I am planning to start smoking

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by opaque

I just asked you guys about the advantages and disadvantages of smoking. I did not ask you should I start smoking or not.

People gave you lists of disadvantages and a couple people even came up with a few things that might be considered advantages.

Basically, though.... whatever. The thread turned into an interesting discussion, and people will find the thread for years to come by way of Google and other search engines, and they might learn something or appreciate at least a few of the posts, even if you don't.

I mean, you're all "Hey, I ignored all of you and did what I felt like doing, so there!" It just seems really strange. Maybe it's a cultural thing, though. Again, whatever.

[Philemon]

Originally Posted by opaque

Just because I want to feel high sometimes.

Does it reduce the sex drive?

I'm a smoker. Cigarettes don't get you high. When you start, they make you a little dizzy for about 15-20 seconds, but not high. Once you're addicted, they provide a sort of relief (satisfying the addiction) but it's still not a high.

Drugs get you high, and low, but they can be dangerous in a lot of ways: legally, physically, mentally.

If you want to get a little high now and again, weed probably wouldn't be a bad choice, if you know how to get it safely.

I will say, as a regular smoker of cigarettes and the mary jane, and frankly a regular drinker as well, the most consistent, satisfying, long-lasting high I get is still from completely cleansing myself of toxic things like that and meditating. I do this regularly, and the highs far exceed the substance-based highs - although it does take more effort.

[opaque]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

I mean, you're all "Hey, I ignored all of you and did what I felt like doing, so there!" It just seems really strange. Maybe it's a cultural thing, though. Again, whatever.

Not my intention Butterfly.

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

Okay, that's just spooky. It's what I just said, in slightly different words. I didn't read your post before I posted mine. People are mistaking us for each other on this forum and.... I'm starting to see why.... Yikes. One of us should be really concerned (or maybe both of us? )

It is getting a bit ridiculous.

At this rate we may morph into a super e-lucid butterfly wo-man.

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by opaque

What are the advantages and disadvantages of smoking??? I am 25, male

Yeah true, you did only ask what these were. Threads have a way of evolving into what posters want the thread to be about after a while, though the title of your thread that you were planning to take it up would have evoked the response you got from many saying that it's a stupid thing to plan to do.

Still though...you're 25. Did you really need us to point the advantages and disadvantages out to you? Surely you can see what they are without any input.

[cheesedip1]

Originally Posted by elucidate

SuIt's like an instant "cool" points thing in their world

Do I have enough "cool" points? Because if I don't I won't be able to gain the approval of my peers....

[James81]

Originally Posted by opaque

I just asked you guys about the advantages and disadvantages of smoking. I did not ask you should I start smoking or not.

Well, you've gotta understand that people have been programmed to believe that smoking is bad and should not be done at all costs and that regular trains of thought or rules of courtesy do not apply to smokers because of this programming.

In other words, you'll rarely ever get a logical thought out response when it comes to this subject because so many are just acting out the "SMOKING IS BAD!!1!" Program whenever they see a subject like this.

[elucidate]

Smoking is actually bad for you. It's not programming...it's fact.

I don't think non-smokers think it's "bad" as in "evil bad"...just that it stinks, it makes people sick and there is very little positive effect on people who have to put up with smoke from cigarettes blown in their face everywhere they go.

I've never thought that smoking is bad, and I've never known anyone who doesn't smoke say they think that either. Almost everyone I do know who doesn't smoke thinks that smokers are selfish though but I think it's closer to reality to say they simply don't get how much their habit effects people around them, because their senses have dulled long ago and they don't even smell how bad it is, or how bad they smell.

It's an all round stupid thing to do if you really think about it...that doesn't make it "bad" and it doesn't make smokers "bad"...just stupid!

I also think that everyone who responded in this thread gave logical reasons for it being stupid. We may have mistaken the purpose of the thread though, but given the thread title, is it any wonder?

[Clint Cora]

I won't comment on the health issues since everybody already did that in depth. Another thing to consider is the social aspects. Smokers tend to like to hang out with other smokers as non-smokers do the same with non-smokers. Non-smokers don't want to smell smoke while smokers don't want to be antagonized by non-smokers.

This issue is extremely important in relationships. It is very challenging to make a relationship work in the long run if one is a smoker while the other is a non-smoker (and hates smoke).

So you may also want to consider your present and future social circles as well. Hope you make the right decisions.

[Lionman]

I can't see why anyone over 16 would consider taking up smoking. Young and dumb, I took it up at that age.

But at 25... hrmmm, odd

Unless you have schizophrenia, in which case it would make sense. Nicotine helps with schizophrenic symptoms and many of them self-medicate with cigarettes without really knowing what they're doing. They just get the craving all of a sudden.

If that's the case, or actually in any case, I would recommend nicotine patches and never touching a cigarette in your life.

[Fred Tracy]

LOL, this is certainly different.

Well, the negative sides are obviously that it's gross, and causes cancer. Or well, at least to me it's gross.

The positives that it gives you a slight buzz and helps people relax, I suppose.

Overall, it's probably a pretty dumb idea, as it also cost lots of money, but hey – it's your life!

[faraway]

My best friend works in a big reputable cancer clinique. Not long ago they had a conference on the hazards of smoking. The first part of the conference was going for hours, and a friend of my friend's, a doctor said: "Well, when are we finally having a break to go and have a sigarette!" Most of the doctors smoke there.

No joking, its an educated choice that many people are taking. Not me. I believe that smoking is connected with subconscious self-punishing.

[Apresto]

what kind of cigarettes are you going to smoke .. there's also a way of being "cool by smoking" without poisoning yourself if you get an electrical cigarette - they're harmless but kinda strange

[James81]

Originally Posted by elucidate

Smoking is actually bad for you. It's not programming...it's fact.

I don't think non-smokers think it's "bad" as in "evil bad"...just that it stinks, it makes people sick and there is very little positive effect on people who have to put up with smoke from cigarettes blown in their face everywhere they go.

I've never thought that smoking is bad, and I've never known anyone who doesn't smoke say they think that either. Almost everyone I do know who doesn't smoke thinks that smokers are selfish though but I think it's closer to reality to say they simply don't get how much their habit effects people around them, because their senses have dulled long ago and they don't even smell how bad it is, or how bad they smell.

It's an all round stupid thing to do if you really think about it...that doesn't make it "bad" and it doesn't make smokers "bad"...just stupid!

I also think that everyone who responded in this thread gave logical reasons for it being stupid. We may have mistaken the purpose of the thread though, but given the thread title, is it any wonder?

Actually, I changed my mind. It's not really "smoking is BAD" programming, it's the notion that smoking is STUPID.

The fact is this: smoking *may* (even the most clinical studies use that word "may" btw) have detrimental effects to your health. Some common health issues involve heart issues, lung issues, and gastrointestinal issues. (Although, interest enough, I was told that I had acid reflux -- aka "heartburn" -- because I smoked and I haven't had a cigarette in over 3 months and I still get massive heartburn. I'm still waiting for that to go away. )

Ok, those are the facts (and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that taking smoke into your lungs is harmful to your health).

You know what else causes very similar health issues? Caffeine, sugar, processed food, trans fat, sedentary lifestyles and a lack of physical activity. But you never hear someone say: EATING A PIECE OF CAKE IS STUPID! YOU STUPID CAKE-EATER!" or "EATING THAT FRENCH FRY IS UTTERLY RETARDED. HOW STUPID YOU ARE FOR EATING THAT FRENCH FRY."

But that greasy french fry or that piece of cake is doing the same amount (if not more) damage than a cigarette does. And loads of people eat that kind of food as habitually as a smoker smokes.

Smoking a cigarette is no more stupid than eating a piece of cake, candy, greasy food, cup of coffee, soda, wearing perfume/cologne (yeah, those have carcinogens in them), etc.

My point being this: It's a choice, just like everything else. And that choice has certain consequences...some of them of good, some of them bad. The good consequences of smoking involve relaxation and breathing techniques to sooth stress, chemically altering the brain creating clarity and focus (nicotine does this), and, nowadays anyway, it gets you up and outside (because you can't smoke inside anywhere anymore). It also provides a social outlet (because groups of smokers DO socialize).

So, the choice is no different that any other "bad" thing you do (such as eating or drinking something unhealthy). Why on EARTH people choose smoking as their "patsy" is beyond me.

At the end of the day? Smoking is a choice with consequences just like anything else. Calling it "stupid" is just your opinion and NOT a fact.

[James81]

And actually, the thought that smoking is stupid is a product of our generation's brainwashing. The same group that brought you things like D.A.R.E. (which always makes me laugh when potheads wear those shirts), that drinking will kill you, and that smoking marijuana will make your heart explode. The same group that thinks using scare-tactics is a good way to keep people from indulging in minor vices.

I mean, I don't smoke anymore (and don't intend to pick it back up), but I still think that the majority of the anti-smoking propaganda is a gigantic hunk of ♥♥♥♥.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by James81

Why on EARTH people choose smoking as their "patsy" is beyond me.

A couple of reasons, I think: First, although I understand you may not see it this way, smoking occurs as such an egregiously harmful agent, causing cancers, premature aging, respiratory and cardiac problems, etc., that it shows up as bold self-destruction. Many of us have personally witnessed loved ones dying of lung cancer (a very suffery kind of death) or emphysema, or just seeing the skin of someone who has smoked for a few years - yichhh, and actively doing something that occurs as causing those things can make a person look pretty stupid to a person for whom health and vitality are values, and then on top of that, smoking is invasive into the lives of nonsmokers -- it's pretty yucky to breathe in second-hand smoke without having any choice in the matter but to leave, or even have to smell the fairly disgusting smell on people's breath or clothing. Food choices don't tend to infringe on other people's space as much. (Perfume does, though -- that can get pretty gross.) Also, to an anti-smoker, the manipulation for profit by tobacco companies is pretty disgusting, along with the willingness of smokers to dramatically compromise their health and pay lots of money for the privilege of doing so.

So the feeling of resentment towards smokers and the disgust at the manipulation done by tobacco companies, added to what looks like extremely self-destructive behavior, is what makes smoking the patsy.

[James81]

Originally Posted by Angela

A couple of reasons, I think: First, although I understand you may not see it this way, smoking occurs as such an egregiously harmful agent, causing cancers, premature aging, respiratory and cardiac problems, etc., that it shows up as bold self-destruction. Many of us have personally witnessed loved ones dying of lung cancer (a very suffery kind of death) or emphysema, or just seeing the skin of someone who has smoked for a few years - yichhh, and actively doing something that occurs as causing those things can make a person look pretty stupid to a person for whom health and vitality are values, and then on top of that, smoking is invasive into the lives of nonsmokers -- it's pretty yucky to breathe in second-hand smoke without having any choice in the matter but to leave, or even have to smell the fairly disgusting smell on people's breath or clothing. Food choices don't tend to infringe on other people's space as much. (Perfume does, though -- that can get pretty gross.) Also, to an anti-smoker, the manipulation for profit by tobacco companies is pretty disgusting, along with the willingness of smokers to dramatically compromise their health and pay lots of money for the privilege of doing so.

So the feeling of resentment towards smokers and the disgust at the manipulation done by tobacco companies, added to what looks like extremely self-destructive behavior, is what makes smoking the patsy.

Now that I don't smoke, I understand about the smell. I had forgotten how powerful the smell can be. But funnily enough, I don't get all huffy if a group of people are standing at the entrance of a store smoking and I have to breathe their smoke for 10 seconds. I would get annoyed if I had to be around it for any length of time, but almost every public place is now non-smoking, so it's a rare occasion I'm even exposed to it. So the "offensive" part of smoking is mostly gone in today's society. (But I can understand how the older people might still be annoyed by the smoke because they grew up in a generation where you could smoke everywhere. THAT was cause for uproar and annoyance, I can agree. But nowadays? At most you only have to experience someone's puff of smoke for 10 seconds as you enter a store or something, and that's hardly something to get bent out of shape about.)

I can understand that if you've watched a loved one die of such diseases caused by smoking. That must be tough. And, not to detract from the pain one would feel from such an experience, that STILL doesn't make their decision STUPID and it is NOT a cause for anybody to get resentful toward smokers as a whole. That resentment is actually indicative of some unprocessed pain. Just because you watched someone die from lung cancer does not give you any right as a person to point your finger at someone and call them stupid. I guarantee you that by the same standard you judge smoking as stupid, you've probably made at least 6 stupid choices of a similar vein today that ISN'T singled out by our society and made out to be stupid.

[Angela]

I was speaking only to the "patsy" issue - why smoking gets singled out over other choices that could be seen as just as stupid or even moreso.

Now, I don't think that being all resisty about smoking -- being an "anti-smoker" -- is a wise choice, itself, by the way. It's a great metaphor, though, because like so many things, when someone resists and makes you wrong about some choice of yours, it often has the opposite of your consciously intended choice. When a smoker sees anti-smoking material, the same part of his brain is stimulated as when he gets a craving for cigarettes! Add to that the FY Syndrome - resistance to the resistance, and craving for relief from the stress felt when people resist you - and anti-smokers end up creating what they most don't (consciously) want.

However, I don't know what you mean by not having a right to call someone or their choice stupid. Of course we have that right! Huh? You may not think it's a moral right, like they're wrong if they do it, but that would put you in the same boat as an anti-smoker. D'oh!

In my evaluation, some choices are stupid choices. That I myself also make stupid choices doesn't mean my evaluation of other people's stupid choices is invalid. If I'm lucky or self-aware, maybe noticing other people's stupid choices will help give me more access to trying something else about my own.

[James81]

Originally Posted by Angela

In my evaluation, some choices are stupid choices. That I myself also make stupid choices doesn't mean my evaluation of other people's stupid choices is invalid. If I'm lucky or self-aware, maybe noticing other people's stupid choices will help give me more access to trying something else about my own.

I don't think there are stupid choices, even the ones that seemingly APPEAR to be stupid based on our societal paradigms. I think, very literally, that there are choices and there are consequences to those choices. Action...reaction...cause/effect (not to go all Merovingian here or anything ). I think even the choices that I make that knowingly cause some sort of suffering on my part...such as the time I said "I do" when I knew that we'd be divorced in five years...or the time I signed on the dotted line for a house and a car that I couldn't afford. I don't see those as stupid choices. I see those as things I chose to do that had certain affects on the direction of my life. And those choices have turned into very positive learning experiences.

In the same way, I do not see the choice I made to smoke everyday for eleven years as stupid. It was something I chose to do, it was a means to an end, and it had certain affects on me. I can live with that choice, even if it was a harmful choice (to my body that is).

There are no stupid choices, because every choice you make (whether you perceive the reaction to be positive or negative) shapes us.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by James81

I don't think there are stupid choices, even the ones that seemingly APPEAR to be stupid based on our societal paradigms. I think, very literally, that there are choices and there are consequences to those choices. Action...reaction...cause/effect (not to go all Merovingian here or anything ). I think even the choices that I make that knowingly cause some sort of suffering on my part...such as the time I said "I do" when I knew that we'd be divorced in five years...or the time I signed on the dotted line for a house and a car that I couldn't afford. I don't see those as stupid choices. I see those as things I chose to do that had certain affects on the direction of my life. And those choices have turned into very positive learning experiences.

In the same way, I do not see the choice I made to smoke everyday for eleven years as stupid. It was something I chose to do, it was a means to an end, and it had certain affects on me. I can live with that choice, even if it was a harmful choice (to my body that is).

There are no stupid choices, because every choice you make (whether you perceive the reaction to be positive or negative) shapes us.

I understand your perspective, and I think I would substitute the word "wrong" for stupid, as you're using it here. I don't think there's anything wrong with anyone's choices, like they shouldn't be as they are. Like you say, amazing things happen out of all kinds of choices.

And: I still think some choices are very stupid choices. The choice to give your child a book of matches. Choosing to drive drunk. Getting pregnant in an attempt to improve an abusive relationship. Choosing to ignore signs of hernias.

Regardless, though, people have the right to judge or evaluate others or their choices as being wrong or stupid. The only person who gets to choose what goes on in my head is me ... and I think anyone who thinks they have any say about my rights to think or judge is wrong and stupid. Nahh, just kidding... except not really JUST kidding.

[Angela]

Who was it who made me laugh so hard, was it Marianne Williamson? when someone stood up in her audience and said, "This may be a stupid question, but...." and she interrupted and said, "There are no stupid questions, only stupid people."

[James81]

Originally Posted by Angela

I understand your perspective, and I think I would substitute the word "wrong" for stupid, as you're using it here. I don't think there's anything wrong with anyone's choices, like they shouldn't be as they are. Like you say, amazing things happen out of all kinds of choices.

And: I still think some choices are very stupid choices. The choice to give your child a book of matches. Choosing to drive drunk. Getting pregnant in an attempt to improve an abusive relationship. Choosing to ignore signs of hernias.

Regardless, though, people have the right to judge or evaluate others or their choices as being wrong or stupid. The only person who gets to choose what goes on in my head is me ... and I think anyone who thinks they have any say about my rights to think or judge is wrong and stupid. Nahh, just kidding... except not really JUST kidding.

I tend to see the word "stupid" as the label that people gives to things they don't understand. How often do you see people use that word "stupid" in that way?

"Well, that was a stupid call!"

"This assignment is stupid!"

I see the label of "stupid" as ironic in that sense because it applies to the person USING the label moreso than to what that person is judging as "stupid." But life has its little ironies like that.

And I'm not meaning "stupid" to be "wrong." Funnily enough, I DO think there are WRONG choices (but mostly from a subjective point of view rather than an objective point of view). A person can make a wrong choice, but I don't think people EVER make stupid choices. It's impossible for a choice to be stupid.

So, you're quote about there are no stupid questions, only stupid people is part of what I'd call irony. Because I'd assert that to call something stupid is just an admission of ignorance on your part. (Not YOU specifically...I'm speaking generally.)

And the reason it is ignorance because the chooser (the one supposedly making the stupid decision) never says to himself "Oh, I think I'll do something stupid today. You know what? I'll go ahead and give myself cancer. That sounds like fun." Nobody does that. A smoker picks up a cigarette for reasons that make perfect sense to them, even if it confounds the rest of the world.

And you're right...you have the right to think whatever you want. You just took a figure of speech very literally there.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by James81

I tend to see the word "stupid" as the label that people gives to things they don't understand. How often do you see people use that word "stupid" in that way?

I think you're right, that it is often used to dismiss or deal with one's ignorance. Sometimes, though, it's an evaluation of a choice that lacks intelligence -- that is, one that works powerfully against one's conscious intentions, even if there is secondary gain in it. That's what I mean by stupid.

I have no doubt that smokers have reasons for smoking -- very compelling reasons that make tons of sense to them, and also very compelling ones that don't make so much (conscious) sense to them. I'm not confounded by the choice to smoke or the reasons -- I understand why someone would make that choice.

In the same way, I understand how someone could have a brain fart, or be on mind-altering substances, or be distracted, and hand their baby a book full of matches to play with. There is a kind of "sense" to every decision, even ones I find stupid. Knowing what that sense is (they were on drugs, they were thinking about their other kid in the hospital on life support, whatever) doesn't make the choice any less stupid, in my view, if one values the life of one's child. More understandable, maybe, but no less stupid.

(p.s... sorry for taking your figure of speech so literally when you didn't mean for it to be -- you also took my joke very literally! )

[Angela]

I don't think it's a problem that we use different perspectives on this, James... to swing back around, I was just giving you my perspective on something you said was beyond you.

[James81]

Originally Posted by Angela

I think you're right, that it is often used to dismiss or deal with one's ignorance. Sometimes, though, it's an evaluation of a choice that lacks intelligence -- that is, one that works powerfully against one's conscious intentions, even if there is secondary gain in it. That's what I mean by stupid.

I have no doubt that smokers have reasons for smoking -- very compelling reasons that make tons of sense to them, and also very compelling ones that don't make so much (conscious) sense to them. I'm not confounded by the choice to smoke or the reasons -- I understand why someone would make that choice.

In the same way, I understand how someone could have a brain fart, or be on mind-altering substances, or be distracted, and hand their baby a book full of matches to play with. There is a kind of "sense" to every decision, even ones I find stupid. Knowing what that sense is (they were on drugs, they were thinking about their other kid in the hospital on life support, whatever) doesn't make the choice any less stupid, in my view, if one values the life of one's child. More understandable, maybe, but no less stupid.

(p.s... sorry for taking your figure of speech so literally when you didn't mean for it to be -- you also took my joke very literally! )

I think the use of the word "stupid" is a poor choice for what you are making it mean. I disagree with you that intelligence factors into the choice of smoking. Some of the brightest, most intelligent people in the world smoke/have smoked. And using the word "stupid" for such choices does carry the implication of a lack of intelligence for making such a choice.

I'm not sure what a better word would be for what you are describing, but I simply disagree that intelligence plays any kind of a factor into the decision to smoke.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by James81

I think the use of the word "stupid" is a poor choice for what you are making it mean. I disagree with you that intelligence factors into the choice of smoking. Some of the brightest, most intelligent people in the world smoke/have smoked. And using the word "stupid" for such choices does carry the implication of a lack of intelligence for making such a choice.

I'm not sure what a better word would be for what you are describing, but I simply disagree that intelligence plays any kind of a factor into the decision to smoke.

Some of the brightest, most intelligent people in the world have made lots of choices I consider to be stupid or lacking intelligence. Including me! It's not (necessarily) that the person is stupid or lacks intelligence.

I get that you disagree with me, and that's ok. All is well!

[Shift]

Personally, I think smoking is a terrible (stupid) idea. Allow me to explain:

Have you ever noticed, while reading the paper or watching the news, that no one seems to burn alive in house-fires? Most of the time, they die of smoke inhalation.

So... would it make sense to walk into a burning building and breathe in the smoke? Of course not! That would lead to death! A far better solution is to inhale smoke in measured doses, while paying exorbitant prices and medical bills.

An untapped market is drowning. The effect is essentially the same: an unwanted agent enters the lungs and eventually, the person suffocates. My idea would be to sell small vials of water that the person would inhale into their lungs, providing that euphoric feeling of not being able to breath. I can just see the masses lining up now...

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by Angela

A couple of reasons, I think: First, although I understand you may not see it this way, smoking occurs as such an egregiously harmful agent, causing cancers, premature aging, respiratory and cardiac problems, etc., that it shows up as bold self-destruction. Many of us have personally witnessed loved ones dying of lung cancer (a very suffery kind of death) or emphysema, or just seeing the skin of someone who has smoked for a few years - yichhh, and actively doing something that occurs as causing those things can make a person look pretty stupid to a person for whom health and vitality are values, and then on top of that, smoking is invasive into the lives of nonsmokers -- it's pretty yucky to breathe in second-hand smoke without having any choice in the matter but to leave, or even have to smell the fairly disgusting smell on people's breath or clothing. Food choices don't tend to infringe on other people's space as much. (Perfume does, though -- that can get pretty gross.)

Yep.

Also, to an anti-smoker, the manipulation for profit by tobacco companies is pretty disgusting, along with the willingness of smokers to dramatically compromise their health and pay lots of money for the privilege of doing so.

This was the main reason I chose to stop smoking. I was so angry at the thought of these people getting rich off these things that were sucking the life out of me and other smokers, and didn't even care...AND they know exactly how harmful it is, and still sell them to people. That's just an uncaring way to operate.

So the feeling of resentment towards smokers and the disgust at the manipulation done by tobacco companies, added to what looks like extremely self-destructive behavior, is what makes smoking the patsy.

This is how I have felt about it in the past.

To be honest though, I don't even think about smokers anymore. It's the first time I have given an opinion about this subject in years.

I have had the awful experience before of seeing a friend smoke his lungs out, remorselessly, and I could actually FEEL his body screaming out for him to stop. It was really hard to take...and I had the perception that if smokers don't care about their own bodies enough to respect them by not putting hazardous chems in their system, then they can't really care about me either.

This is the main reason I choose to be around non-smokers as much as possible.

I don't not accept friends who smoke...but I will do my best to not put myself into their line of fire. Some are considerate enough to not blow it in my face though, so I like those smokers much better than the ones who don't care.

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by Shift

Personally, I think smoking is a terrible (stupid) idea. Allow me to explain:

Have you ever noticed, while reading the paper or watching the news, that no one seems to burn alive in house-fires? Most of the time, they die of smoke inhalation.

So... would it make sense to walk into a burning building and breathe in the smoke? Of course not! That would lead to death! A far better solution is to inhale smoke in measured doses, while paying exorbitant prices and medical bills.

An untapped market is drowning. The effect is essentially the same: an unwanted agent enters the lungs and eventually, the person suffocates. My idea would be to sell small vials of water that the person would inhale into their lungs, providing that euphoric feeling of not being able to breath. I can just see the masses lining up now...

I have a friend from school who lost his mother in a house fire, after she fell asleep with a lit joint in her hand. He was in the house at the time and has never gotten over the fact that he survived and didn't save her.

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by faraway

No joking, its an educated choice that many people are taking. Not me. I believe that smoking is connected with subconscious self-punishing.

This was my discovery as well, once I did delve into the reasons behind me smoking, and analyze it.

Once I was able to really truly appreciate my body and all that it does for me, I just couldn't justify punishing it anymore by choking it to death with crazy crap like what's in cigarettes.

I don't just go along with programming...I think for myself about this issue. I've been a smoker and analyzed every single angle and my conclusion is that it's just a stupid thing to do.