Smoking is bad....UPDATE

[blue]

Now THERE'S a plan.

You can always church shop and see where you are comfy.

I used a spiritual recovery program for alcohol and junk food...the idea being the booze and junk were my gods already, and really mean ones who had the ultimate control. Had to seriously trade them in on a Higher Power that wouldn't do the same damage.

{{{hugs}}}

Meh...

Im Catholic, the day I decide to quit smoking and drinking Ill go to Church.

[Karen]

Meh...

Im Catholic, the day I decide to quit smoking and drinking Ill go to Church.

I'd say you can come to my church, we'd welcome you, but it's just about as far away as one can get, and it's not Catholic. That doesn't matter to us, we have many former Catholics here ... and we also have NA, AA, OA, and other self-help groups that meet here every day of the week.

Blue, my Dad is an asthmatic, and has been since childhood. He didn't start smoking until he joined the Army at 17, and everyone was given cigarettes on a regular basis. He smoked all through my growing up years, but we were not supposed to know he did. He never ever smoked in the house, and never smoked where we could see him. Like me, he is allergic to cigarette smoke, and apparently they have done studies showing that if you are allergic to something but get addicted to it, it is exponentially harder to quit for physiological reasons.

One day, probably 20 years ago, his doctor discovered a lump on his neck. It turned out to be benign, but he knew that when he was in the hospital for the surgery to remove and biopsy it, he would not be able to smoke. So he quit, cold turkey. This was in the days before all the patches and gums existed ...

And it worked. As he said "I would not have wanted to live with me - or been anywhere near me - for those two weeks, but after the first two weeks, I was over the worst of it."

Thankfully, only my mother was living in the house with him at the time, we were all grown and on our own - or in the military in one case - and my mother was the most optimistic, cheerful and hopeful person you could ever hope to meet, so they made it through those two weeks with killing each other.

He later watched my mother's best friend die from lung cancer and her husband, who was Dad's good friend, die from heart disease, both completely smoking-related. Dad is still in good health, for which we are grateful.

Quit now, okay?

[Medusa]

I no longer preach the "stop smoking gospel". My sister-in-law repeatedly said "When the dr. tells me I have cancer, then I'll stop smoking". He did and she kept her word because she was dead 3 weeks later. It isn't the smoker that I'm concerned about any more; it's the people left behind, going on w/out their loved one because of the smoker's nonchalant attitude toward life, which can be taken from us in an instant like their beloved puff of smoke.

[Edwina's Secretary]

The day I go back to Church will likely be the day I quit.

Oh, I think you should continue to smoke. It is your God given constitutional right to do so!

[blue]

Oh, I think you should continue to smoke. It is your God given constitutional right to do so!

My right to smoke is niether god given nor is it in the Constitution.

[jennielynn1970]

My right to smoke is niether god given nor is it in the Constitution.

True.

It just something done by stubborn, head strong people who think they look cool doing it (along with shooting big guns).

Besides, who wants to date smelly people who have icky yellow teeth, and all of it by choice?? You can't even be next to them without coming home smelling just as foul. And don't even start on the kissing part. GROSS. I don't know what's worse, kissing a guy who smokes, or kissing a guy who chews tobacco.

Makes me want to vomit just thinking back on it. BLECH.


So many reasons to NOT smoke that aren't even health related...

[Karen]

True.

It just something done by stubborn, head strong people who think they look cool doing it (along with shooting big guns).

Now, now, no relying on stereotypes. I know smokers who are neither strong nor stubborn, nor do they think they look cool. An addiction is an addiction. I know perfectly good, intelligent, kind, gentle people who smoke who would never, ever fire a gun, and those who would. I know people who are none of those things, but who smoke. I know smokers who regret smoking, and those who don't regret it. It cuts across a whole spectrum of society.

[Queen of Poop]

What is really sad is that both my parents smoke. So much so that walking in their door leads one to be hit by the wall of smoke. I can't visit them for more than a couple of hours before I start coughing, get all stuffed up and feel generally like I'm suffocating. Which is why I don't visit them very often and they don't visit me because I won't let them smoke in my house.

[Bonny]

Both of my folks smoked all their shortened lifes. I was told by my mother if I ever tried smoking she would pull every bit of hair out of my head. I took the threat literally. I was around 2nd hand smoke for a good 20 years. I noticed in sports at school I had shortness of breath. Go figure!?! I hate cigarette smoke to this day. It is a bad habit to ever start & my folks would still be here if they hadn't smoked. Cigarettes suck !!!

[blue]

True.

It just something done by stubborn, head strong people who think they look cool doing it (along with shooting big guns).

I can be stuborn and head strong, but I do not think it looks cool. I might have thought so as a teen but now I know better. None of my firearms are classified as large. There are also people who just enjoy going to the gun range and relaxing.

Besides, who wants to date smelly people who have icky yellow teeth, and all of it by choice?? You can't even be next to them without coming home smelling just as foul. And don't even start on the kissing part. GROSS. I don't know what's worse, kissing a guy who smokes, or kissing a guy who chews tobacco.

Makes me want to vomit just thinking back on it. BLECH.


So many reasons to NOT smoke that aren't even health related...

So many reasons indeed.

[Queen of Poop]

So the news is that my aunt has 3-6 WEEKS to live if she does nothing. She MIGHT have a YEAR if she does chemo, radiation AND some new experimental drug.

My mom talked to her directly after she was given this prognosis. She has not yet decided what course of action, if any, she will take.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Now, now, no relying on stereotypes. I know smokers who are neither strong nor stubborn, nor do they think they look cool. An addiction is an addiction. I know perfectly good, intelligent, kind, gentle people who smoke who would never, ever fire a gun, and those who would. I know people who are none of those things, but who smoke. I know smokers who regret smoking, and those who don't regret it. It cuts across a whole spectrum of society.

Agreed. Thank you Karen.

Prayers for your Aunt and your entire family Gayle.

[finn's mom]

My dad just recently quit smoking after 53 years of lighting up. He's been smoking since he was about 13. He's been smoke free now for nearly three months. I have never been prouder of a human being in my life. I'm also extremely proud of my brother, who's a cancer survivor. He started smoking in his early twenties (he had leukemia when he was five years old and was sick for five years) and quit smoking about two years ago. I hope people read this and maybe get some inspiration if they're thinking it can't be done.

[Medusa]

I'm so sorry to hear about your aunt, Gayle. She's got a tough road ahead of her now. All you can do is be there for her and we'll be here for you.

[catland]

Queen, I'm very sorry for the pain you are going through with your family and this terrible illness (which was probably caused by the smokes)


Blue - Another way to look at it.

Take one pac of cigs at $4.00/pack. If you smoke one pack a day, that's $1460.00 in a year.

In ten years, with a compound interest rate of 5%, that's almost $20,000.00 spent just on cigarettes.

I'd rather have a new car.