All this talk about cigarettes and smoking... Do you smoke?

[NewWaveChick1981]

Poll question: All this talk about cigarettes and smoking... Do you smoke?

Do you smoke anything (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, pot, crack, etc.)? Are you an ex-smoker? Nonsmoker? Other?

I'm a lifelong nonsmoker. :) Edited to add: Forgot to say I have smoked pot in the past, but not to any great extent.

[terrya]

1. I tried a couple of times. It didn't work.

I'm a non-smoker.

[NewWaveChick1981]

3. The funny thing is that when I was a kid (about 7 or 8),

my dad and my grandmother were in the living room just smoking and smoking. I came running around the corner and grabbed Dad's cigarette and took a big drag off of it. I just wanted to see what the big deal was about smoking. Well, I turned beet red and started coughing and hacking and gasping, and that cured me from ever wanting to take another puff of a cigarette---ever. :P Dad and Granny were shocked that I did that, but of course, they got a laugh out of it after they realized I was OK.

[DemsRBetterLovers]

34. My dad has congestive heart failure because of it...

he never allowed me to smoke, i never wanted too. You never want to see your parent after open heart surgery, its a horrible sight. No male in my family has ever lived past 60 on my fathers side. I plan to beat that record.

[NewWaveChick1981]

39. Oh, my...

:hug: That's gotta be difficult. I'm glad you don't smoke, but geez, that's terrible about your dad. :hug:

Welcome to DU, DemsRBetterLovers! :hi: Gotta agree with your username... :D

[NewWaveChick1981]

40. Thanks, everyone!

:hi:

[jpgray]

2. I can't get addicted to nicotine

Not sure why. I'll take a puff now and again, go for a week or three without, share a pack with someone one day, another three weeks without, etc.

[anarch]

8. haha, me either

I'll smoke about a pack a day, every day, and I'm fine...no significant cravings at all, and when I do start to feel them, I just light up! :D

[jpgray]

11. You are indeed a well-adjusted fellow

:D

[MissMillie]

4. haven't smoked in 8.5 years

I wished I had never started. Quitting was hell. Necessary and smart--but hell.

[AirmensMom]

5. Ex here.

And I don't know how I ever could stand it. That was a LONG time ago. I still remember how hard it was to quit, though, and I hate it when other people smoke indoors (very common here in TN). :hi:

[ghostsofgiants]

6. I am also a lifelong nonsmoker.

Ick.

[flvegan]

7. Only thing I've ever smoked is mullet.

I've done the "cigar with the boss" thing, but that's it otherwise, and that was many years ago. Of course, so was the mullet thing, and my ex father in law did most of that, anyway.

[jobycom]

58. Where are you from?

I thought they didn't eat mullet in Florida. They called it Biloxi Bacon when I was growing up, because that was about the only place anyone ate it. Has it spread to Florida now?

[flvegan]

70. Tampa

It's actually pretty popular (around here, anyway).

[Magrittes Pipe]

9. Mmmmm....

That smooth Carolina flavor!

[NewWaveChick1981]

59. ROFL!

:rofl: How did you know? :hi:

[ohiosmith]

10. Quit smoking cigarettes 30 years ago. Still enjoy the occasional cigar.

[LSK]

12. lifelong nonsmoker

:hi:

[azmouse]

13. Just an occasional cigar.

I still consider myself a non-smoker because I can do without ever smoking another cigar and I've never smoked cigarettes, pot or anything else.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. Work-hours/social smoker

I'll have a couple during the workday and maybe one when I'm out with friends, but never just hanging around on the weekends. Never got the urge. I dunno what that's about.

[Broken_Hero]

15. currently a smoker

going to try and quit again this coming tuesday...its a hard road, for me at least. Last year, I quit for over 9 months, and then started again, this past march/april...

[LeftyMom]

16. I used to be a social smoker (maybe a pack a week, and sharing that)

I miss having something to do with my hands when I'm nervous or bored.

[asthmaticeog]

17. I'm making it a priority to quit this year.

When I turned 36, it occurred to me that I'd been smoking for 20 years. This must not continue. I got a glowing recommendation from a fellow DUer for a how-to-quit book, and I picked it up at Borders on my lunch break today. Hopefully it'll help, I really have to quit *and* make it stick.

And to all you in this thread who've never smoked - there are no words in the English language that can fully convey how deeply I envy you.

[AirmensMom]

19. Good luck, asthmaticeog!

Let us know when you smoke your last one. There are plenty of people here who will cheer you on. :applause:

[asthmaticeog]

20. Much obliged, AirmensMom.

I appreciate the encouragement.

[Phillycat]

37. What's the book?

Could use it myself.

[asthmaticeog]

63. "The EasyWay to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402718616/sr=1-1/qid=1153944476/ref=sr_1_1/102-8034861-0141755?ie=UTF8&s=books

I can't vouch for its effectiveness as I haven't cracked it yet, but I'll try anything at this point (the gum, the patch, they don't help), and it was recommended by someone I trust.

[Phillycat]

64. Interesting. Keep me posted, I'd like to know how it works for you. nt

[HughBeaumont]

18. Nope. Not even an attempt.

My grandmother died of lung cancer at 49. That devestates a 7-year-old and taught me that maybe there's some value in learning from other peoples mistakes and not making them on your own.

Not some people, though. My "I can quit whenever I want to" sister has been kidding herself and doing the "on-and-off" thing for about 16 years now. I find it funny because she's the "athlete" of the family and she smoked regularly during her basketball-playing days.

[Road Scholar]

21. I had the hardest time quitting but I did.

4 packs a day. I must've quit a thousant times, but finally I got it right.

[Skittles]

23. I just don't get where someone has the time to smoke four packs a day

you'd have to have one lit in your hand continiously, even at work

[Road Scholar]

31. I chain smoked. I would light one from the other. I'm not proud

of how out of control I was. It's a long story. I knew I was killing myself and couldn't stop.

[Skittles]

38. oh, I am not berating you

I have been fighting a nicotine habit for decades :o

[Road Scholar]

42. I'll pm you later, if it's ok. I have a meeting going on.

[Skittles]

22. not any more but I will always want to

always

[bluethruandthru]

26. Me too...

I quit a couple of years ago and I still have dreams where I'm smoking!

[citizen snips]

24. I am a nonsmoker.

but for curiosity how do you smoke a cigar?

[nykiera]

25. Quit smoking Jan 2005

making everyone in the house happy. Now I have to work on the weight.

[Deep13]

30. cue Souza music

:applause: :woohoo: :yourock:

It is easier to lose weight than to lose a lung.

[SteppingRazor]

27. I'm a smoker.

Various substances. Nothing too terribly serious though -- I've never tried the rock.

[YankeyMCC]

28. I quit years ago but

I occasionally light up a cigar...for poker games etc... so I voted 'other'

[Deep13]

29. Former involuntary smoker.

My parents smoked when I was growing up and I worked in a lot of places where people smoked. My step monster in particular thought it was his duty to give lung cancer to as many people as possible. My parents quit in the '80s. My grandmother died of emphesyma in 1998. My father of a stroke in 1999. (I understand stroke risk does not return to normal after quitting, it just stops getting worse.) My mother's parents never smoked and that fact saved my grandmother's life after her heart surgery. (Valve defect from rhumatic fever.) My 5th grade teacher in the 1970s told us how his father died of a heart attack in from of him and how his brother died of lung cancer in his arms. He showed us a burn spot on the palm of his hand from when he took a cig. from the principal's mouth and squashed it out. (The principal had quit and was stuggling for many months to stay quit when he lit up at a Christmas party.)

I have a hard time seeing deliberate, slow suicide and its collateral damage as a shades-of-grey issue.

[Mutley]

32. I quit smoking cigarettes in May of this year.

I quit smoking pot in January of this year. Never smoked any other drugs.

:hi:

[Xipe Totec]

76. Congrats!

I know from personal experience how hard it is to quit!

:hug:

[RebelOne]

33. Smoker here. Trying to quit with no much success.

I have even tried hypnosis. Didn't work.

[michaelpush]

35. Never smoked anything....except 2nd hand

My parents and most of my relatives smoked...I was a child second hand smoker....still cant pass one of those tests where you breathe into a tube and see how much air you can get out in a certain time period...My father died from lung cancer at the age of 57, I am 54...21 yrs ago. My mom had a stroke and then she quit, shes still kicking at 78 yrs old...

[txwhitedove]

36. Lifelong non-smoker. Was raised by 3 heavy smokers and I

had to hang my head out of the car window like a dog. Never!
Became really healthy once I wasn't living with a smoker and
especially when law was passed for smoke-free workplace.

[Ariana Celeste]

41. I quit 4 months ago!

Have not had the urge to smoke since- I was series!!!11 this time. I may be young, but I had been a regular smoker since around 13. So that was a 7-8 yr habit I quit. :).

Once in awhile I get a fleeting image in my mind, you know, that says "cigarette time", but it's not so much an urge as it is a reflex, I think- that will take awhile for my subconscious to get over. I never crave the smoke when I get that image. It's just that for the last 8 years whenver I would finish a meal, I'd light up. Or every time I woke up, or was about to go to bed, or started talking, or got stressed, yadda yadda etc.

I already feel so much better. I hope that someday my family members can also quit, but they need to find that inner strength on their own- at least they know one person ( :gleam: ) who was able to quit cold turkey.

Now, I do occasionally toke some green, and wouldn't mind smoking opium if I came across any... but that is all.

[SeattleGirl]

43. Smoke-free for 2-1/2 weeks now.

I'm so glad I quit. It's been relatively easy this time, compared to times in the past when I quit, which tells me my body and my mind were ready. Not saying that I don't still have cravings. I do -- especially on Friday nights, when I'd like to kick back with a drink and a couple of smokes. But I don't want to start smoking again, so I don't indulge -- I'm too much of an addict to be a "social smoker".

[AirmensMom]

44. Good for you!

:bounce: :yourock:

When I quit, I used the gum. Turns out that it irritated my gums and they turned sort of pale. I was terrified that my teeth were falling out, so I made an emergency appointment with my dentist. He said it was from the gum ... but I hadn't smoked in about 4 days by then and sure wasn't going to go back to it and have to go through all that again. It's funny what finally makes it click.

I'm always glad when someone kicks the habit. A good friend of mine died from emphysema a few months ago. I miss him a lot, but I already was missing him b/c he couldn't breathe enough to talk on the phone with me for about the last year. It was terrible for him and his family. :cry: Oh, yeah, he did quit once he was diagnosed, but it was way too late.

[SeattleGirl]

49. Thank you!

I'm using the Commit lozenges, and they are working well. I am reducing the amount I use, and have noticed that my strong cravings are coming farther and farther apart. Evenings were initially the worst for me, as that is when I smoked the most, but that is also getting easier.

I'm sorry you lost your friend. It's so sad. I rue the day I ever started to smoke, but at that time, smoking was still "cool" and quite acceptable. What a horrid habit, huh?

[AirmensMom]

65. I'm glad you found something that works.

My sister quit with the gum two years ago and is still addicted to the gum.

What puzzles me is why so many people still smoke. Moving to TN gave us a big shock because they're allowed to smoke indoors -- gas stations, restaurants, etc. Yes, it's a horrid habit. :(

[Ariana Celeste]

45. That's awesome!!

:woohoo: :hug:

I was shocked at how quickly I felt that I was healing when I quit! I have a couple of buddies that tell me they want to quit, and I tell them every time- you will know when your mind is ready. :)

Congrats!!! I hope it sticks! :hug:

And I sooo hear you about not being able to be a social smoker... that's what messed me up! x(

[SeattleGirl]

54. Thanks, Ariana. And congratulations to you, too!!!

It was interesting -- I had tried several times in the past to quit, and it was a real struggle, regardless of whether I used the gum or the patch or nothing. But this time, my body AND my mind decided it was time to quit.

What I did was, I decided to use the Commit lozenges. So, the day before I quit, I went to the drug store, went to the pharmacy in the back of the store and bought the lozenges, then went to the front of the store, bought two packs of cigs, and told myself that when I finished those, that was it. And that's what happened. My last cig was at 5:00 pm on Saturday, July 8. Haven't had one since. Been walking a lot -- 20-25 miles a week. And I, too, notice how rapidly I'm healing. I'm not out of breath walking up the stairs. I can walk 3-4 mile at a fairly rapid pace and not be winded. It's really wonderful (even though at times I still miss smoking, but the benefits of not smoking are really outweighing the pleasure of smoking).

[underpants]

53. Good for you

It will be a year for me next Thursday

[SeattleGirl]

56. A year! Congratulations!!!

That is wonderful, and a great accomplishment. Good for you, underpants! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[underpants]

57. No sweat

the first 10 days were the hardest part.

Now I couldn't really imagine even having one. Oh I would LOVE to have one but I can't really see myself having one at this point.

[Placebo]

46. Yes, I do!

At the moment I bounce around between Marlboro Reds, Marlboro Lights, and American Spirit filters. :smoke:

[ForrestGump]

47. Never. Not once. Always hated it. My mother used to, but we

eventually got her trained at least not to do it in the car...before that, I'd hang my head out the window like a puppydog (a habit that stuck with me a while after, actually).

Las Vegas is not a good town for me in that respect: seems like some kind of rule that you've got to be doing that if you're gambling.

My pulmonary function and lung volume are phenomenal -- the results in my government dive physical folder had doctors all excited when I got sent to hospital after a suspected dive accident (one was going around showing everybody in the ER my results and the little fellow was overly enthused about the whole thing) -- so I think I escaped the whole second-hand thing as a kid.

[tjwmason]

48. Never been a tobacco smoker.

Never really had the inclination to...but I'm not a vociferous anti-smoker, and don't mind being around people smoking &c.

[Richard Steele]

50. 2 packs a day since I was 18.

[Placebo]

67. Whoa, you're hardcore!

:headbang:

How old are you now?

[Richard Steele]

68. 37

It's not as bad as it used to be: I switched to FILTER cigs about 8 years ago.

Of course, the 2 packs a day is just an AVERAGE; I tend to chain-smoke
when I am working on something important, or when I am upset or stressed.

Last month when my sweetie was on vacation in China, and I was here all alone,
I sucked down 4 cartons in 15 days.

[Oeditpus Rex]

51. I smoke natural tobacco

Big Tobacco adds more than 400 chemicals to its products, many of them to increase its addictive properties. These chemicals contain most of the carcinogens in cigarettes.

I'm not saying this is "safe tobacco," and in fact the manufacturer warns, "No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette." But manuracturers also label their products with crap like "Do not use in bathtub" on an electric hair dryer. It's a CYA thing.

It was my doctor who tipped me to natural tobacco — that is, if I'm not gonna quit — and when I told her I'd made the switch, she said, "Excellent!" And she's a damned good doctor, and I'll kick anybody's ass who says otherwise.

That said, I have a message for people who feel the need to remind smokers they should quit: DUH! Smokers know that as well as they know their own names. Telling them only makes you look self-righteous.

:popcorn:

[catmandu57]

52. I smoked cigarettes for 25 years

I finally quit in 93, I smoke reefer when it's offered.

[jobycom]

55. Smoked two cigarettes when I was a kid. Never again.Never pot

[Benfea]

60. Other. I've been trying to quit and have been failing miserably. -NT

[Joe Fields]

61. I'm hardcore, roll my own, no filter.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

62. Yeah. It's to varying degrees though.

If I stay home, I don't smoke much or sometimes not at all...especially in the colder months. When I go out, I tend to chain smoke. Of course, now that smoking is banned in NJ, I'm going to try to quit when it gets cold.

[Dulcinea]

66. Social & stress smoker.

I enjoy smoking when I drink & when I'm very stressed out, but can leave it alone any other time. It's stinky, expensive, & very bad for you (that's what I tell my kids), but I do enjoy it sometimes!

Not a pot smoker. It just puts me to sleep.

[bikebloke]

69. One puff as a teenager.

My mouth tasted so filthy, dirty that I was doomed to a healthy life. Good thing. All the smokers in my family get cancer and die earlier - guaranteed or double your money back.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

71. I quit 20 years ago

:party:

[taterguy]

72. Kissing a smoker is like licking a dirty ashtray

And kissing someone that's self-righteous is like licking a wet mongoose's ass. God bless Tom Robbins. I smoke. I enjoy it. And I'll accept criticism about my health and second-hand smoke only from people that can make the following claims: They've hiked 18 miles in the desert in one day (I have); they don't drive a car and therefore don't force me to breath second-hand auto exhaust.

[ChoralScholar]

77. defensive much?

[taterguy]

79. no

[WritingIsMyReligion]

73. I have never touched any smoking implement. Never mind actually smoked.

I hope never to, either. I've lost two relatives, one of whom is my grandmother, to lung cancer. x(

And I really have difficulty with people who are so anti-smoking ban in public places. All indoor public places in Maine are smoke-free, for which I am very grateful. I don't want to breathe your smoke day in and day out. I'm not going to lecture you on how bad it is--you HAVE to be aware of that already--but I'm not going to put up with it near me. Sorry, but no. :grr:

[bertha katzenengel]

74. HELL, no. Let me repeat that:

HELL, NO!

[outofbounds]

75. Yes I'm a smoker

2-3 packs a day. I quit every night but start right back up the next morning. I have quit for up to a year, but playing guitar in a smokey room drinking coldweisers is all part of it. It is what it is. :smoke:
Why did I start :banghead:
Why did I start :banghead:
Why did I start :banghead:
Why did I start :banghead: ...

[Robb]

78. Yep. Tried to quit exactly once. Then dad had open heart.

Cardiologist sat me down. Said my grandfather did everything wrong -- smoked, drank, ate bacon like it was half-price -- and had a heart attack and quad bypass at 38.
Then said my dad did everything right -- health-reasons-vegetarian, jogger, one beer a month if that -- and had a heart attack and quad bypass at 63.
Finally he looked me in the eye, and said I'm going to have a heart attack and quad bypass, sometime between four and 29 years from now.
Sort of put things in perspective. I've come to terms with the fact I'm going to have a heart attack and quad bypass. And I don't smoke or drink in any kind of excess. But I'm also not going to put off the inevitable, especially if it means living the way my dad did -- basically in fear.
"In all things, moderation." -- Terence
"Except heroin." -- Robb
;)