are what's driving the ever more draconian smoking bans. In fact, I think the risks of second hand smoke have been exaggerated.
It does stand to reason that if cigarette smoke is harmful, then it will remain harmful whether first hand or second, yes. But, really, if you live and work in a non-smoking environment, how much risk is there from a few smokers twenty feet away in a well-ventilated restaurant for a couple of hours? After the concentration is less, and the smoke has been diluted to begin with.
But the smell, I grant you, is about the same.
Quote: WizardI've never been addicted to smoking,
Me, either. I can quit any time I want. In fact, I've quit a number of times :P
Seriously:
Quote:but every smoker I've seen successfully quit had to adopt a deep loathing and hatred of cigarettes. I've never seen anybody quit for long who didn't declare a personal all out war against tobacco.
I've seen that. not in every former smoker, but in many.
I think it's envy or jealousy. Smoking is addictive and pleasurable. I consider a cigarette with coffee after a meal to be the perfect ending for the meal (I know others disagree). So people who've quit manage not to smoke, but many still want to even years after they've quit. So ti's easier psychologically to hate cigarettes and smokers in response to cravings. I hope I can be better than that.
Some people who've never smoke hate cigarettes, others don't. Eitehr way that's fine by me. But ex-smokers should be more tolerant.
And yet the kind of person I can't comprehend is the occasional smoker who hates cigarette smoke. These are people who can't stand smelling smoke ro smokers at all, and will complain often and frequently about it, yet once in a while, perhaps only every few months, they'll light up and smoke away without a care. I just don't get it.
Quote: NareedMe, either. I can quit any time I want. In fact, I've quit a number of times :P
Short poem I heard about 50 years ago:
Procrastination is a crime that only leads to sorrow.
I can stop it any time. I think I will ... tomorrow.
Quote: NareedI consider a cigarette with coffee after a meal to be the perfect ending for the meal ...
Quote from one of my co-workers about 40 years ago:
"The three best things in life are a drink before and a cigarette after."
I suppose he could have been talking about a meal.
Quote: DocQuote from one of my co-workers about 40 years ago:
"The three best things in life are a drink before and a cigarette after."
I suppose he could have been talking about a meal.
So you don't think he was talking about placing a big bet and winning it?
:P
BTW I wonder if there's a market for nicotine-infused products: tea, gum, candy, etc. Nicotine is an organic poison, but as with all poisons, the effect depends on the dosage. What you can get from cigarettes and guma nd patches is mostly ahrmless. What kills you is all the toerh stuff you inhale to get the nicotine.
Anyway, quitting a habit or addiciton is a matter of motivation. Wanting something you can't have until you quit is one motivator, so are others. In my case there's the matter of sex reassignment surgey. Some surgeons won't operate at all on smokers, others very much recommend you quit for at least 4 months before and after surgery. I figure if I'm going to quit for a few months, I might as well quit altogether. That's the big reason to quit.
Improved health and more money available for other things are nice side effets, but they're not the main reason.
So we'll see how it goes. I estimate I'll begin in August or September.
Quote: WizardThis thread is a spin-off of Stop trying to kill me.
Webmaster JB tried those electronic cigarettes, but he said after a short time it was like breathing painfully hot air. Maybe he didn't replace the filters often enough or something, but whatever the case, they didn't work out for him.
I'd tell anyone trying to quit that there's probably no one way to quit that works well for everybody anyway. People have to find a method that suits them.
Quote: Wizard
I've never been addicted to smoking, but every smoker I've seen successfully quit had to adopt a deep loathing and hatred of cigarettes. I've never seen anybody quit for long who didn't declare a personal all out war against tobacco.
I used to smoke about a pack and a half a day for about 15 years. I quit one day about 5 years ago, haven't had a cigarette since, and have no desire to, but I have (and never had) nothing like "deep loathing and hatred" of smoking or smokers. I do dislike the smell of cigarette smoke (don't mind cigars), especially old smell, and prefer non-smoking hotel rooms, but don't mind others smoking near me in open air or in a large enough room, like a casino floor, and it never occurred to me to declare a personal war against tobacco (or against anything else for that matter).
:)
How is it I can feel shamed by a bunch of folks I don't even know? Anyway, wish me luck, this is a hard one to pull off.
Quote: WizardI've never been addicted to smoking, but every smoker I've seen successfully quit had to adopt a deep loathing and hatred of cigarettes. I've never seen anybody quit for long who didn't declare a personal all out war against tobacco.
I did quit smoking by deciding I hated cigarettes as a matter of fact. I will sometimes light up a cigar, which I find does not make me lose control and crave nicotine so that I go back to regular smoking [oddly enough]. I might have one or two cigars a month.
Quote: DocThen "Good Luck" it is. One rule though: if it turns out that you break over (hope not), then you absolutely must confess it here. We would have to shame you mercilessly if you started lying to us about this.
Fair enough. A little over 48 hours now. Not as hard as I thought. Need to find something to do with my hands while I drive. Go ahead and fire away friends...
But in all seriousness, I wish you the best of luck on this. I know it's difficult!
Any ideas from the board?
Quote: avargovWell friends...15 days without a smoke! Feeling pretty good.
15 days! Well done, sir! Steel yourself for weird dreams, they should be kicking in any minute now. Don't worry, they go away after awhile.
Quote: avargovWell friends...15 days without a smoke! Feeling pretty good.
Congratulations!
But yeah, it feels great, and I am sure I have added 6 weeks to my life.
Have saved around $650, still looking for wager/donation ideas.
Quote: avargovBeen 79 days since I last enjoyed a cigarette.
An oxymoron if there ever was one. Your lungs weren't designed
to filter burning weeds, think of it that way...
Telling us you've quit smoking is akin to telling us you've stopped beating your wife.
Quote: avargovNon smoking update. Been 79 days since I last enjoyed a cigarette. I thought I was supposed to feel better. I have been sick three times and my blood pressure has gone from 115/70 to 140/90. Needless to say, my doctor is concerned and perplexed by this. Oh, and it is a good thing that no one has threatened to remove my wifes pinkie, for I have tacked on 19 new pounds. Oatmeal, tuna, and salad for Fat Alan for a while.
But yeah, it feels great, and I am sure I have added 6 weeks to my life.
Have saved around $650, still looking for wager/donation ideas.
I'm always happy to hear that there's one less smoker among us to pollute the earth. Don't blame medical problems or weight gain on your quitting. It's just an excuse to light up again.
Use some of the money saved to join a gym.
Quote: FleaStiffOkay. so its 79 days since you quit smoking. So what? You were not supposed to have started smoking in the first place and you were not supposed to have continued smoking. So just go away and do your dying quietly. If its from emphysema tomorrow... it was your choice. If its from emphysema ten years from now... it was your choice.
Telling us you've quit smoking is akin to telling us you've stopped beating your wife.
Flea- not very kind of you. Correct, it was never good that avargov started smoking. But given that fact, friends should encourage him on his kicking the habit, not denigrate him. Congratulations, avargov!
Quote: avargovNon smoking update. Been 79 days since I last enjoyed a cigarette. I thought I was supposed to feel better. I have been sick three times and my blood pressure has gone from 115/70 to 140/90. Needless to say, my doctor is concerned and perplexed by this. Oh, and it is a good thing that no one has threatened to remove my wifes pinkie, for I have tacked on 19 new pounds. Oatmeal, tuna, and salad for Fat Alan for a while.
But yeah, it feels great, and I am sure I have added 6 weeks to my life.
Have saved around $650, still looking for wager/donation ideas.
As I recall, you just moved to Las Vegas. If you came from a less arid climate (which is basically everywhere else), your body is still probably making minor adjustments to that as well. When I moved to Las Vegas (during the summer, of course), I got heatstroke a few times just driving around doing errands. The following summer I was fine and could easily take 110 degrees. Give it time - your body doesn't react to major changes immediately, whether it's a drastic change in environmental humidity or a drastic change in nicotine intake.
$650 is a lot of money -- perhaps put it to good use around your home. Then you'll be able to look at your home improvement every day and think "we have that because I quit smoking."
Quote: FleaStiffOkay. so its 79 days since you quit smoking. So what? You were not supposed to have started smoking in the first place and you were not supposed to have continued smoking. So just go away and do your dying quietly. If its from emphysema tomorrow... it was your choice. If its from emphysema ten years from now... it was your choice.
Telling us you've quit smoking is akin to telling us you've stopped beating your wife.
Strong words. Maybe not everybody is as perfect as you. Some of us make mistakes. When someone falls down, and is trying to get back up again, I think the compassionate thing to do is offer support and encouragement.
Quote: AlanIn the news today:
Article
I guess they may have to modify the calculator that someone posted to this thread to include "How much TV do you watch?"
TV
Exercise is one of the best things you can do. Running, jogging or even walking are all great. Don't skimp on the shoes and replace them regularly. As a Las Vegan, I'm sure you don't need to be told to drink lots of water. I've never had a problem acclimating during any of my extended stays in the desert but everyone is different. You're blood pressure reading while smoking is impressive and I agree that your body is still adjusting. If you haven't been exercising, start off slowly and you'll be running marathons with the Wizard before you know it.
Quote: AlanIn the news today:
Article
These studies are ridiculous. They make the assumption that everybody in
the study is exactly the same, and they are far from the same. There are
other studies that show 95% of what happens to you is genetic, you can
eat 'healthy' and exercise your ass off, and its doesn't lengthen your life
a whit. It makes you feel better, thats all.
Quote: FleaStiffOkay. so its 79 days since you quit smoking. So what? You were not supposed to have started smoking in the first place and you were not supposed to have continued smoking. So just go away and do your dying quietly. If its from emphysema tomorrow... it was your choice. If its from emphysema ten years from now... it was your choice.
Telling us you've quit smoking is akin to telling us you've stopped beating your wife.
Thanks for the kind words Flea. Perhaps you could provide a link so I can purchase the Kindle version of 'Fleas Keys to Quality Living'. I read the large print version, but I think that was before you added the.chapter on being a dickhead on an anonymous internet forum. I don't know where you are from, but if you would pop off with some bs like that to my face, we would play a fun game of Humpty Dumpty!
And BTW, to compare smoking with domestic violence is both insensitive and moronic. But considering the source.....
To the rest of you, thanks for the encouragement, after 27 years, glad I finally quit!
Quote: FleaStiffOkay. so its 79 days since you quit smoking. So what? You were not supposed to have started smoking in the first place and you were not supposed to have continued smoking. So just go away and do your dying quietly. If its from emphysema tomorrow... it was your choice. If its from emphysema ten years from now... it was your choice.
Flea, my advice is not to volunteer for work on a suicide hotline. They want you to try and SAVE
the callers life.
I'm just sayin...
Started working on the extra pounds put on....spinach salads with grilled chicken twice a day. Hooray!!!
Anyway, thanks all who provided encouragement, and a big FU to those who didn't. And Wiz, we still gotta climb Red Hat or whatever at some point. My kid has been reminding me way too much lately.
This is a perfect time to do Red Hat. How about Saturday? My son can lead the way.
