smoking

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I tried hash once, but I will never smoke tobacco. I can understand why people use it, I don't understand why they would start

For myself, I was simply curious ... and then I liked the initial effect. Fortunately, however, I was also 27 years old at the time. I have since heard smoking is worst for people during their growth years ... but now I do have a small (9 mm) "spot" on one lung.

fair enough. By "spot" you don't mean malignant/pre-malignant tissue do you?

Yes, I think so. I will be having a CAT Scan done one week from today, and I have been told that "spot" will be watched regularly after that.

I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully it turns out to be benign. I really hope the CAT scan results come out clear for you

I'm very sorry to hear this. I hope it turns out to be nothing serious, or never progresses. Best wishes to you.

I tried a few cigarettes and cigars when I was 18. I never got it (thank God). It didn't do anything for me so I stuck with drinking

I find smoking really abhorrent, to be honest. I can smell it from very very far away. And when people light up in front of me it makes me wanna scream at them. I really can't stand it.

A big "I thank you!" to you and to Ryan.

I am not terribly worried, but only time will really tell. I had a benign swollen lymph node removed in the late '70s, and I have recently learned my prostate swelling is benign. So unless this "spot" is both malignant and fast-growing, which I doubt, my lungs will survive proportionately with the rest of this body!

I smoke, and have been smoking since I was 15 (not peer pressure). I mainly do it to relax and take a break from whatever i'm doing... However I never smoke in cars, while driving etc.. Smoker cars are the worst, they really just stink of old ashtrays all the time and the smell is so incredibly hard to get out.

i've smoked hash as well, but mainly in order to fall asleep. I've been on sleeping pills, which just mess up my sleep cycle completely, while a good joint gives me a more natural sleep and doesn't make me wake up all groggy and dozy the next morning.

My grandmother died of lung cancer 1 month before I was born. Completely caused by smoking. She was only 56 years old. My mom was 26. The fact that her mother could never meet her granddaughter (me) caused my mom a great deal of pain. Never mind that she had to lose her mother at a young age.

Now both of my brothers smoke. My mom asks them to please try and quit, my brothers fully knowing about my mom's mom. But they can't cuz they are addicted, I guess.

You don't wanna encourage the people you care about not to die? This doesn't make any sense to me.

I'm glad to hear it. ^_^ I hope this is the case.



Everyone dies. It would pain me greatly for my loved ones to die. But I still respect that it is their right to decide what to do to their bodies. And if the things they do to their bodies hasten their deaths, but make their time on Earth more pleasant for them, I cannot begrudge them this. How selfish of me that would be.

I think encouragement is fine. It can just come off as needling, or pushy. It's not like smokers don't know it's not good for them. I used to needle my dad about it, but I guess people have to be able to make their own decisions.

FWIW, I quit 5 months ago.

I've never smoked in my life but I have nothing against people who do. It's their health.

Second hand smoke is irritating but I don't really have to deal with it much anymore (thanks to smoking being banned in a lot of places like shopping centres, pubs and restaurants)

I agree with this for the most part.

Even if smoking has some sort of feel good effect, I can't imagine smokers actually truly know what lung cancer is. My grandmother died of lung cancer. She was the kindest thing, but she died a horrible death because of lung cancer. She wasn't a smoker, but was a scientist and anatomy teacher who worked with formaldehyde all her life (Which causes cancer). Lung cancer is a slow process of your lungs getting snuffed out while you hack up blood and lung particles. It's truly probably one of the worse deaths imaginable. I really can't see someone saying "I'm okay with that" if they saw it first hand. A video of that would make a very good scare campaign to tell the truth.

Life is short, but there are much better less violent ways to die. I would say that I very much discourage it... However, I still believe it is up to the individual to decide. I just can't stand the thought of someone taking such a high risk to feel good... or whatever the feeling is .

I'll also note because of previous posts, that I don't find smoking to be morally incorrect. I don't treat smokers any less kind than I would non-smokers... as long as they are considerate enough to not make me inhale it second hand.

Kaybee, you put my thoughts into words perfectly. Kiseki, I've also seen people in my family suffer cancer from the effects of smoking, but I'm uninterested in imposing my will on others, just like I don't want them telling me what to do. My dad was guilted by so many people about smoking and he reacted by just sneaking it. He has to come to the decision to quit, I can't make him get there. And in his case for example, I see him suffer so much - he has his whole life - and considering few people in his demographic make it over 62, if sitting in quiet and taking a drag on a cig makes him happy, then I say enjoy it, papa, I love you no matter what you do. And if it shortens his life, then, well, it was his decision and he was well informed. So be it. Everyone dies at some point.

My grandmother's had a cigarette in her mouth since the 1950s and has suffered no ill effects at all. She hasn't wrinkled, her voice is soft and sweet, she has no rattling cough, etc. It simply isn't a guaranteed express ticket to death, or even illness for that matter.

You made an assumption in your questions "...people you care about". I find this very curious and I have to turn it over in my mind. Honestly, I don't think I differentiate much between people who are close to me and people who aren't. They count the same. I don't want them to suffer, I want them to be happy, but this is an intellectual value I have, not an emotion. If they die they die. We all know it's coming. I don't get caught up in losing people, at least I haven't so far. I rarely ever miss them, and really, I don't know that I do - at least in the same way others do.

I hope this explains what I mean - I'm not a callous person, I'm just living my life and it often doesn't occur to me to be involved in the decisions of others.