That's because you have that attitude, Camacho. You have to really want to not do it before you can let it go, and I say that of any addictive behavior, not just smoking. It doesn't work until you're really ready and ready to completely commit to that goal.

But good luck, anyway!

Camacho, try nicotine gum. That's how I did it, and I know I could never have quit without it.

A few people at work got a small clip put in the ear by a doctor who specializes in acupuncture. They said it worked great.

I smoke, but not in excessive amounts. I might smoke 10 times a week, but this increases to around 25 to 30 if I am stressed out, or depressed.

I think it’s clear that smoking is an insult to the body-particularly the cardio-vascular system, and I also think it is an insult to the mind. If one makes a hobby of destroying body tissue, I think this must send some sort of subliminal message to the subconscious about self-integrity and self-worth.

(Can you guess that I am a reformed smoker?)

I don't really agree, etudiant, because as far as I see it, everyone has at least one habit that could be considered self-destructive. It's sort of human nature. Whether it's smoking or drinking, eating too much sugar or fat, eating too little and exercising too much, or not exercising at all, etc., everyone does something that is potentially detrimental to their health. At least smokers know and accept the risks, whereas many people have habits that they think are healthy but are in fact quite the opposite. I don't see a connection between smoking and low self-worth, unless there are external forces acting on the smoker to make them feel bad about what they do (i.e. friends and family constantly belittling them, anti-smoking ads comparing them to all manner of bad stereotypes, etc.).

I know a great many people who don't smoke and still have very strong self-worth issues, so I can't agree that there is a direct correlation there.

Yeah, my bad habit is my huge sweet tooth. But the negative effects can be prevented with teeth brushing and exercise (and restraint LOL). How do you prevent the negative effects of smoking? (I mean the bigger ones, not just stuff like smell and teeth)


And it's not really smoking I hate so much as tobacco industries in general.

Smoking is a terribly hard habit to break. I once heard a reformed drug user-alcoholic say that smoking was the hardest thing he ever gave up. I guess I am living proof, seven years smoke free and I still want it. The fact that I ever started smoking at all is one of the few regrets I have.

Yes, don’t get me wrong- I’m not the type to walk around, stern-faced, raising a crucifix over the afflicted. It’s an imperfect universe, and there are some bad habits out there.

But my view is, if we are going to engage in risky behavior, it is best to weigh the costs and benefits. If, after really looking at the possibilities, one still wants to do something, then I think they should do it. But if one is going to rush into a burning building, better to do it to rescue a child, than someone’s stamp collection.

So to when it comes to vices. What is being given for what is being obtained? With smoking, one’s chances of suffering heart disease, strokes, or lung cancer are increased many times. Not by a trivial amount, but many, many times. Emphysema is not so much a risk as a certainty. It is a fairly straight forward, mechanical process: lungs did not evolve to be a filter for all the products of tobacco smoke, and so the more one smokes, the more irritation takes place, leading to scar tissue and loss of gas transfer in the lungs. No one gets out of this one. This process also leaves the lungs much more vulnerable to whatever bugs are floating by. Smoking is a major factor in causing impotence in men, and in causing birth defects in the children of women smokers. These items are just the top of a long list. Overall, one can statistically count of a life about 13-15 years shorter than they would otherwise have had.

Ok- let’s look on the bright side. What are the pluses? Smoking speeds up one’s metabolism, and this is interpreted sometimes as stimulation, sometimes relaxation. Many report being able to focus and concentrate better, and generally feel more relaxed. Anything else?

It makes you look cool.

Totally kidding, it doesn't, unless that's something you just happen to think looks cool. There is absolutely no correlation between smoking and coolness, no matter what old black and white movies may lead us to believe.

And in the immortal words of the great John Lennon, "...although I'm so tired, I'll have another cigarette, and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git." -I'm So Tired, from The Beatles' White Album