[motleydan1]

I agree with RudyLS,these things will kill you.And they are very addicting.Dont believe the tobacco company supported studys.Smoking is like drawing straws,sometimes you will draw the short one.Im 38 and have been smoking for 24 years.I have quit 3 times and have went back.I love my Luckys and Camel nf but know that they will kill me some day if I dont quit.Dan

[potatohead]

Originally Posted by RudyLS I am very surprised that I am not getting any support from other smokers on this forum. I know I am not the only one here that knows how lethal smoking is , despite being a smoker.

We all know the risks. Some will deny them. But they are there. That's it. Move on. Turn the page. Click on a link.

Now, what do you smoke? I just ordered some Davidoff Classic. Yum.

[the iron horse]

Originally Posted by 5aday RudyLS The bottom line is if you really want to quit smoking you can. Smoking is a habituation not an addiction. Yes you can become psychologically dependent on smoking because most people tend to smoke in patterns or at certain times of day. Nicotine is out of your system 3 days after you quit smoking, the physical withdrawal symptoms if they occur at all are mild and usually consist of irritability or a headache. It's simply a question of will power and breaking the psychological associations you have with smoking. "And people always say "anything can happen you never know when your goinna die" well that statement is somewhat correct in the fact that you DONT know what could godforbid end your life early , but EVERYONE KNOWS that smoking WILL end your life early." Smoking is a risk factor for cancer, not a guarantee of cancer. There is a difference between correlation and causation. Smoking does not immediately cause cancer, it may cause cancer. According to this source( http://www.journaloftheoretics.com/editorials/vol-1/e1-4.htm )the overall likelihood of a smoker contracting lung cancer is 8%, for nonsmokers it's 1%. Just because a study says 90% lung cancer occurs is smokers doesn't me 90% of smokers contract lung cancer. Numerous countries that have higher smoker rates than the U.S. also have higher life expectancies. If smoking automatically shortens you life,how do you account for this? The cause of cancer is still unknown, it's absurd to say that if you smoke you have an automatic 100% chance of your life ending earlier. I will continue to make the choice to smoke 5-8 cigarettes a day because I enjoy it, and I feel it improves my quality of my life. I will continue to take the small risk of smoking and enjoy my life, instead of being afraid of death which is a part of life and eventually happens to everyone.

A good reply.

[joker515]

for me it is a choice. yes. cigarettes are addictive. but i had to quit for a week, and aside from a headache and irritability; suffered no really bad withdraw symptoms(im lucky). when i got back the only reason i started up again was because i still had half a carton and didn't want to waste money, so i smoked them, and bought more later because i felt that it improved my life. i say it is a choice because i know can walk away from smoking if i so choose. i choose to smoke because i enjoy it, not because i NEED to smoke. it is no one's decision but my own, it was my own decision to start and it will be my own decision to stop if i decide to.

call all that rationalization if you want, but...

the definition of addiction is:
A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses.

i have never NEEDED a cigarette. i have often wanted, but never NEEDED
there were times when i wanted a cigarette before i ever smoked one, and i often find myself wanting a drink, but i have rarely ever drank. some moments just feel like they deserve a substance.

the definition of choice is:
the act of choosing

it seems that everyone here chose to start smoking, and it is possible (though for many VERY difficult) to choose to stop.

addiction follows some choices, therefore: you can have choice without addiction, but not addiction without choice (aside from the babies born addicted to drugs)

does anyone follow me at all with this?

[the iron horse]

"does anyone follow me at all with this?"

~joker515


I do.

Your story and approach to smoking sounds similar to my experience.

As I write this, I have not smoked a cigarette in four weeks, but I have
a fresh pack of Lucky Strikes snugged in the butter compartment of the fridge.

I might have one Sunday morning with a cup of coffee.