Tobacco Facts

[Duke]

Every once in a while I jump on my high horse and start preaching the dangers of tobacco to any...

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[John]

Originally Posted by Duke

Every once in a while I jump on my high horse and start preaching the dangers of tobacco to any...

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Just read this and thought I had written it.

Having smoked for over 30 years or more I know a little about the health risks first hand.

Thank you Duke and keep up the good fight. I know it's hard for people to quit but if I can do it anyone can.

I've watched people's health deteriorate rapidly from smoking related illnesses and watched them die. The sad part is they don't see it although everyone else around them does.

It is so not necessary these days.

[TKDLady]

My sister in law died from lung cancer. She smoked most of her life.

PS: Duke your link doesn't take you to the tobacco story, it takes you to the birthday thread. FYI.

[John]

Maybe this one works:

http://www.lifesupporters.com/family...ts-2007052637/

[TKDLady]

Thanks John. I knew how to get to it but figured Duke might want to fix his link. I appreciate the thought though.

[Duke]

Originally Posted by TKDLady

My sister in law died from lung cancer. She smoked most of her life.

PS: Duke your link doesn't take you to the tobacco story, it takes you to the birthday thread. FYI.

Link updated

Originally Posted by John Sullivan

Just read this and thought I had written it.

Having smoked for over 30 years or more I know a little about the health risks first hand.

Thank you Duke and keep up the good fight. I know it's hard for people to quit but if I can do it anyone can.

I've watched people's health deteriorate rapidly from smoking related illnesses and watched them die. The sad part is they don't see it although everyone else around them does.

It is so not necessary these days.

Congratulations on dumping the habit, way to go!

Even thought I sometimes preach the dangers of it I still have no idea what I'm talking about really as I've never been a smoker. My POV derives from the numerous and well publicized health risks of smoke and especially second hand smoke.

I usually go off in a rant if I happen to drive past another car where the adults are smoking and the kids are in the back seats with the windows up. Aside from seeing a husband hitting his wife in the car (which I've seen as well), nothing makes my blood boil more.

I think it's fantastic you managed to take control of the addiction John, kudos for you.

Do you have any insight into what method worked best for you and helped you to ultimately quit?

[John]

Originally Posted by Duke

Link updated

Congratulations on dumping the habit, way to go!

Even thought I sometimes preach the dangers of it I still have no idea what I'm talking about really as I've never been a smoker. My POV derives from the numerous and well publicized health risks of smoke and especially second hand smoke.

I usually go off in a rant if I happen to drive past another car where the adults are smoking and the kids are in the back seats with the windows up. Aside from seeing a husband hitting his wife in the car (which I've seen as well), nothing makes my blood boil more.

I think it's fantastic you managed to take control of the addiction John, kudos for you.

Do you have any insight into what method worked best for you and helped you to ultimately quit?

Duke

I have had to take control of my life several times, Drug addiction, Alcoholism and cigarette smoking all which started around 12 years old . I finally beat the drugs and alcohol after trying for many years at age 44. It took me 5 more years to finally beat the cigs.

The alcohol and drugs were kicked by cold turkey method the only one that works in my opinion. I have been involved in AA for 13+ years now.

Smoking was kicked with the aid of the patch which I wore for 6 weeks according to the manufacturers and doctors recommendations.

The motivator here was the realization that I was suffering from emphysema, an illness my doctor had been warning me about for years. When I could not breath well enough to finish an entire sentence without gasping for air, I decided it was time. I was desperate and wanted to live. Very similar to what I have most recently gone through with diabetes.

I decided I liked breathing more then I liked smoking.

For those who smoke here let me just say that not being able to breath is a horrible experience and one that only gets worse with time.

The progression of respiratory problems is so gradual they are often overlooked and denied until it is too late. You can not reverse it. You can only live with what you have left.

Many people think that dieing from smoking related problems is as bad as it gets but living with them can be worse then death.

I'm not going to try and convince anyone they should quit smoking they already know that.

They have to make their own decisions about that just like I did.

[Duke]

Wow John that's quite the story, thank you for posting it.

I think that's the problem with most addictions in that many people don't realize what addiction is doing to them until it's too late. Too late doesn't always necessarily translate to deteriorating health either, it can also be deteriorating relationships such as family, friends, etc.

[John]

Originally Posted by Duke

Wow John that's quite the story, thank you for posting it.

I think that's the problem with most addictions in that many people don't realize what addiction is doing to them until it's too late. Too late doesn't always necessarily translate to deteriorating health either, it can also be deteriorating relationships such as family, friends, etc.

I can tell you for a fact that ANY addiction effects the whole family and yes everything falls apart eventually. Family, friends, finances, health, careers, everything.

My story in detail would curl your hair but I save the gory details for those who think they can't recover from the same problems. Most people who know me now, can't believe what they hear about my life when told from my own mouth. I'd hardly believe it myself if I hadn't lived it.

But, this thread is about Tobacco facts mot me.

[John]

By the way Duke, another method that has had some success for some people is the use of Welbutrin (anti depressant) in combination with the nicotine patches. As you might imagine the Welbutrin counteracts the mental anguish experienced when the brain is being deprived of the toxic substance it has come to depend upon for normal functioning.

My doctor prescribed this for me too but having a history of drug abuse, I chose not to take it. It reminded me of the high I experienced with speed and I thought it best not to remind my brain of that feeling.

Part of the battle in quitting is to stay up beat and positive about not smoking. The welbutrin helps do this for some folks.

There are also groups like Smoke Enders and Nicotine Anonymous that provide support for the recovering smoker. Again I did not participate in this because I was able to use my friends in AA for that same support. Talking about the difficulties in quitting and the smoking dreams that often occur after quitting is very helpful in preventing the addict from feeling scared and alone.

Most people who try to quit without some support structure behind them invariably fail. Just having someone who cares and has been there can be very comforting and reassuring.

[Duke]

Originally Posted by John Sullivan

I can tell you for a fact that ANY addiction effects the whole family and yes everything falls apart eventually. Family, friends, finances, health, careers, everything.

My story in detail would curl your hair but I save the gory details for those who think they can't recover from the same problems. Most people who know me now, can't believe what they hear about my life when told from my own mouth. I'd hardly believe it myself if I hadn't lived it.

But, this thread is about Tobacco facts mot me.

We need a thread about you John because your insight into this topic is astounding. Thank you very much for the input because I'm sure it can help those who need to quit (which is pretty much everybody if you ask me).

I wonder if it may be time to add another tobacco story to the news page only this time with ways to stop?

[patrick]

Too bad ConnieTalk isn't a member here.

[John]

Originally Posted by patrick

Too bad ConnieTalk isn't a member here.

Yeah she's always fun to talk to about smoking and the dangers of. In all fairness to Connie, most smokers take the same approach and present the same defenses.

Sooner or later the health risks and dangers all get back to: "I have the right to smoke and you can't stop me" "It's my life and I have the right to kill myself if I like"

Can't argue with that.

[Weiser]

Fact: Smoking makes your breath & your clothes stink.

I refuse to date smokers.

Funny enough, I'm a smoker.

I've been smoking for about 5 years now, for some stupid reason I decided to start smoking when I was 21. I know, I'm stupid. I will say though, I have no problems not smoking for an entire day and I have no problems not smoking when it's cold out. Come to think of it, I never have cravings to smoke unless I am drinking and a pack of smokes (25 pack) will last me 3 - 4 days. I mainly smoke at work so I can get out of the office and go for a walk.

If I am dating someone, I won't smoke around them. That means if I am with them for 5 days straight, I won't smoke for 5 days straight.

Oddly enough, because it's no problem for me not to smoke, I don't feel the need to quit. How dumb is that?

As for drugs....I've done too many and partied way too hard for way too long in such a relatively small amount of time (4 years), but for me to stop it was easy. I just stopped. Now, if I can do that with drugs - just stop with no problems, then I am pretty sure I can just do that with smoking. Why don't I? That's a good question, I have no idea. I stopped partying because my health was being seriously affected. I dropped 35 lbs and couldn't stand up w/o passing out 50% of the time (I went from 195 to 160. I'm 220 now). Maybe because my health isn't being affected right now (I know it is, but there are no signs that shows it is) is why I don't bother to quit. I don't know, seems to me I should, but I just don't really care. I think I am of the mentality that I have only been smoking for 5 years, so I'm still good for another few years. Sounds stupid, I know...

[patrick]

Originally Posted by Weiser

Oddly enough, because it's no problem for me not to smoke, I don't feel the need to quit. How dumb is that?

I knew someone who smoked for over 40 years. She smoked one cigarette a day, with her morning coffee while reading the paper. Otherwise she never touched nicotine. She quit at age 62 or so, simply because she thought cigarettes were getting too expensive. She's 82 now, and is doing about as well as an 82 year old can be expected to do, last I heard.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Duke

We need a thread about you John because your insight into this topic is astounding. Thank you very much for the input because I'm sure it can help those who need to quit (which is pretty much everybody if you ask me).

I wonder if it may be time to add another tobacco story to the news page only this time with ways to stop?

Yeah he is extraordinary. He'll eventually leak everything. If he gave it to us all at once we might not believe it.

But back to The Topic at hand.

I must be one of the few people that can smoke, and quit, and smoke, and quit on demand......if I'm bored, or drinking around smokers, or if something else causes the mood to strike, I'll smoke. I'll even Jones for a cigarette.

But then I can easily quit, and go months or years, without smoking.

[TKDLady]

I never have and never will and hope my children never do. It is a smelly habit and that smell permeates everything. It even stains the walls in your house. I have seen cancer infested lungs. No thank you. The air we breath on a daily basis is probably bad enough depending on where you live.

[Duke]

This article has been updated as tobaccofacts.org has been discontinued:

Province of British Columbia - Tobacco Facts

I've also added some new info. to bring the article up to date.

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