Booze vs Smokes

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meaneyedcatz

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So, I have had this question rolling around in my head and thought I would throw this out to you good people.

While I know members of this forum partake in alcohol and tobacco keep in mind I am not condemning these actions as this is still a semi free country.

So here is it.
A cigarette can be harmful over a lifetime (my father died of emphysema) and second hand smoke can be as well. But a smoke here and there does not kill anyone. The media and politicians, those who have control of microphones and lesser minds, demonize those who pull a drag.

On the other hand, a single beer in the wrong hand can kill through drunk driving or a mean drunk. But alcohol is fully accepted, encouraged and also expected.

I have smoked and consumed alcohol in the past but it is not part of my lifestyle. Again, I'm not condemning those of you who do but I cannot stand the double standard.

Okay, your turn.
 
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I don't think that a single beer ever killed anybody, but maybe there's some extreme alcohol intolerance that I'm unaware of. I was not aware that a smoke here and there (of cigarettes) was a common phenomenon, but I'll certainly take your word for it if that's what you've seen.

Alcohol is a bit odd. It can certainly be habit-forming, addictive in some cases, often dangerous even in moderation, and unhealthy without moderation. Yet many, many people drink reasonably and safely.

Apparently, some people even smoke regularly and immoderately without clearly negative consequences.

Alcohol is NOT fully accepted, encouraged and also expected. In some circles, maybe, but that's whuffo God gave you free choice.

Myself, I made a conscious choice of moderate alcohol indulgence rather than ice cream indulgence, because I feel that it will allow me to collect my pension longer. I don't expect others to come up with even the same question, much less the same answer.
 
I smoked for a long, long time. I quit 10 years or so ago. I never knew how offensive the smell of second hand smoke and smokers were until after I quit. I came from a family of smokers, my wife of 35 years (also a smoker) died of lung disease, my sister died of lung cancer, and my father also died of lung problems. My son still smokes, just not around me.

Drinking? Well, my wife and I have a GnT every afternoon around 4, occasionally wine with dinner when out.

You are certainly free to do as you like. I won't touch a cigarette on a bet.
 
Alright, alright. I can see I have to explain something. One beer? First of all, you know there are lightweights out there but also that was used as an example, as in very little, not literally, a word picture.

The topic was more about the double standard.
 
Kind of like the politicians that want to take our guns away while being guarded by guys with guns.
Or the actors that make millions from action movies with all kinds of guns but they want gun control.
Yes, I think they suck.
 
I love to drink quality brewskies and will admit, that around here, you're considered a "kitty" (other word for that) if you don't drink. Smoking and tobacco aren't seen in the same way these days, but drinking is still expected in most circles at least to an extent.

I also occasionally smoke a cigar or blunt when the opportunity strikes, but I don't go out looking for them on my own time.
 
Arik said:
I do both and wish I didn't smoke. I can drink or not drink, it doesn't matter to me (aside from a cold beer on a hot day ;) ). On the other hand I have to have a cigarette. I've managed to quit before but for only a few months.
Click to expand...

This sums up my thoughts pretty well. For most, alcohol is something that can be done in moderation without becoming an addiction. Tobacco (I'm a dipper) is whole 'nother bird. It's the most addictive drug out there and the hardest addiction to break. Also, any buzz or happiness from my tobacco has long since passed (probably by the 4th or 5th dip I ever took). But I can still crack a few beers around a campfire in good company and enjoy how the stories get better and better ;) Both kill a lot of people. If your ultimate goal is to live as long as possible, then abstaining from both is a good idea.
 
I got clean and sober about 12 years ago. Now I'm an alcohol and substance abuse counselor. I have talked with so many people who ponder the alcohol thing. What I generally say is that the only reason alcohol is so accepted is that it has been with us since the dawn of time. After those first cavemen rubbed two sticks together to make fire, they rubbed two berries together to see what would happen next...and alcohol has been with us ever since. I actually think that if you discovered fermentation today the FDA would not allow you to bring alcohol to the market and it would end up being categorized as a Schedule 1 substance (no current medical use in treatment). Anyway, it's here to stay.

If you think you have a problem with it, then you probably do and should do something about it. If you don't think you have a problem with it, and no one else close to you thinks you do either, then it's probably ok...for now. It's really that simple.
 
Years ago I was a heavy drinker and cig smoker but times change. As I got older I found that a drink now and then maybe a beer or two or maybe a shot out of the bottle depending on how I feel at the time is enough for me now. As for the cigs I quit those years ago but I still enjoy a good cigar although I don't carry them around with me the way I did the cigs. Will this shorten my life? Who knows but as I grow older I like to enjoy my little pleasures now and then and if you can't enjoy life what's the point?
 
First off, I'm not sure at all where you get the idea that alcohol is accepted, encouraged and expected.

We've still not overcome the aftermath of Prohibition, the worst civic disaster to hit this country in the 20th century. A large part of Kentucky of all places is still dry.

We consider kids to be old enough to die for this country at age 18, but not mature enough to buy alcohol. Talk about a double standard.

For a double standard to exist pertaining to smoking and drinking, they'd have to be comparable. But they are not.

If you sit across from me and drink a beer, that does not impact me; if you sit across from me and light up a cigarette, you stink, and impact my health if you're one of many who do it throughout the day. THAT'S why smoking as a public activity the way it was practiced in earlier decades is bad, and drinking is not nearly so.

There is no question that alcohol abuse is a serious issue. But the issue is ABUSE, not USE; the vast majority of people drink in moderation and enjoy it without negative effects on themselves or others. The problem with tobacco smoke is USE; there is no way to enjoy it without harming yourself and to enjoy it publicly without annoying most others.
 
The WHO had a 10 year study that second hand smoke had no impact on anyone!
That's a fact, like it or not. Just because you don't like the smell is not reverent at all.
And yes, I drink, smoke cigs and cigars, but don't go out with wild woman anymore!
That would end my life faster then drinking or smoking!
The other half is a good shot..... :)
 
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I'm an alcoholic who has been sober thirty-five years. It very nearly killed me, and only took seven years of alcoholic drinking to do it.

I have three progressive and ultimately fatal lung diseases and am on oxygen because I smoked very heavily for forty years. I'm coming up on twenty-four years since I quit smoking cold turkey, but it was too late. Do not, repeat not try telling this old man that smoking doesn't hurt anyone, or that alcohol can't kill you.

The booze made me suicidal and cost me a marriage. The smoking history is going to make me die a very unpleasant death, if something like a nice massive heart attack doesn't spare me that.

I'd like to see that World Health Organization study.
 
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To add a third substance, thinking back to my college dorm days:

People who smoked weed were generally quiet and mellow.

People who got drunk tended to be loud and obnoxious, and sometimes destructive.

There's no shortage of violent drunks. I don't know of anyone who became violent because of weed. And, on occasion, a young person will literally drink himself to death, or pass out drunk and freeze to death in the snow.
 
I quit smoking back in 95 after many years of using them..Glad I quit.. Drinking?? Not a teetotaler but haven't had a drink in 2 or 3 yrs. Don't miss it either. 6 beers in the fridge for a year and a half. I am quite often the designated driver.. ...The only difference in the 2 is this..smokers kill themselves..drinkers do also but quite often other people too. Working as a firefighter and paramedic all those years taught me that difference. As far as 2nd hand smoke I also took note of the WHO study..And do believe their findings. 2nd hand drinking is drunk drivers..a very large difference. I still don't smoke

And to take note of the thought of (weed)marijuana..saying weed is downplaying the problems..many people high on drugs such as marijuana have killed and been killed in auto accidents too so it is not a bland little thing. The active ingredients stay in your system for up to a month...alcohol?? approximately 12-24 hours..big difference
 
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It depends entirely on the person.
I quit drinking alcohol 37 years ago and truly believe it was the best thing I ever did. However, I don't knock anybody for moderate drinking. My GF enjoys a glass of wine now and then. I can socialize with people who are drinking and it doesn't bother me at all.
Now drunk is a whole 'nother matter. I have no sympathy for a drunk and you get what you deserve.

I am a smoker. But I do try to be considerate of others. My GF and several of my friends are non-smokers. I do not smoke in their homes or in their vehicles. If the urge hits while I'm with them, I'll step outside. Likewise, when in public places, I will move away from others. I also throw my butts in the trash, not on the ground.
I'm well aware that its a bad habit and annoys others. I've tried to quit more times than I can count. But have never been successful. Maybe one of these days. :rolleyes:

While we're at it, I'll tell you what annoys the hell outta me. Anti-smokers. :mad: I've been off to myself, bothering no one, just having a smoke and actually had total strangers go out of their way to walk over to where I am and gripe at me for smoking a cigarette. My usual response can't be posted here. :eek: Some people just need to mind their own business.
 
Me and wifey stopped smoking in 1982. At that time I was smoking 2 1/2 packs a day. Wifey might've smoked a half pack a day. We both quit cold turkey. When they went to $1 a pack. It was hard, but we did it.

We've never been drinkers. I never liked the taste or buzz. I'm not even sure wifey has ever tasted booze, what so ever in her 59 years.
 
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