Smoking in Moderation

[Superior Mind]

I smoke cigars very rarely, (birthdays, New Years, other celebrations,) but I smoked cigarettes for a short while. I was never addicted because I never really got the appeal and didn't particularly like the ashtray-mouth it gave me. Made me look cool though.

Health wise though - every cigarette does damage. People can get lung cancer from second hand smoke. The belief that cigars are healthier because you don't inhale is also false, you can get mouth cancer and residual smoke finds it's way to cause throat and lung cancer. If you smoke less you'll mitigate the effects sure but that doesn't mean you're not doing any harm or even much harm as some people can be effected worse than others.

I like smoking cigars so I do but I don't kid myself about the risks. I also like drinking but I don't forget the harmful effects of alcohol either. If you're willing to assume the risks and can weigh them against the benefits as they are to you then I see little harm in a minimal habit like a pack a month. Really though if smoking is kind of "meh" one way or the other as cigarette smoking was for me I'd say just quit for the sake of the health benefits and the fact it'll get your friends and family to stop bitching at you. Now that will take years off your life.

 

[Game_Geek]

The other day I smoked a pack of black and mild cigars (4) and I hurled so much. Now that I have tested my limits I can moderate. It is like knowing your max while weightlifting.

 

[LiftYourSkinnyFists]

What's everyones thoughts on smoking (tobacco) without an addiction? Is it possible? Can it be safe if you have the willpower to control yourself? What do you think the chances of medical issues are later in life if you only smoke one a day for example?

Personally I consider myself a social smoker, in the same way people can be social drinkers (which I also am, btw). Which means I am not addicted or dependant on cigarettes, but I enjoy them with other people that are also smoking, (not peer pressure, its just great to have a smoke and chat with someone in a way non-smokers might not understand) and occasionally light up on my own if I am feeling stressed out or upset (it calms me down, relaxes me, and gives me a temporary high for a minute or two). I have no cravings at all, and I can literally go as long as I want without smoking. I've gone over a month before without a smoke since starting, and often I go a week or two without one. Generally though I go through a pack of 25 in about a month, sometimes in 2 months.

I keep being told that I should quit, but why? Assuming I continue doing this, I will probably smoke about as much im my lifetime that the average smoker would have in a year or two (or less). How is this dangerous to my health? In moderation there are much worse things that can be much more damaging. Why should I be scolded for having a smoke every other day, when there are people who shove Big Macs down their throat every other day and will die at 50 from a heart attack caused by obesity?

I smoke, I don't need to smoke I genuinely enjoy the taste it's not a case of I need the substance but a case of I would like to, like a fat person to cake... wait no that's not right...

 

[Murray Kitson]

i have to say, a little bit of poison is beneficial to our bodies. it boosts its resilience in the long run. for instance, a pack a day smoker quits. five years later, their lungs are stronger than someone who hasn't smoked a day in their life. this has been proven clinically! also, the oldest living woman in canada at the moment smokes a single cigarette a day, and has since she was 14... around 100 years ago.

now this method of strengthening your lungs is not recommended. in the time smoking, other problems may develop (from cancer to other diseases) and also, you will not be able to take it into any sports events. people train for years to compete in sports, so take the years it takes to train, add the years it takes to recover and heal from the damage you did, and add the years of smoking. you are at or around 35 years old. no team would bother taking someone who is this old unless they are established. cute idea tho.

is smoking bad... yes. will it kill you... most likely, but i never intended to live forever. as i said, toxins in small quantities build resilience towards harsh environments. one a day and you may outlive us all. you'll still be shitting your diaper, but you will be alive ^_^

 

[Blue_vision]

The reason that I hate tobacco is that it ends up being really hard to consume it in moderation. If it were easy to just have it once in a while, then I'd have little qualms over its use, and for people that can just have a cigarette once or twice a week, I say go right ahead. But if you're smoking packs a week, you simply need to stop, and I think that as long as people continue smoking packs a week, cigarette use needs to be limited by some controlling body.

So yeah, I see proper cigarette consumption about in line with alcohol. Two in a day's alright, half a pack in a week's fine. But more than that, and I can't support you doing it.

 

[Carl Casey]

"I prefer a good cigar and a bad woman" -Duke Nukem (Time to Kill)

 

[dyre]

Pretty much everyone in China smokes in moderation. It's a huge social thing, not in the "c'mon, it's cool" way, but rather in a "meet someone new in your job, share a cigarette with him" way.

A lot of people I know there smoke like two or three cigarettes a day on average, which I'd hardly call an addiction. And they've been doing it for years...

 

[dragonslayer32]

I smoke on the odd occasion, usually on nights out drinking with friends. I also have the odd cigar at Christmas and special occasions. I am in no way addicted and take it or leave it, it's nothing special.

 

[Catie Caraco]

but surely its all about willpower, if I dont let myself have more than one a day max, and stop myself from having any more than that, i'll never develop any dependancy on them.

I'm sorry, but that just made me laugh. You're playing with an addictive substance, willpower has nothing to do with it. If you have any history of addiction in your family, your best bet is to quit now.

For you to understand where I'm coming from, I'll be honest. There is a history of addiction in my family. My mother is addicted to both alcohol and cigarettes, and this is after having quit smoking for over 24 years. One day she just picked it back up and now, four years later, smokes several cigarettes a day. Both of her sisters became pack a day smokers and both also drink heavily. This is after their father died of lung cancer, entirely induced by smoking, when they were all young girls. So they had every reason not to start and started anyway.

Basically, you are playing with a substance that will alter your brain chemistry. Whether you only smoke one a day or not, your brain will start to become dependent on those drugs to give that 'high' feeling you described, and after enough time has passed, they'll require it simply to feel normal.

With all the knowledge out there, I can't think of any good reason to pick up smoking or to defend it. It's your life, so of course the ultimate decision lies with you, but you should take a good hard look at this habit and decide if the benefits outweigh the risks.

 

[JezebelinHell]

Smoking in moderation still makes you stink when you do it. I spent way too many years stinking of cigarette smoke.

Before I quit completely I spent at least 3 months smoking only 3 cigarettes a day. After finally just quitting I could feel a difference in my lung capacity in a month maybe 2. You couldn't pay me to smoke in any form of moderation. I know that even light smoking makes a noticeable difference in how I feel.

Since I was a smoker, I am also aware of the social smokers I came in contact with and they tend to bum off of smokers. If you are getting your "social fix" that way I am thinking your smoking friends would prefer you just skip it. I knew a few that would buy a pack and hang onto them but usually they would just smoke more if they had them so that didn't really work out well.

If you are looking for someone for a relationship there are probably more that would be turned off to see you smoking in any situation than would look at it as a plus for a relationship. It isn't like you have a post-it on your forehead stating you are not really a smoker. I am hoping at this point the whole "looking cool" factor has passed but I have also been hoping the pants hanging off your ass craze would pass as well and that isn't going so well either. (Oh boy, ill fitting prison clothes make a great fashion statement. Let's pay lots of money to look like them!)

Why would you even tempt the addiction? There are hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people wanting/trying to quit. They want to or have to quit for very valid reasons and it is very hard to do. I actually have no idea why anyone at this point in time would even start. Between the health issues, smell and the cost... WTF?

Basically, with the obvious drawbacks, even without considering how it will effect your health, why would you bother continuing?

 

[WhiteandNeardy99]

My father is what I think you would describe as a recreational smoker. He does business in China and the sort of business environments he'd find himself in almost requires him to smoke, its a sort of social thing. However whenever he comes over to New Zealand for vacations, he stops altogether for months at a time.

Smoking, as bad as it may be, really is a personal choice. As long as you're not disturbing other people with second hand smoke or in an environment where it's inappropriate to smoke, then I think as long as you are aware of the consequences you should be able to do what you want.

Most of the long term effects of smoking are related to tar build up in your lungs, which occurs over a long time and leads to that well known lung cancer. AFAIK, there ARE some dangerous effects of short term smoking. The main one is being dilation of blood vessels, which can cause hypertension, increased heart rate and high blood pressure. These effects kick in with just one cigarette increase your chance of a heart attack.

Obviously, you're less likely to have a heart attack if you're physically healthy in every other way, but if you're unfit or a little bit overweight, diabetic or suffer from naturally high blood pressure, then you might want to seriously consider quitting altogether. Also, I remember reading somewhere that it's not a good idea to smoke to relieve stress.

Bloody hell I smoke about 7 packs (of 20) a week depending on who I'm with, how I'm feeling etc.

OP. The amount of people I know started off as 'social' smokers, I very much doubt, or hope anyway, that any smoker sets out to get addicted but it creeps up on you, a friend of mine never ever used to smoke cigarettes but he smoked a lot of weed and now 3 years later he's totally hooked on them from the little bit of tobacco he was putting in his joints.

I would never recommend smoking to anyone from personal experience but hey your an adult and if you enjoy it it is completely your choice, you're not harming anyone else (I will never smoke around children or non-smoker's, however if a non-smoker chooses to stand around me when I'm smoking I'm not going to put it out, that's their choice.)

 

[Nocola]

I smoke like once every few weeks, it's usually when I'm at the clubs or bars having fun, drinking, dancing, and my friends are doing it. Like someone else said it makes everyone more amiable. A few smokes a month hardly seems like an issue to me but then again that's probably my own reassurance/denial talking. My girlfriend is in a local indie hipster band, so they all smoke, and if I'm at one of their shows I'll hang out with them and smoke just to not be a prude, I suppose.

Just sayin'. It probably won't kill me, I'm in the army and lifeguard in training so I think I might be alright.

 

[Bloedhoest]

Used to smoke, 6 years in total. Nowadays I only smoke a cigar once in a while.
I used to smoke 50-60 cigarettes a week.

 

[runnernda]

I honestly don't see the point of smoking at all. I don't think any benefits (it helps with stress, I hear?) could possibly outweigh the negatives, even if you do only smoke one or two a day. They're addicting, they're expensive and they kill you. There are better ways to deal with stress, as well.

I mean, if you want to, go for it. And if you can keep from getting addicted, you're better than most or just plain lucky. I just don't see the point of starting at all.

 

[6037084]

I can smoke 1 a day, 10 a day or anywhere in between and then just quit and not smoke anything for months because I'm that badass

 

[Jodah]

As long as you have rules that you never break about it, it is possible to be a social smoker. For me its that the only time I ever smoke is at parties. I don't smoke alone either. If nobody else is smoking, I won't. I also don't allow smoking in the house or vehicle.

The problem is most people cannot stick to their own rules. Also my general rule of thumb for anyone is if you can quit for a week cold turkey you can quit forever, when you want. I had a buddy that chewed a lot but he would quit for a week or two whenever he wanted or when money was tight. I knew he could quit when he wanted to, which he did when he got married.

 

[Sariteiya]

My parents pretty much smoked away our college funds, sooo maybe I have a chip on my shoulder about this, but honestly, a drug is a drug is a drug. They're addictive, and no one has magical cigarette immunity. No, if you have one cigarette it probably won't get you addicted immediately, but if you already associate cigarettes with relaxation and dealing with stress, I'd say you might be in deeper than you thought. My parents are to the point that they can't be relaxed without a cigarette, and it really saddens me to see that.

Cigarettes aren't the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself, but there's really no upsides to cigarettes at all.

 

[HardkorSB]

I keep being told that I should quit, but why? Assuming I continue doing this, I will probably smoke about as much im my lifetime that the average smoker would have in a year or two (or less). How is this dangerous to my health? In moderation there are much worse things that can be much more damaging. Why should I be scolded for having a smoke every other day, when there are people who shove Big Macs down their throat every other day and will die at 50 from a heart attack caused by obesity?

How is inhaling a substance that causes cancer dangerous to your health? Beats me.
Sure, there are things that are much more damaging but that's like saying:
"I'm a masochist in moderation because I only hit my head against the wall once a day, I'm not one of those crazy people who cut themselves".
Another thing is pointing at obese people:
"I'm destroying my health but look at them, they're doing the same thing... and they're fat. Hate them, not me!" - that's what comes to my mind when I hear that argument.

Point is, causing harm to yourself "in moderation" is still pretty dumb.

 

[DonMartin]

I agree with you, I do the same thing but not nearly as many. I'm not addicted at all. Addiction would ruin the fun

This, pretty much. I smoke whenever a friend offers me a cigarette, but I would never buy cigarettes of my own. Dont really feel the need to, I guess Im not addicted.

Then again, I mainly smoke a pipe. Which means I only smoke now and then, when the mood strikes me, or the circumstances are just right for a pipe.


Also, babe? Cuba's not the plan anymore.