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Old 03-24-2015, 09:14 PM
 
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Why is alcohol demonized much worse than smoking tobacco? If a person smokes a lot its like "ha ha ha i know its bad for me i should quit" and people don't look twice at that person but god forbid someone drinks, we wanna shuffle them off to a "clinic" to "cure" them of their bad habit.
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Old 03-24-2015, 09:22 PM
 
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People drink, people smoke, not going to change anytime soon no matter who fusses about what.

Someone will more than likely point out that smoking a cigarette does not physically affect you like drinking does so you are less likely to run over, hit, or kill a human, guard rail, bicycle, tree or any other number of physical items than if you were under the influence of alcohol.
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Old 03-25-2015, 02:04 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CSD610 View Post
People drink, people smoke, not going to change anytime soon no matter who fusses about what.

Someone will more than likely point out that smoking a cigarette does not physically affect you like drinking does so you are less likely to run over, hit, or kill a human, guard rail, bicycle, tree or any other number of physical items than if you were under the influence of alcohol.
There are prescription drugs that have a warning not to operate heavy machinery while on the drug, so, we just assume that people won't operate heavy machinery while under the influence of any legal drug. Also, someone who's not a full fledged alcoholic could get into a car and drive while under the influence....so, its not like drinking and driving is reserved for full fledged alcoholics only.
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Old 03-25-2015, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Canada
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wall st kid View Post
Why is alcohol demonized much worse than smoking tobacco? If a person smokes a lot its like "ha ha ha i know its bad for me i should quit" and people don't look twice at that person but god forbid someone drinks, we wanna shuffle them off to a "clinic" to "cure" them of their bad habit.
I'm the last one in the world who'd exaggerate the evils of alcohol or minimize the health risks of smoking, but let's be real here, being an alcoholic is a far more dangerous thing then being addicted to smoking. Alcoholics have impaired judgement that effects their daily lives and the lives of those around them, reducing their everyday quality of life and level of function in a way cigarettes do not. Moreover, the risk of lung cancer and heart disease over decades cannot be compared to the nutritional deficits of a chronic alcoholic, cirrhosis of the liver, and if you smoke too many cigarettes in one day you cough alot, you don't die within hours like you do with alcohol poisoning. And what happens when you try to quit these two substances? Nicotine's tough to quit, you're irritable and jittery and you really want a cigarette. Alcohol? You're debilitatingly sick, you may hallucinate or have seizures, and without proper care, sometimes alcoholics in withdrawal die. So yes, for many the supportive care of a clinic is necessary to even survive the detox experience. So let's not go around minimizing what alcoholics have gone through and continue to go through by comparing their addiction to that of a smoker. It's quite insensitive actually not to recognize the magnitude of the difference even though nicotine addiction isn't a walk in the park.
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Old 03-25-2015, 11:30 PM
 
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Originally Posted by wall st kid View Post
There are prescription drugs that have a warning not to operate heavy machinery while on the drug, so, we just assume that people won't operate heavy machinery while under the influence of any legal drug. Also, someone who's not a full fledged alcoholic could get into a car and drive while under the influence....so, its not like drinking and driving is reserved for full fledged alcoholics only.

You did not say someone who drinks casually you specifically said "Alcoholics", there is a difference so if you want to make a valid point please toss the blanket over everyone who may have a drink and drive and do not specifically say "alcoholics".

So it appears that you want to change the details of your original post since someone does not agree with you.

Be less specific next time, you are the one who chose to list a specific group (alcoholics), not me.
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Old 03-25-2015, 11:38 PM
 
Location: Texas
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I don't get it.
I have smoked.
I have drunk.
It is not that flipping hard to quit either, let alone use them responsibly/moderately.
The worst thing that has ever happened was the disease model of addiction, which took a personal failing and turned it into a disease so that people could make money out of it.
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Old 03-26-2015, 02:06 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CSD610 View Post
You did not say someone who drinks casually you specifically said "Alcoholics", there is a difference so if you want to make a valid point please toss the blanket over everyone who may have a drink and drive and do not specifically say "alcoholics".

So it appears that you want to change the details of your original post since someone does not agree with you.

Be less specific next time, you are the one who chose to list a specific group (alcoholics), not me.
My original point was that alcohol is more demonized than smoking and in post 2, i think, you tried to suggest the reasons for this, one of the main ones was that a person under the influence could do something dangerous and put the public at large in harms way. My point was that ANYONE could have a drink or 2 and put the public in danger. The reason i brought up that point was that i was reluctant to use that as an excuse as to why alcohol is more demonized than smoking. Also, even if you are an alcoholic that doesn't automatically make you a danger to society.
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Old 03-26-2015, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wall st kid View Post
My original point was that alcohol is more demonized than smoking and in post 2, i think, you tried to suggest the reasons for this, one of the main ones was that a person under the influence could do something dangerous and put the public at large in harms way. My point was that ANYONE could have a drink or 2 and put the public in danger. The reason i brought up that point was that i was reluctant to use that as an excuse as to why alcohol is more demonized than smoking. Also, even if you are an alcoholic that doesn't automatically make you a danger to society.
Alcohol is more demonized because its effects are far worse on a person and his or her family than smoking is. Both can kill you eventually, but no one ever beat up his wife or kids because he smoked too many cigarettes. No one ever lost their house or their vehicle because they spent too much money on cigarettes. No one ever lost ENTIRE DAYS of their memory because they smoked too many cigarettes. Nobody ever forgot what they did the night before because they smoked too many cigarettes. Rarely do people lie, cheat, or steal or borrow money they can't afford to pay back because they needed to buy cigarettes.
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Old 03-31-2015, 11:36 PM
 
Location: Arizona
13,249 posts, read 7,304,105 times
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Are you kidding me have you ever lived with an Alcoholic I have it's not even close to a smoker. Alcoholics are only normal in the morning before they start drinking then they drink until you can't reason with them. They are abusive sometimes physical or most of the time verbally. You want to beat them up but you don't because you know that is wrong it's not easy to hold back after a day and night of abuse. The next day they have no idea what they did or even remember how they acted.

Alcoholic's get behind the wheel and drive the wrong way down freeways which happened in my state 2 times last year an old lady who had been a life long drunk got behind the wheel of a Ford F-350 1 ton pickup drove the wrong way at night going 70 80 mph ran into a young couple head on in a small car who engaged to get married just out of college killed both the old lady walked away without a scratch she is in prison now.
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Old 03-31-2015, 11:51 PM
 
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Originally Posted by kell490 View Post
Are you kidding me have you ever lived with an Alcoholic I have it's not even close to a smoker. Alcoholics are only normal in the morning before they start drinking then they drink until you can't reason with them. They are abusive sometimes physical or most of the time verbally. You want to beat them up but you don't because you know that is wrong it's not easy to hold back after a day and night of abuse. The next day they have no idea what they did or even remember how they acted.

Alcoholic's get behind the wheel and drive the wrong way down freeways which happened in my state 2 times last year an old lady who had been a life long drunk got behind the wheel of a Ford F-350 1 ton pickup drove the wrong way at night going 70 80 mph ran into a young couple head on in a small car who engaged to get married just out of college killed both the old lady walked away without a scratch she is in prison now.
But can't anyone get behind the wheel while impaired? And, isnt deciding to drive drunk a separate issue since not all people who are drunk decide to drive? In other words its not the alcohol that makes some people drive drunk, most people can drink and be responsible about it.
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