Cigarette?

[Karlifornia]

Where are my cigarette smokers on FOFC? Is it still uncool to smoke? Smoking is bad for your sacred temple, and it's disgusting. It's basically the 2007 Dolphins of health. Well call me Greg Camarillo, because I smoke cigarettes sometimes.

I smoke when I drink. A lot. When I decide to drink, I drink like Dean FUCKING Martin. And I smoke more than '77 Yugo. I don't waste time with Chocolate Martinis or Tom Collins mix. I drink whiskey..or bourbon..or scotch...and I shoot that shit down. Does it taste good? Of course not. Anyone who says they drink liquor for the taste is a liar and a bastard. Would you drink that shit if there was no alcohol in it? Not a chance. So what cuts the taste of rotten plants better than a cig? Nothing. That's what. It's also the icebreaker of icebreakers. Something about that little tobacco-filled roll gets conversation flowing like the Nile River. Case in point:

Originally Posted by Two drunk people at a party

#1: Wow...that Old Granddad sure tastes like your mama's armpits!

#2: Boy, you can say that again! The liquor dulls our senses, and keeps us from taking a real look inside of ourselves. We are completely flawless, at least for tonight!

#1: Yes! You are so right. But now we have nothing to talk about. We are empty. We would never hang out sober. We are two completely different people

#2: Well, I think I'll go outside and smoke. Care to join me?

#1: That sounds exquisite. These people suck. I don't enjoy hearing about people's kids and mortgage loans. You don't seem any more interesting, but you do have a lighter.

38 minutes, and 3 cigarettes later:

#1: No fucking way. So then you were discharged?

#2: Well, cutting off my own thumbs was extreme, but they knew I wouldn't be able to fire an antiaircraft gun.

My mom smoked all throughout my childhood. I always said I hated cigarettes, and I did. My dad never smoked. He hated when my mom did. I was on my dad's side.

Then one day, me and my buddy Glenn were stoned and walking back from the mall. We found this half full pack of Marlboro Lights on the ground. The rest was history.

Smoking fags...where do you stand?

[stevew]

I started up again earlier this year. I really need to stop. Although i guess i don't smoke quite as bad as i did before(about a 1/3rd pack per day now). And unfortunately I find camel menthol lights to be flat out amazing and enjoyable.

[Lathum]

I played sports growing up so it never appealed to me.

Now I still don't understand what would posses someone to smoke. It is repulsive. And I like to drink. I never really realized how much I hate it until they outlawed smoking in bars. Once I could go out and not stink at the end of the night that made a huge difference.

Now if we are out and I smell a ciggarette the stench cuts through everything.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I did the social smoking thing a few times, but that was it. I never understood the appeal.

I'm with Lathum. I find it repulsive. I wish Michigan would get with the 21st Century and pass a smoking ban, but this crap ass state never will. It's backwards is so many, many ways.

[Kodos]

My friends egged me on to try smoking a few times in my late teens, but I never found the experience even remotely enjoyable. In fact, like Bill Clinton, I'm not sure I ever successfully inhaled.

[Lathum]

It's actualy kind of sad people feel they have to invite someone to smoke to have an interesting conversation with them.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm pretty sure I've covered this ground before.

I smoke pretty much on par with my coffee consumption (about 2-3 packs & 2-3 pots per day). Oddly enough though, it doesn't seem that coffee is actually one of my strongest triggers (hands down that honor goes being at a keyboard).

[Crapshoot]

Its a vile, disgusting habit - but I'll smoke a cigarette if I've had a lot to drink.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

(about 2-3 packs & 2-3 pots per day)

[Lorena]

I tried to but couldn't

[Mantle2600]

I smoked for nearly 4 years and finally was able to quit back in April. I havent even wanted one really, now that I quit I see how bad they friggin stink.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Dodgerchick

I tried to but couldn't

gag reflex?


ducks

[Izulde]

I'll smoke tobacco every once in a while, but for me to really enjoy it, it has to be a clove.

Man, I can't wait to get back to the US where they actually have cloves.

[Schmidty]

Never smoked. Never will.

[-apoc-]

I just quit smoking at the very end of Oct. after about 10 years. If it wasnt so bad for me and didnt leave me smelling like crap I would take it up again in a heartbeat. Oh to dream

[thesloppy]

I quit two years ago after about 15 years. Although I'd love to pretend it was brought on by some sort of quest to get healthy or better myself, I think I just got tired of spending 6 dollars a day on smokes when that cash could be going towards strippers or better drugs.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I quit two years ago after about 15 years. Although I'd love to pretend it was brought on by some sort of quest to get healthy or better myself, I think I just got tired of spending 6 dollars a day on smokes when that cash could be going towards strippers or better drugs.

awesome

[sabotai]

I smoked off and on for about 12 years. The first 5 years or so (college and right after), I smoked 1-2 packs a day (Malboro Red, not that pussy menthol light crap). The last several years, it was more of a social thing. I've tried quitting several times, sometimes as long as a year or more, but I always end up going back.

I have one more cigarette left. It has been sitting in my car for about 4 days and I've said it will be my last. We'll see.

[JetsIn06]

Never smoked a thing in my life. I think their pretty dumb, pointless, and disgusting.

[JS19]

Always said I would never use any tobacco product, but when i joined the Marines that went right out the window. Started using skoal, quit for a real long time (real long time by my standards) but not too long ago at a Giants game I was drunk and started it again. Now it's a "only when I drink thing". I still hate cigarettes though and don't understand how people can smoke them. Lathum touched on it, the greatest law in all the land is no smoking in bars/restaurants.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by JetsIn06

Never smoked a thing in my life. I think their pretty dumb, pointless, and disgusting.

Well yeah, but I don't think anybody starts smoking, thinking it's going to save the world.

[gottimd]

I used to smoke about a pack a day up until about 2 years ago. I put on the patch and quit.

I only recently started to smoke when I drink, but maybe one to two. I don't have any urges or nic fits when at work or any other time other than when I am out drinking.

[Greyroofoo]

I have to be really drunk to even stand being around people who're smoking.

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Well yeah, but I don't think anybody starts smoking, thinking it's going to save the world.

I never said that. I just think it's stupid and pointless...because of that, I have no idea why people start.

[st.cronin]

I used to smoke, quit in basic training. I actually started out dipping, replaced that with cigarettes, then quit. At my peak I was at maybe a pack a day, usually less than that. I found quitting much easier than I expected, and have never looked back.

[Abe Sargent]

Im a social smoker

[Lorena]

I had such a shitty day, if I could smoke, I'd suck the hell out of that bitch and let the toxic fumes linger in my lungs and exhale ever so slowly to a point where it burns my throat.

Hellacious day, absolutely horrid.

[Scoobz0202]

I smoke about a pack a day. Two packs a day on the weekends when I am drinking. Currently, I know how bad it is for me, but quite frankly I do a lot of shit that is unhealthy. I don't exercise regularly. I drink excessively. I have a shitty diet. Maybe someday I'll start working on those things one-by-one, but hell I'm only 20 so I'm sure eventually I will and will maybe fall into the category "I smoked in my younger days, then I got wise" but right now I am not to worried.

[Raiders Army]

I started up again this year after quitting in 2004. I will quit again when I leave the Army next year.

[CU Tiger]

Never smoked, hated it my whole life. My mom used to smoke like a chimney
, and I kept geetting bronchitous and (sp?) chest colds as a kid, hell she smoked so much her solution was to make me go outside when she smoked (no shit, and people wonder why I legally emancipated at 15)

I picked up dipping and basically lived with a pinch of Copenhagen in my mouth for 12 years.(Seriously id eat with it in, workout, run, Yes even done THAT with it in) But when my son started walking around and spitting in cups, I knew it was time to quit. Threw it out and neever wanted it again.


I now have thee best of both worlds. Never want it, but 2 or 3 times/year if I am fishing or just in th mood, I can chew and not want it again. But smoking, nah it disgusts me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JS19

the greatest law in all the land is no smoking in bars/restaurants.

Unless you're a bar/restaurant owner who has seen their business suffer because of the government intrusion. Estimates in some parts of Georgia were as high as 20% (I say "parts" because I've never seen a statewide figure cited, only a handful from the city/county level).

[Noop]

Weed Count?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I found quitting much easier than I expected, and have never looked back.

Quitting is easy, until...

Originally Posted by Dodgerchick

I had such a shitty day, if I could smoke, I'd suck the hell out of that bitch and let the toxic fumes linger in my lungs and exhale ever so slowly to a point where it burns my throat.

Hellacious day, absolutely horrid.

Then it's very hard. It's not the smoking I have a problem quitting, it's the shitty days. String a few of them in a row, and sometimes I crumble and buy a pack. If I could just stop having really bad days, quitting would be a piece of cake.

mmmmmm.....cake......(speaking of things I need to quit....)

[Swaggs]

I've social smoked in the past and will occasionally smoke a cigar, but I've never consistently been a smoker.

Anyone that smokes regularly, I recommend that you keep a good eye on your blood pressure and weight. My mom, who smoked for nearly 40-years had a series of strokes over the late-Summer/early-Fall and, fortunately, only lost some of her vision and, temporarily, her word-finding ability. But, it was very stressful, traumatic, financially-draining, and scary for her and my family. She can no longer drive, either.

[k0ruptr]

pack a day for me.

[BYU 14]

I started young and actually even smoked while playing Football, it was still easy to do and stay in shape in my late teens. Quit when I was 31 and didn't smoke until my 40th birthday, when I had one for the hell of it. Because of that for almost 5 years I have battled it, alternating between not smoking for months at a time, social smoking and full blown half a pack a day smoking. I am currently on my 3rd week smoke free and need to stay that way.

Closing in on 45 my blood pressure was creeping into the low 130's over 85-90 range smoking. In just over two weeks smoke free it is 115-120 over 75-80 again. It's funny how when you are in your 20's smoking doesn't seem to effect you if you are active, but it kicks your ass once you get into your 30's and 40's.

I am an anomaly in that I have been active and physically fit my whole life, but I am with JIMGA in that I actually enjoy smoking. I am just to the point now where I realize I need to sacrifice that enjoyment to stay around for another 30-40 years

[B & B]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I smoke about a pack a day. Two packs a day on the weekends when I am drinking. Currently, I know how bad it is for me, but quite frankly I do a lot of shit that is unhealthy. I don't exercise regularly. I drink excessively. I have a shitty diet. Maybe someday I'll start working on those things one-by-one, but hell I'm only 20 so I'm sure eventually I will and will maybe fall into the category "I smoked in my younger days, then I got wise" but right now I am not to worried.

Great post.


Personally, I gave up cigs about 3 years ago. I never tried to quit, or quit because thats not how I believe its done. I just dont smoke anymore, that doesnt mean that it wont happen tomorrow or next week. If I want a cigarrette then I will buy a pack and smoke them. Its a simple choice like buying a dr. pepper or a candy bar.


This whole bull$hit mulit million dollar quit smoking gum/-patch/shot/lozenge/inhaler/pill crap is waaaaay outta hand.

I never ONCE tried to stop smoking. I enjoyed smoking, very, very, very much. I liked the feeling it gave me, I liked the nicotine, I liked the smell of the tobacco. I even liked the disconcerning looks from the nonsmokers who didnt want their clothes and hair to smell like tobacco. Fuck em. Go to another bar. Catch a second hand buzz or fukk off.

My personal smoking triumph came when I put down 4 packs of Marlboro reds down in 24 hours. I was a chimney incarnate. Puffing and puffing to no end. During the last pack I was on the clock and wasnt allowed more than a minute of 'non-smoking' time between cigarettes, or I wouldnt have finished that fourth pack. Been there, done that.


Never quit something until the time comes that you want to. You have to want it. People have stopped being accountable for their actions, and its bullshit.

But by all means....

Do what you want to, when you want to.

[Lathum]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Typical attitude from an asshole smoker. The rest of the world should have to be inconvienienced because you wanna kill yourself.

[MikeVic]

I think I'm gonna take up shooting innocent civilians. If you don't want to get shot, fuck you get out of the way of my bullet.

I hate cigarettes and the smoke. I'm so glad I live somewhere that bans smoking indoors in public places.

[Scoobz0202]

I definitely ask people around me if they mind if I smoke if we are not in an open area. But If I am outside in a open area and somebody wants to get shitty with me about it then I would not give a fuck what they said.

[Young Drachma]

Grew up around smokers, so I never had the urge or desire to try it. These days, the stuff makes my eyes hurt being around it and since there are smoking bans even in a few Wyoming cities..I don't really have to deal with it much anymore. But we went out a few weeks ago to this old small town dive bar and I couldn't stand the stuff for more than an hour before I needed to get out of there and wash everything that smelled of smoke.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

I think I'm gonna take up shooting innocent civilians. If you don't want to get shot, fuck you get out of the way of my bullet.

I hate cigarettes and the smoke. I'm so glad I live somewhere that bans smoking indoors in public places.

I personally don't smoke any more (have given up for probably around 1 1/2 - 2 years now) .... however I defend other peoples right to smoke.

I think the harm from cigarettes has been vastly exagerrated personally, lets put it this way when I commuted into London from the countryside as a kid I could 'taste' the difference in the air ... so imho there are many factors in the diseases etc. which are being attributed solely to the evil of smoking presently.

It'll be interesting to see what research indicates in 20 years time in England - it might be that everything cured and all is well, however I expect the drop to be (which noticable) much less than is currently advertised.

(and on a health front am I the only person who felt like crap for ages after giving up smoking, I got loads of colds and other problems which cigarettes had somehow kept from me previously ... I felt no health benefits at all while in comparison dieting and getting some exercise made me feel great after dropping a few pounds)

[mauchow]

I don't smoke, never have, never will. My wife is the same way.

The worst thing ever is walking along anywhere and someone who smokes passes you by(not even smoking at the moment, mind you) and you just SMELL them. I HAAAATE! HATE that smell. So disgusting.

Also, I hate walking by someone who smokes. I take an obvious BIG round about pass the person to avoid as much of the smell as possible.

Its the ones that aren't smoking at the moment who catch you off guard and make you smell that nastiness.

[Neon_Chaos]

I smoke where it's legal to smoke. If it's in an inappropriate place, I refrain from doing so. I try not to bother anyone with my smoking, and would appreciate it if they didn't bother me about it too. I've tried to quit here and there, but can't completely drop the habit. Yes, it's a disgusting habit, and I would discourage any non-smoker from starting. Yes, it is addictive, anyone who says it isn't is in denial. Do I wish I hadn't started smoking? Actually, no, I'm fine the way I am. Am I going to get bit in the ass by my smoking? Most likely. Sigh. All this thinking is stressing me out. Time for a smoke.

[Suburban Rhythm]

My wife tells me i smoke after sex.

Seriously, never touched a cigarettte. But, when I was younger, my dad smoked cigars. I was about 5-6 when he said "go ahead try it" and I think i nearly died. My eyes watered, i couldn't breath.

So after that, I was never tempted to try a cigarette.

Also...smoked trout is fantastic.

[miked]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Unless you're a bar/restaurant owner who has seen their business suffer because of the government intrusion. Estimates in some parts of Georgia were as high as 20% (I say "parts" because I've never seen a statewide figure cited, only a handful from the city/county level).

I thought just Decatur had a big ban on smoking in bars/restaurants. In Atlanta (or at least Dekalb) many of the bars still have smoking. I think if a certain percentage of your business comes from food, then you can't have smoking. But there's a great sports bar down the street from me called Benchwarmers, but I can't stand being there because the whole place just stinks of smoke. I used to smoke in college but took a respirator test to work with some viruses for a drug company; I came back congested even though I felt fine. I quit cold that day.

The ban is awesome, because it's a lifestyle choice that negatively affects me that was being forced upon me. Can't I enjoy the game at a bar/restaurant without risk to my well being?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by miked

I thought just Decatur had a big ban on smoking in bars/restaurants. In Atlanta (or at least Dekalb) many of the bars still have smoking. I think if a certain percentage of your business comes from food, then you can't have smoking.

In May 05 the state banned smoking "in public places with exemptions for restaurants and bars that do not serve minors, designated hotel rooms and workplaces with separately ventilated rooms for smokers".

The ban is awesome, because it's a lifestyle choice that negatively affects me that was being forced upon me. Can't I enjoy the game at a bar/restaurant without risk to my well being?

AFAIC your right to enjoy the game should not trump my right to be able to enjoy it there as well. And the smoking ban completely eliminated my ability to enjoy the game there, as I really can't think of anything enjoyable in life that doesn't involve a cigarette in close proximity. Only the business owner has any business whatsoever making the smoking decision for their establishment.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'm pretty sure I've covered this ground before.

I smoke pretty much on par with my coffee consumption (about 2-3 packs & 2-3 pots per day). Oddly enough though, it doesn't seem that coffee is actually one of my strongest triggers (hands down that honor goes being at a keyboard).

This is me exactly (except I smoke only a pack a day). But the 2-3 pots of coffee and being a chimney at the keyboard, oh yeah.

Edit to add: Then again, if I could smoke at work like Jon can, I'd probably be smoking 2-3 packs a day as well.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Unless you're a bar/restaurant owner who has seen their business suffer because of the government intrusion. Estimates in some parts of Georgia were as high as 20% (I say "parts" because I've never seen a statewide figure cited, only a handful from the city/county level).

I could possibly see this happening with the type of partial ban you described. But almost every figure I have seen actually showed that business had increased for restaurants and bars in cities/states where smoking was banned. I know this has been the case in New York. Actually, I don't think I've seen any study (not that I've looked extensively) that showed a negative impact to such businesses that wasn't backed by the tabacco industry.

This was the lame-ass argument made by the fucktards in Michigan state senate when they shuffled the ban to die in committee. It's pathetically short-sighted. Any speculative loss to such business owners would be more than offset by other gains to the Michigan economy.

I do a lot of health care work and ever-increasing health care costs are one of employers' largest concerns, especially in a struggling economy like Michigan. These costs continue to go up and up and up...

It's shown that cigarette sales in states that have banned smoking have declined dramatically. The fewer people who smoke or the less people smoke, the healthier they are. The healthier they are, the less business owners have to pay to cover their health care. The less businesses have to pay out for health care, the more they can invest in new jobs, products, etc. I think a healthier population would be attractive to businesses looking to relocate or expand operations. This would, of course, be better for local/state economies.

If it's a statewide ban, people will still go out. I think the number of people who will decided to stay home and smoke will be out weighed or at least easily made up for by the people who be willing to go out more because there is no smoking. Such "hardliners" are on the fringe.

As for the whole "it should be left up to each individual business owner" argument and a smoking ban would infringe on such owners' freedoms, these arguments would actually carry some weight if the government already didn't regulate a vast array public health issues for such businesses.

Restuarant owners aren't allowed to serve rotten food. Restuarant/bar owners need a liquor license to sell alcohol. Even then, they don't have the right to serve anyone under the age of 21. Restaurant/bar owners have to ensure their establishments meet various other public health and fire cod regulations. We've all come to accept these as good things. The smoking ban is the next logical step. Remember, these bans are geared to protecting the health of the employees, not the patrons.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by Drake

This is me exactly (except I smoke only a pack a day). But the 2-3 pots of coffee and being a chimney at the keyboard, oh yeah.

Edit to add: Then again, if I could smoke at work like Jon can, I'd probably be smoking 2-3 packs a day as well.

Nothing like taking a break from the keyboard, lighting up a stogie, just relishing the tobacco flavor and releasing the stress.