What Man of Txt has been doing all these months

[Anonymous]

Nah.

Smokers are going to start looking cooler and cooler the more regulations they put on smoking. Eventually, there will only be like 7 smokers in the world, and they'll have to smoke in these mysterious underground cave structures and everyone will want to hang out with them.

[Yuka]

Hating smokers is the new smoking.

At least it doesn't kill you.
Unless a smoker kicks you down the escalator

[spoiler]NONE SMOKERS DIE TOO![/spoiler]

[Slashley]

It could kill your social life

You know, that's why I hate about smoking most.

I've observed that people tend to fall into two categories - smokers and non-smokers. This was especially true in the army.

Now, not only smoking kills you (not like, today, or tomorrow. Give your lung cancer some dozen years first, even if you've quit smoking) it also "kills" your "social life" because you can't "socialize" with anyone who smokes without smoking. Not much at least. Thus, people pick up smoking in order to "fit in" which is incredibly retarded.

I simply chose to reject this concept. Want to talk to me? Quit smoking. I'm definately not going to stick around and listen what you have to say if you intend to have a smoke at the same time.

It did make me a complete social outcast though. I spent six months sharing a room with eleven other guys and in a unit of one hundred men or so. I didn't make one single friend from out of them.

Do I care? No, not really. They were all alcoholics and smokers. Well, not too many of them were like that when the training began, but more and more people converted into the "smoking side" for extra smoking breaks as well a "better social life" with their "friends" in the army.

Nah, if "social life" means having to smoke, count me out. It's just plain retarded to kill my lungs for "friends" who can't accept me as I am, a non-smoker.

[Lord Golbez]

At least you won't get lung cancer from smelling BO.... probably.

[Anonymous]

Slashley, you nailed the thing the RDM hates most about smokers.

Smoke breaks.

Why should smokers get a 10 minute break from work every hour? If the RDM took a 10 minute no smoking break every hour from any of the jobs he used to have, he would have been fired. But no one says anything to the smokers.

[Lord Golbez]

I would call it a 10 minute constitutional. It's a constitutional, because you're not smoking.

[Anonymous]

What do you do on a constitutional? Stand with the smokers?

[Bazz]

It could kill your social life

You know, that's why I hate about smoking most.

I've observed that people tend to fall into two categories - smokers and non-smokers. This was especially true in the army.

Now, not only smoking kills you (not like, today, or tomorrow. Give your lung cancer some dozen years first, even if you've quit smoking) it also "kills" your "social life" because you can't "socialize" with anyone who smokes without smoking. Not much at least. Thus, people pick up smoking in order to "fit in" which is incredibly retarded.

I simply chose to reject this concept. Want to talk to me? Quit smoking. I'm definately not going to stick around and listen what you have to say if you intend to have a smoke at the same time.

It did make me a complete social outcast though. I spent six months sharing a room with eleven other guys and in a unit of one hundred men or so. I didn't make one single friend from out of them.

Do I care? No, not really. They were all alcoholics and smokers. Well, not too many of them were like that when the training began, but more and more people converted into the "smoking side" for extra smoking breaks as well a "better social life" with their "friends" in the army.

Nah, if "social life" means having to smoke, count me out. It's just plain retarded to kill my lungs for "friends" who can't accept me as I am, a non-smoker.

I didn't say not smoking kills your social life, I said hating smokers could kill you social life. It's not hard to sit around with smokers without smoking, it requires hardly any amount of will power really and smokers won't mind you not smoking in their presence obviously (in fact they'll be pleased that you're not going to take their fags). The argument about second hand smoke is a weak one really, unless you don't eat meat, don't drink, don't live in a city and basically are some kind of monk on a mountain somewhere. What I mean by that is if you're not looking after your health in general but get uppity about people smoking near you I suspect that your motivation comes more from wanting to get uppity then from concern for your health.
I don't drive a car but I have to breath in air contaminated with exhaust fumes. If you criticise smokers you should use the same argument about car drivers, and perhaps you do feel that way about them but people don't shout about it because they'd be outnumbered by car drivers in most situations and people only want to act self righteous about stuff when they think they can't lose the argument.

As for living with 11 guys for 6 months without making friends with them, you must have no social skills at all or were trying not to befriend them. Even a child makes friends with other children it spends time with.

We obviously look at things differently, for me having a good social life is very important, you should try it mate it's awesome.
All the "smoking kills" stuff is blown out of proportion anyway, I'm not denying that it's bad for your health and I'm not encouraging anyone to smoke, but i don't think it's as bad as we are lead to believe. Did you ever actually read a report about the effects of smoking and draw your own conclusions from it or are you just reciting what you've been told hundreds of times? The closest most people get to doing any research into the effects of smoking is seeing a short list of statistics such as "% of lung cancer patients who smoked" and stuff, these stats are very misleading really considering that they're not usually accompanied by a similar "% of the population that has smoked at some point in their lives". Considering that until a few years ago smoking was much much more popular then it is now I think a lot of the statistics on smoking related disease are dramatically skewed.

Anyway, I'd prefer to live a fun life and die at 50 then live to 100 sitting in my room being miserable.
Put that in your pipe and don't smoke it.

[Chi]

The best red wine comes from a can

And is to be SHOTGUNNED.

At least I'll never have to taste a smoker's kiss

I've snogged, um, "a few" smokers. I dated one for 4 years, too. I've never really noticed much, unless they have just had a ciggy like 10 minutes before. It is only an issue if you make it one.

I've observed that people tend to fall into two categories - smokers and non-smokers.

And the third group... people who aren't judgemental twats and are prepared to socialise with both and considers people overall, not on one weak point. However...

I'm definately not going to stick around and listen what you have to say if you intend to have a smoke at the same time.

This is fair enough. But most smokers I know are considerate people and if they know that is your attitude will make allowances - like not smoking much (or at all).




But HANG ON. I'm biased. I smoke on average one cigarette/cigar a year, which makes me... An Evil Smoker(tm)

[Slashley]

Kneepads, what RDM said about breaks is just about true. For example, at least in Finland if you work at a construction site and the foreman sees you standing around doing nothing, he WILL yell at you. If he sees people or a person just standing around with a smoke in hand, he'll ignore it. Regardless of how often it happens.

Based on two months of personal experience. Only two months because they fired me for "not working enough" as the only non-smoker

I didn't say not smoking kills your social life, I said hating smokers could kill you social life. It's not hard to sit around with smokers without smoking, it requires hardly any amount of will power really and smokers won't mind you not smoking in their presence obviously (in fact they'll be pleased that you're not going to take their fags). The argument about second hand smoke is a weak one really,--

You make it sound like second hand smoking is any less dangerous.
Do second-hand smokers not inhale the same toxins a smoker does?
Does second hand smoking not addict you to smoking?

You know, before they banned smoking in bars and restaurants, it was impossible to be a non-smoker as a waiter/waitress. Work as a waiter/waitress for a while, take a break from work for a week, oh look, WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS without ever smoking one single cig.

Also, some people claim that second-hand smoking is even more toxic than doing it yourself. As you smoke through a filter when you do it yourself. I don't quite think that's true though.

What I mean by that is if you're not looking after your health in general but get uppity about people smoking near you I suspect that your motivation comes more from wanting to get uppity then from concern for your health.

Smoking gains you NOTHING. If you waste money on smoking and kill your health while doing it, while gaining NOTHING... doesn't that make you, you know, stupid?
I have no need to make friends out of morons

As for living with 11 guys for 6 months without making friends with them, you must have no social skills at all or were trying not to befriend them. Even a child makes friends with other children it spends time with.

Yes, indeed:

--
Do I care? No, not really. They were all alcoholics and smokers. --

I know it makes a hypocrite. Demanding others to accept me as I am but not accepting others as what they are. But seriously, smoking

-- I don't drive a car but I have to breath in air contaminated with exhaust fumes. If you criticise smokers you should use the same argument about car drivers, and perhaps you do feel that way about them but people don't shout about it because they'd be outnumbered by car drivers in most situations and people only want to act self righteous about stuff when they think they can't lose the argument.

I wouldn't compare exhausts with smoking.
1. Car exhausts aren't addictive.
2. Car exhausts are a side-effect of something useful, means of transportation.
3. Car exhausts, while known not be healthy, haven't been proven to cause lung cancer as far as I know.

I don't drive a car myself, but I can't blame people who do.

We obviously look at things differently, for me having a good social life is very important, you should try it mate it's awesome.

No thanks, I tried that in kindergarten. I noticed that it was fun, but being in groups makes you a fucking retard
While not so true as humans gain some age and brains, it doesn't change all that much. I'm very glad I made my decision of being myself rather than "fitting in" just because it wouldn't make me an outcast.

All the "smoking kills" stuff is blown out of proportion anyway, I'm not denying that it's bad for your health and I'm not encouraging anyone to smoke, but i don't think it's as bad as we are lead to believe. Did you ever actually read a report about the effects of smoking and draw your own conclusions from it or are you just reciting what you've been told hundreds of times?

I'm just reciting what I've been told hundreds of times. I also have some personal experience.

I've lost both my grandfathers to smoking. Both smoked until their lungs couldn't take it. Lung cancer nailed them later.

I'm also about to lose one of my grandmothers. Guess what's killing her? Here's a hint, she smoked for a decade when she was with gramps
The other grandmother is an epitome of healthiness, never having smoked. She wasn't a second-hand smoker either to my understanding, because she was always with the kids and didn't allow smoking near them (though before children, I don't know).

I know that the mortality rate of smoking isn't 100% as it soon will be in my family. However, it doesn't change the fact that smoking DOES KILL YOU. Not today, not tomorrow. But there is a huge chance it'll come back and haunt you from decades past.

The closest most people get to doing any research into the effects of smoking is seeing a short list of statistics such as "% of lung cancer patients who smoked" and stuff, these stats are very misleading really considering that they're not usually accompanied by a similar "% of the population that has smoked at some point in their lives". Considering that until a few years ago smoking was much much more popular then it is now I think a lot of the statistics on smoking related disease are dramatically skewed.

I swear, statistics are awesome. It's like, a person can just stand around and smoke when a drunk driver runs him over. Both of them die in the crash and statistics will claim that smoking killed them both

Lung cancer isn't the only way smoking can kill you though. For example, a lot people die because they smoke in bed/couch/whatever and fall asleep. The bed/couch/whatever catches fire and they burn. Fun.

One might argue that a normal person wouldn't do that. However, that gets us back to alcohol. Piss drunk = bad judgement = smoking in bed + passing out = one less moron in the genepool.

Anyway, I'd prefer to live a fun life and die at 50 then live to 100 sitting in my room being miserable.
Put that in your pipe and don't smoke it.

Each for their own, I guess. Just don't take others down with you by your damned smoking.

Also, I wonder will you think the same when your lungs are screwed, possibly including lung cancer?
Will you think the same when your liver throws in the towel at 50 from excessive alcohol?
Well, the liver thing isn't likely to happen unless you're a total drunkard, but still

[WaWard]

Reading this thread made me more retarded than drinking ever will.

[Anonymous]

All conflicts can be solved if everyone just quits eating meat.

Eating a well done steak is like smoking...dunno...several cigarrettes.

[Lord Golbez]

All conflicts can be solved if everyone just quits eating meat.

Eating a well done steak is like smoking...dunno...several cigarrettes.

Actually though, the well done steak will hurt your digestive system while the smoke will hurt your lungs. So it's kind of different.

Bazz - Actually I get pretty pissed about living in a city where I can tell the air isn't fresh by the smell of exhaust fume. However, driving serves a purpose other than filling your addiction and they don't drive slowly in front of me on escalators and sidewalks.

As far as studies go, I'll admit I haven't read any, btu I have drawn my own conclusions from my own observation. One whiff of the stuff tells me it's bad for me. Sure some studies might be able to get me a better idea of just how bad, but I just don't want to be around something that my body is clearly telling me to get the fcuk away from.

Also, I really hate the living long, but no fun idea, because its missing a lot fo the point. Health isn't just like some on/off switch for your life and living healthier simply means you get to live longer. Health affects your quality of life all through your lfe. This may become more noticeable later in life, but making bad health decisions has pretty immediate impact on the way you feel. If people paid more attention maybe they would realize this. Hell, you could be hit by a car regardless of how healthy your lifestyle is, but I think you get more out of the time you have if you strive to be as healthy as you can be.

Slashley - That secondhand smoke claim makes no sense. A smoker will surely inhale at least as much unfiltered smoke as anyone around him. The only way secondhand smoke could be more dangerous would be if smokers developed some resistance and acute damage were the issue. I don't really think that's possible either.

In regards to car fumes, I'm sure they can cause cancer also. It doesn't matter if its been substantiated yet, I'm pretty much certain that any kind of smoke you breath in can be carcinogenic.

[DarloJo]

As much as I hate smoking personally, it's personal choice. However, I do think smokers should be considerate (and to be fair, everyone I know who smokes is) and not deliberately do it around people who don't smoke. If the non-smokers don't mind, then fine, but it's hardly being anal or picky to not want to breathe in smoke IMO.

I lost my Grandad to lung cancer as well, even though he quit about 10 years before he died. Guess it was just too late... But yeah, that's partly why I hate smoking, but I've never liked it. I don't like going out and having my clothes and hair smell bad, and I don't like having a sore throat or losing my voice because of second hand smoke either. I can't wait until the indoor smoking ban comes in - it won't stop me from having to dodge people blowing smoke into my face in the street, but at least I can go on a night out and not stink.

However, saying this, at the minute I do go in pubs knowing that it might be smoky, so I can't complain that much. I do sit in no smoking areas when I can, but tbh it doesn't always work that way :S

But yeah, I've accepted that it's unavoidable to an extent. As much as I hate being around any smoke at all, people do have a right to smoke in the street or whatever, and they have the right to do it in their own homes or wherever they please too. I do wish that they wouldn't force the fumes upon people who choose not to smoke though - such as small children who have fag ash dropping into their pushchairs I had a cousin (well, born just before me) who died of cancer as a baby as well - again, pretty much down to both her parents constantly smoking around her, and it wasn't her fault one little bit.

So yeah, forgive me if I ever act 'arsey' around you if you smoke. I try not to be rude about it, and like I say, I have no problem with smokers in general (as long as they're considerate). I also don't mean to segregate myself away from smokers, but having lost two family members and never having lived with a smoker I'm pretty sensitive to it and will never change my opinion on hating it. I wouldn't do something that I actively knew would annoy my friends (I make sure I'm always hygenic, for example ), so I ask that they do the same for me by not smoking near me.

[Anonymous]

On on a side note, the RDM has actually heard that eating charred foods (primarily meats) adversely affects one's lungs. Just because the carcinogens are in solid form doesn't mean they don't find their ways to your sensative bits.

[Lord Golbez]

Hmmm.... maybe it's from breathing in the smoke while it's cooking though?

[Anonymous]

Perhaps, though the RDM thinks only a relatively small portion of the people eating said food are the ones who actually cook it. What with restaurants and families and all.

[Slashley]

--
Slashley - That secondhand smoke claim makes no sense. A smoker will surely inhale at least as much unfiltered smoke as anyone around him. The only way secondhand smoke could be more dangerous would be if smokers developed some resistance and acute damage were the issue. I don't really think that's possible either. --

Also, some people claim that second-hand smoking is even more toxic than doing it yourself. As you smoke through a filter when you do it yourself. I don't quite think that's true though.

I just keep hearing it over and over again so I threw it in there.



By the way, DarloJo, who are you and why is your "All about DarloJo" profile section hidden?

[Lord Golbez]

Perhaps, though the RDM thinks only a relatively small portion of the people eating said food are the ones who actually cook it. What with restaurants and families and all.

Point taken. Well, I suppose when you do damage to your body in general, any organ can probably suffer as a result. Still, if there's a high correlation between eating charred meat and lung cancer specifically, there must be some reason.

[Yuka]

By the way, DarloJo, who are you and why is your "All about DarloJo" profile section hidden?

User accounts are pretty fucked sometimes. WaWard and Qmark don't have anything either.

[Chi]

Spoiler: The mortality rate of smoking is 100%. So is the mortality rate of not smoking! You are all going to die!

Eating a well done steak is like smoking

I'm seeing the problem here ;p

Well. Dunno what you people are doing; I personally haven't lost any grandparents, in my case they all died (one non-smoking grandparent of prostate cancer, one of heart failure, one of lung cancer, and one of I-don't-remember-what-but-she-was-old-spoiler) - I don't know what you people are doing to lose them. Ah, wait. It was one of them there euphemisms, wasn't it? Oops.

Does second hand smoking not addict you to smoking?

Err... I've never heard of people taking up smoking or wanting to be in smoky environments after passive smoking, so no I'd say it doesn't addict you to smoking. Addiction is as much psychological as it is physical.

Smoking gains you NOTHING

Playing games gains you NOTHING.
Having a phone call with a friend gains you NOTHING.
Having a wank gains you NOTHING.
Drinking lemonade gains you NOTHING.
Watching shite daytime TV gains you NOTHING.
Having protected sex gains you NOTHING.
etc. etc.

Lots of things gain you nothing but yet people do them anyway. Most smokers gain pleasure from the activity of smoking, and most smokers tend to do this with full knowledge of the fact that it will make many diseases[*] more likely to occur.

[*] Not all though. Smokers have a statistically lower chance of contracting Endometrial Cancer and Parkinson's disease. Though I'd never advocate taking up smoking for that benefit, given that there are two dozen diseases it statistically increases the risks of and worsens the symptoms of.

Slashley, you've never smoked, nor have you seemingly done any research into smoking beyond the trivial, so it is no wonder you don't understand what the appeal of smoking is. This is what - to me - makes your judgemental attitude to these topics amusing (and would make them mildly annoying to me if I knew you in real life).

For example, a lot people die because they smoke in bed/couch/whatever and fall asleep.

I don't know a single person who smokes in bed. Even when drunk.

Smoking lowers your life expectancy - this is statistically true. But the flipside is that - spoiler - non-smokers die as well. I've known a perfectly healthy non-smoker drop dead at a young age, and I've also known two smokers (one my nan, one my next door neighbour) live well into their seventies and - most crucially - die of the same thing as most old people - pneumonia. Admittedly in this case it was pneumonia due to underlying lung cancer, but the ending was the same.

Emphysemia, OTOH, is nasty. Chronic, affecting the quality of life and not really killing you. At least when you get a malign tumour you know where you stand (or more to the point where you'll be buried )

Incidentally. In the UK only 5,121 people died of cirrhosis and other liver conditions induced by alcohol in 2002. And let's not go on to the provable health benefits that mild and responsible drinking can have...

I do think smokers should be considerate

True. I agree 100%.
But I also think non-smokers should be considerate. If you go into a premises that allows smoking, you lose the right to complain about it when people smoke

I'm a tad judgemental of judgemental people, tbh. Hypocritical, eh?

[Lord Golbez]

Sorry, but I think the health benefits of alcohol are bullshit. The problem is you need proper control groups. Sure maybe some alcohol will help lower the risk of heart disease if you're eating wrong to begin with, but if you eat the right way, you shouldn't have to worry about it. My guess is that if your diet's all good than alcohol only has negative effects. It is toxic after all.

The only times I go into premises that allow smoking are when I'm just tagging along with someone else. Most of my smoker related issues are when people smoke outdoors in areas where I have to get around them and only have narrow passage.

[Damien]

Slashley, if you're getting addicted to cigarettes from just being around smokers, maybe you need some help.
I've honestly never heard of this in my life

[Anonymous]

If the steak isn't well done, however, you'll just die of E-Coli or some other ridiculous disease. Cease consuming meat altogether!

And Wine has health benefits. Health benefits that are...slightly better than those one can get fromn real grape juice (no sugary grape juice substitute).

[Chi]

Sure maybe some alcohol will help lower the risk of heart disease if you're eating wrong to begin with, but if you eat the right way, you shouldn't have to worry about it.

That is pure conjecture.
There are many studies into the topic, and whilst some are inconclusive, some definitely have a statement to make (you might not like the methodology, sure) - I pick one (pretty basic) one as just an example:
Reeeeed red wiiiine... goes to my heeeeEEEeeead...

Anyway, tea is better

If the steak isn't well done, however, you'll just die of E-Coli or some other ridiculous disease. Cease consuming meat altogether!

I've never died of e.coli, and I eat steak rare (proper rare, not that English "slightly pink" crap - saignant or tartare, plx). Now, other meats, I would be wary of (no rare sausages or rare chicken please)... or crap quality steak, or gone-off steak... etc.

[Lord Golbez]

Slashley, if you're getting addicted to cigarettes from just being around smokers, maybe you need some help.
I've honestly never heard of this in my life

It seems reasonable to me that it could happen, but I don't really know.

[Damien]

Not if you don't enjoy the smoke in any way.
Maybe the guy's just annoyed that nobdoy likes him enough to share a smoke with.

[Lord Golbez]

Sure maybe some alcohol will help lower the risk of heart disease if you're eating wrong to begin with, but if you eat the right way, you shouldn't have to worry about it.

That is pure conjecture.
There are many studies into the topic, and whilst some are inconclusive, some definitely have a statement to make (you might not like the methodology, sure) - I pick one (pretty basic) one as just an example:
Reeeeed red wiiiine... goes to my heeeeEEEeeead...

Well, I've merely skimmed through the study thus far (obviously) but I don't really see anything in here that can refute my claims (unless you believe that most people eat an optimally healthy diet, but I maintain that the vast majority of people do not).

Anyway, tea is better

I can drink to that.

[Chi]

Well, I've merely skimmed through the study thus far (obviously) but I don't really see anything in here that can refute my claims (unless you believe that most people eat an optimally healthy diet, but I maintain that the vast majority of people do not).

Nothing in there refutes your claim (I wasn't trying to - after all, you made the claim that it doesn't help, given an optimal diet {whatever an optimal diet is - people disagree on that, too} => You should prove it).

But your claim is still conjecture

I think it is time for me to go home and drink tea (and not smoke), tbh.

[Yuka]

But HANG ON. I'm biased. I smoke on average one cigarette/cigar a year, which makes me... An Evil Smoker(tm)

My yearly intake is double yours!
I'm twice as evil!

[Damien]

Mine might be double of both of you put together.
Thjat's why the call me Damien

[Anonymous]

...the RDM has smoked about 3 packs over the course of his lifetime...almost 3 cigarettes a year! Wahoo!

Anyways, there's no way of knowing if you've died of E.Coli, really. This could be the after life.

[Lord Golbez]

I'm posting on internet forums in the afterlife? ...........






It's exactly as I imagined it.

[DarloJo]

Christian - yeah, I said somewhere that it's my choice to go in somewhere that allows smoking so I can't really complain...

And my profile works for me... I dunno. I'm a friend of Chris's (and various other people on here) from teh real life and generally only lurk on here cos I'm scared of the mean people

[Chi]

DarloJo is SGUK (Northern) mafia. Respec'.

[Slashley]

Spoiler: The mortality rate of smoking is 100%. So is the mortality rate of not smoking! You are all going to die!

While true, I do think this is entirely beside the point

Does second hand smoking not addict you to smoking?

Err... I've never heard of people taking up smoking or wanting to be in smoky environments after passive smoking, so no I'd say it doesn't addict you to smoking. Addiction is as much psychological as it is physical.

Nicotine.
While addictions can be as much psychological as well as physical, both are NOT needed for addictions.

Simply put, if you work in cigarette smoke eight hours a day, five days a week, you WILL be addicted to nicotine. If you don't go to work, you will get "the shakes" and will desire cigarette smoke - you might not desire putting a cigarette on your lips, but you will desire the smoke.

Pretty sure everywhere, waiters/waitresses over the age of 40 can tell you. Depending on where you live, the age may be lower (depends on when did your country realise that it's probably not a good thing to force all bar/restaurant/etc workers into being smokers).

Smoking gains you NOTHING

Playing games gains you NOTHING.
Having a phone call with a friend gains you NOTHING.
Having a wank gains you NOTHING.
Drinking lemonade gains you NOTHING.
Watching shite daytime TV gains you NOTHING.
Having protected sex gains you NOTHING.
etc. etc.

Lots of things gain you nothing but yet people do them anyway. --

However, none of these things are [spoiler=harmful,](Some people will tell you wanking is harmful for you though!)[/spoiler] [spoiler=costy](Costy depends on how much call your friends and how often you have protected sex, but in general.)[/spoiler] or [spoiler=addictive.](Some people would call wanking addictive, I wouldn't.)[/spoiler] Which was my main point you took out of context.

Sure it can feel good, but why would you care what feels good if it's screwing you over? Can you mention six things which are enjoyable, and yet destroy you? Aside from alcohol, smoking and drugs.
Hell, it's possible to train a pleasure response from electric shocks. Doesn't really make it a good idea though, you know, shocking yourself for pleasure.

Slashley, you've never smoked, nor have you seemingly done any research into smoking beyond the trivial, so it is no wonder you don't understand what the appeal of smoking is. This is what - to me - makes your judgemental attitude to these topics amusing (and would make them mildly annoying to me if I knew you in real life).

Research as in smoke to find out what it like?
No thanks, I'm smart enough to pass on that offer. If you mean some kind of other research, please define.

I had six months time in the army to ponder what makes people smoke. The only answer I could come up with was that retards are drawn to other retards, at least one retard smokes, thus they all smoke. Really great reasoning there, I know, but it seems to work to this day.

For example, a lot people die because they smoke in bed/couch/whatever and fall asleep.

I don't know a single person who smokes in bed. Even when drunk.

It's almost a weekly thing in Finland to read in the newspapers. Something along the lines of "FIRE BROKE OUT IN TURKU - reason was found to be a burning bed. Alcohol and smoking assumed to be involved."

Finland is a small country though, fire makes it to the newspapers here. Probably you don't know how common it is because your country's news barrier is much higher?
That, or the Finnish are retards. In general, I doubt they're any worse than elsewhere.

(News barrier as in things that are are written in the limited space of news papers - less interesting things do not fit into the paper.)

Slashley, if you're getting addicted to cigarettes from just being around smokers, maybe you need some help.
I've honestly never heard of this in my life

As I've mentioned (in this post at least), it's not something you can pick up from walking to the bus and passing a smoker. It's more of a work-related "disease" but the chance is still there. To the casual being around smokers, I should mention Slashley's drug-gateway-theory-applied-to-smoking-theory: You get used to smoking, you're far more likely to pick up smoking.

What could go wrong, just one pack?

And before you know, it's a habit. Then you're screwed.




So that this post wouldn't be just replying to others... can I make a comparison between asbestos and smoking?
1. Both are known to cause lung cancer.
2. Asbestos is cheap, would it be commercially available still. I'm pretty sure it would end up cheaper than smoking at least!
3. Because of it's cheapness, you won't have to be annoyed whenever somebody wants one. Besides, it's not like you can control the dust, so you'd be sharing anyway!
4. Asbestos isn't addictive, so you can quit any time you want!
5. Smoking gets you extra cigarette breaks at work, but you can pretty darn sure everyone around you will evacuate if you start inhaling asbestos dust. Thus, longer breaks!
6. Asbestos doesn't destroy our rainforests. In fact, mining operations would increase employment of third-world countries, bringing in commerce and theoretically reduce the destruction of our planet's lungs! Destroy your own lungs, don't destroy our planet!
7. You don't even need to carry a lighter around to grind some dust off asbestos.

You know what? I think I'll rather pick up asbestos than smoking.
If somebody complains to me that I should stop grinding some asbestos dust in a public place, I'll just tell him to get lost. It's a free country, I'm free to destroy my health wherever I damn please. You don't like the dust? YOU go away. You're ruining my asbestos, goddamn health-freak whiner! People like you ruin asbestos for EVERYONE!


... also, the first person to take that seriously and, for example, points out that it takes a lot less asbestos to almost guarantee a lung disease than smoking will get smacked.


AFTER I wrote all that, I figured I should google the whole smoking-asbestos thing. You know, if somebody thought of it before, steal his "ideas"?
[spoiler=What I found.]
Should I read that as "smoking is more dangerous than asbestos?"
I was under the impression that asbestos is EXTREMELY toxic, but I suppose it's not that toxic. Toxic yes, deadly yes, but I suppose not the "OMG ASBESTOS RUN FOR IT" deadly as they make it to be.
... that, or smoking is REALLY bad for you. Really, really, OMG CIGARETTES RUN FOR IT bad.[/spoiler]

[Cybernetic Empire]

No thanks, I tried that in kindergarten. I noticed that it was fun, but being in groups makes you a fucking retard
While not so true as humans gain some age and brains, it doesn't change all that much. I'm very glad I made my decision of being myself rather than "fitting in" just because it wouldn't make me an outcast.

You tried to have a social life in Kindergarten? You suck at life. Emulate someone else please.

[Entr0pi3]

Maybe more importantly



Now, sure, "it's a free country", and everyone is allowed to kill themselves the way they like best, but still

[Slashley]

No thanks, I tried that in kindergarten. I noticed that it was fun, but being in groups makes you a fucking retard
While not so true as humans gain some age and brains, it doesn't change all that much. I'm very glad I made my decision of being myself rather than "fitting in" just because it wouldn't make me an outcast.

You tried to have a social life in Kindergarten? You suck at life. Emulate someone else please.

Thanks, that was really constructive. I'll make sure to consider that in the future.

[Chi]

And Entr0pi3 hits on the shallow, superficial reason why I don't smoke[*] That, and the fact that it damages your skin and ages you quicker.

[*] May or may not be true. I've grown up in a household where literally every single person smoked, and yet I have no inclination to do so (short of the above-mentioned cigarette/year average), and never have.

BUT ANYWAY. This started with being against alcohol! And with that, I'm off to the pub. I might reply to Slashley later, but suffice to say that primary research isn't the only way to investigate something... and you might want to look into the physiological effects of nicotine as a good motive as to why adult people start smoking (that and peer pressure, it is true DX)

[Lord Golbez]

I'm pretty sure that asbestos workers take precautions. That probably explains the results. If you intentionally inhale asbestos dust, you'll probably be much worse off than a smoker.

[Yuka]

Any nub who reads this will think Manoftext has been smoking himself to death all this time.

[Entr0pi3]

That, and the fact that it damages your skin and ages you quicker.

And stinks and makes me sick in the stomach (so do car exhausts, but to a lesser extent, AFAIC )

I've grown up in a household where literally every single adult smoked, and consequently have no inclination to do so, and never have (and so do my siblings, as far as I know)

you might want to look into the physiological effects of nicotine as a good motive as to why adult people start smoking (that and peer pressure, it is true DX)

Nicotine boost, uh?
Isn't that a bit the same with coffee and caffeine? My work environment contains no smokers, but is full of coffee addicts, and coffee break is an unmissable ritual social event.
Dunno about health effects (it seems to me coffee is much less lethal, though), but I much prefer that to smoke breaks, tbh... Coffee smells nicer, and tea drinkers can join, too

If you intentionally inhale asbestos dust, you'll probably be much worse off than a smoker.

I say, to determine the truth of that statement, we should run actual comparative tests... Any volunteers for an exciting scientific study?

[Slashley]

If you intentionally inhale asbestos dust, you'll probably be much worse off than a smoker.

I say, to determine the truth of that statement, we should run actual comparative tests... Any volunteers for an exciting scientific study?

I volunteer Joei and CE.


As for caffeine, while addictive, I don't think it destroys you?
Except your teeth. Hell, smoking does that too.
I've read far too much Wiki for one day, I'm definately not going to check caffeine

[Anonymous]

Well...the RDM's close friend is an "asbestos inspector", and he says that the risks involved with asbestos are generally highly overblown. Apparently, white asbestos, the kind that one usually finds pretty much any where, isn't all that dangerous at all. They used to use asbestos as fake snow in movies, a sure way to get the dust in your lungs, but there certainly aren't droves of old movie stars speaking out against asbestos.

The thing with asbestos is the particles are ridiculously tiny, smaller than human hairs or fiberglass or pretty much anything you see around. So if you breath them in, they're too small for the human body to get rid of. Most human bodies totally ignore them, however, unless there's a ridiculous crapload. The problem comes when the white blood cells catch on and start attacking them, and, since they can't do anything, all hell breaks loose and cancers joins the picture somehow. It can happen after one's first exposure to the stuff, or one can go years and years being exposed to it on a daily basis and never have a problem. Kind of similar to something else...smoking? Perhaps with much greater extremes, but it is pretty similar.

[Lord Golbez]

There are health issues associated with caffeine, but much less well established and less severe than cigarettes.

[Damien]

t;]

Does second hand smoking not addict you to smoking?

Err... I've never heard of people taking up smoking or wanting to be in smoky environments after passive smoking, so no I'd say it doesn't addict you to smoking. Addiction is as much psychological as it is physical.

Nicotine.
While addictions can be as much psychological as well as physical, both are NOT needed for addictions.

Simply put, if you work in cigarette smoke eight hours a day, five days a week, you WILL be addicted to nicotine. If you don't go to work, you will get "the shakes" and will desire cigarette smoke - you might not desire putting a cigarette on your lips, but you will desire the smoke.

I worked a year in very very smokey betting shops and go to smokey pubs all the time.
It's never made me desire more smoke.

[WaWard]

[Calbrena]

I don't know a single person who smokes in bed. Even when drunk.

I've heard it's quite common to see blindfolded girls smoking cigars on Damien's bed

[Anonymous]

Intriguing. Very intriguing.