Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hate smoking. I think it's basically the single stupidest and most destructive thing a person can do to themselves, aside from hardcore drugs like heroin or cocaine, etc. It makes you pay more in insurance, it makes you unhealthier, it wrecks your car and house (if you smoke inside), and it can lead to an early and painful death. It hurts the health of children if their parents or others smoke around them. Plus it's a drain on the wallets of people who usually can't really afford it, and getting more and more expensive as the years go on.
Part of me wishes the US would just outlaw it, but I know people would just smuggle them in and pay whatever cost is associate with it. I think the most realistic solution is to continue to gradually raise the taxes on them until most people just decide to quit on their own for financial reasons.
My point being that once you reach a certain age, dying is going to happen sooner rather than later of some cause or another. Do you think 70 or 80 year olds should be forced into a stop smoking program too? Absurd. If they have lived that long, leave them alone and let them live out the rest of their lives with whatever gives them enjoyment. However, the fanatic anti-smoking brigade would put them too in some program for their health and so they won't die?
This program is obviously geared towards young people and non-smokers.....
That being said, as we mentioned, the hard-core smokers only stop with personal health scares, and sometimes not even then. This will not work for them, and is not intended to.
I worked with a guy in his early 70's, who came back to work after a heart bypass, and still sneaked cigs during breaks. Keep in mind he was a hard-core smoker, had so little energy he would often fall asleep at his desk(body not transporting hemoglobin, not to mention the heart probs), and walked very slow.
I never bugged him at all about it....no one did...I suppose we all felt he had the right to finish himself off as he chose, though I imagine his grandkids and family differed...
Last edited by galileo3210; 12-08-2014 at 02:37 PM..
The answer to that question is still unknown, the disease is not predictable enough to say yes I will definitely need a liver transplant.
Some people do end up needing one others do not progress that far, it all depends on one's own body and reaction to the medication.
At this point there is no serius discussion about a transplant and I was diagnozed 5 years ago.
The other part of a transplant is that is no guarantee that I will not develop the same disease again, even after a transplant.
I do appreciate your well wishes.
The problem with "Well, everyone has to die eventually" type logic, is that cancer doesn't only affect people after a certain age. It's a selfish decision.
I had an uncle who died at 59 after a lifetime of smoking. No one talks fondly about him "dying on his own terms" or any such nonsense. He underwent painful treatments to try and fight off the cancer, and looked and sounded horrible before he passed away. He died before his only grandson even finished grade school, and left his wife a widow. Not exactly a noble or selfless way to go.
I don't see anyone on this thread or anywhere else blaming others for their smoking habit. I like to joke that I absolutely loathed smoking (which is true) & then an exchange student from New Zealand stayed with us for a few months in high school & she got me smoking. I shake my fist at her now, lol. Obviously the reality of it is that it's my own fault that I started smoking & got hooked. It's an addiction, just like any other addiction & it is extremely hard to quit. Is smoking stupid? Sure but like I said, it's an addiction & addictions are no indicator of intelligence at all. I know what it's like so I do not judge others for their smoking or alcohol addiction or what have you. One day I will quit for good but until then, making fun, insulting, scoffing, harassing people about quitting does no good & is a waste of time.
Good point..
We all have some bad health habits....I have drank 2-liters of Diet Pepsi/Coke Zero with Aspartame daily for years(just posted a thread about it)......I have no idea what the hell that has done, but I know it is not good, and I still drink it.....I know it is awful, yet I continue...
I, for one, am not blaming anyone at all.......we all have to make out own health choices, and none of us are perfect, God knows..
I WAS a hard-core smoker though....just for 10 years, in my 20's....have quit since I was 29, for 22 years, and feel better now than when I was in my 20's.....
I would cough up phelgm every morning, had a hacky cough(embarassing in public, like classrooms and church), and did this as a personal choice....
I did it because I feel better without smoking, that's all......
We all have some bad health habits....I have drank 2-liters of Diet Pepsi/Coke Zero with Aspartame daily for years(just posted a thread about it)......I have no idea what the hell that has done, but I know it is not good, and I still drink it.....I know it is awful, yet I continue...
I, for one, am not blaming anyone at all.......we all have to make out own health choices, and none of us are perfect, God knows..
I WAS a hard-core smoker though....just for 10 years, in my 20's....have quit since I was 29, for 22 years, and feel better now than when I was in my 20's.....
I would cough up phelgm every morning, had a hacky cough(embarassing in public, like classrooms and church), and did this as a personal choice....
I did it because I feel better without smoking, that's all......
I'm not sure why I don't quit for good....well, because it's an addiction, lol. It's been said & I can attest to this that not smoking would be just strange. Like, you wouldn't feel like yourself. I can't really explain it but that's how I feel. I've been smoking for so long it's a part of me, like a security blanket so I can't imagine what it would be like to not have it. The logical part of me knows that I would be better off healthwise, that's a no brainer but that's not compelling enough for me. At least yet, which sounds incredibly illogical, I know.
The answer to that question is still unknown, the disease is not predictable enough to say yes I will definitely need a liver transplant.
Some people do end up needing one others do not progress that far, it all depends on one's own body and reaction to the medication.
At this point there is no serius discussion about a transplant and I was diagnozed 5 years ago.
The other part of a transplant is that is no guarantee that I will not develop the same disease again, even after a transplant.
I do appreciate your well wishes.
I just found out you can actually have someone living, per a relative, donate a part of the same, as it grows back if it is healthy, and they are much better to transplant than from someone who passed.
Perhaps you have a loved one who would consider doing that.....
Whatever you do, just enjoy life and live it fully regardless of what you do or don't do......we all have a time limit, though some of us simply are more aware of it, conscious of it, than others....
I'm not sure why I don't quit for good....well, because it's an addiction, lol. It's been said & I can attest to this that not smoking would be just strange. Like, you wouldn't feel like yourself. I can't really explain it but that's how I feel. I've been smoking for so long it's a part of me, like a security blanket so I can't imagine what it would be like to not have it. The logical part of me knows that I would be better off healthwise, that's a no brainer but that's not compelling enough for me. At least yet, which sounds incredibly illogical, I know.
I felt a little strange when I quit...I actually coughed more at the beginning(the strange phenomenon of your lungs finally cleaning house when it is given a chance).....I truly hated not having a cig to smoke for ready made work break excuses....I used to like smoking in my car, loved it, especially in the summer. Bars and the back patio in the summer also greatly missed. Also, missed waking up with one(better than coffee, far better).....
What I did not miss was my hacky cough...man, I had the worst one...hated it in quiet places like church and classrooms, when everyone could hear you....or libraries.....
Now, I still miss all that other stuff, but sure as hell not per the hacky cough!...LOL!
I honestly have a hard time believing, in 2014, with all we know about the effects, that ANYONE still smokes ! If you think about it, smokers are sucking SMOKE into their bodies ? SMOKE !!! How did that wonderful practice ever get started in the first place ?
Kinda reminds me of when people in the olden days used snuff to make themselves sneeze . What a bright idea that was too ! We humans aren't as smart as we like to think we are, are we ?
Don
They were snorting tobacco. It wasn't about sneezing.
The problem with "Well, everyone has to die eventually" type logic, is that cancer doesn't only affect people after a certain age. It's a selfish decision.
I had an uncle who died at 59 after a lifetime of smoking. No one talks fondly about him "dying on his own terms" or any such nonsense. He underwent painful treatments to try and fight off the cancer, and looked and sounded horrible before he passed away. He died before his only grandson even finished grade school, and left his wife a widow. Not exactly a noble or selfless way to go.
Good points....
I do not recall anyone having a pleasant experience going on their own terms with the Big C...
I recall my friends' father moaning in his bedroom in pain, agonizing screams...
Worst, seeing my beloved aunts and female friends shriveled up into a ragdoll ball of 40-50 pounds, emaciated, in a hospital bed, yet smiling sweetly that I showed up to see them....
I will never forget my Aunt like that, asking me if I would like a glass of pop, always thinking of others to the end..
I don't think anyone would call THAT choosing one's terms....those are some strange terms if so..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
