Kick the Habit.

[Stryder]

Well if you've clicked the thread you should guess the habit that people should kick is Smoking.

The reason I brought this up is because I'm going to draw on my own experience and put forwards my hunch and to ask your opinions.

When I was a child my father would smoke around me, at the time there was no mention of the dangers of Second degree smoke inhalation
As a youngster I was a handful and suffered problems with depression, moodswings (Violent fits of rage), asthma.

When I got to teenage years I began smoking myself, I think my reason was because I was hooked from Second degree smoke inhalation. In 2000, I quit smoking because I realised just how disgusting cigarettes are (And how much money I was spending on average was more than the amount I was using for food, clothing and living)

Now I mention this because I want Fathers and Mothers to know, that you should smoke near your children. Your doctors might say your hyperactive and sometimes moodswung child is down to a particular E-number in a orange concentrate, but its more likely the child suffering nicotine addiction and suffering the craving when you don't smoke nearby.

(After if you smoke you know your addiction and how you feel when you don't smoke for an hour or two).

Another reason for this is because I want to ask you, if someone like me who's life was converted to smoking through second degree smoke, without the relavent health warnings at the time, and I caught cancer... could I sue?

What do you think?

 

[rde]

Speaking as a non-smoker...

passive smoking doesn't bother me that much. Not as much, anyway, as the assholes who'll take their car to the shop that's less than a mile away. Who'll drive alone to work when there's a perfectly good bus route. Who'll... you get the idea.



IMHO, pollution from cars is much much worse than that of cigarettes. And don't give me that "cars are necessary" crap either. I'm willing to bet that less than 10% of car journeys are as neccary as car owners claim.

 

[Stryder]

Rde
I was going to mention Car pollution, but I didn't because I spotted something on the box and neglected it for the time being, but since you've brought it up.

A professor from Imperial College said in an Open University program, that "There is no Evidence that Car pollution damages the lungs". I laughed... I thought to myself:

He's either got shares in a company that sells fuel, does studies that some would class as ethically immoral, Drives a car and doesn't want to be called a Hypocrite or just doesn't know what he's talking about.

Of course there is a neglect for such things as Asthma. I know that if a person who suffers Asthma was to ride a bicycle through the centre of a city (When the traffic is at a standstill) the poor airquality and the stress of them moving would cause them to have an attack.

(I actually wondered how many Asthmatics have died because of cars)

As for the mention of smoking, The real reason for the post was just to point out that KIDS react to passive smoking and will suffer from the nicotine. (Afterall they reacted far easier to other inputs like Caffine or Alcohol, so second degree smoking also effects them)

 

[machaon]

Do you need a car?

I do not own nor operate an automobile. I could. But I do not. No one dictates to me what I NEED to have to live happily. No one will force me to pump the blood of middle eastern children into a steel tank so that I can shave 15 minutes off the time it takes me to get to work. I ride a bicycle. I loathe oiling my chain. In light of these facts, I think I am qualified to say this: Get off your fat asses and exercise and stop sucking the oil companies D**K! The following statement pertains, of course, only to those whose asses are fat and drive.

 

[my_notebook]

Can I sue?

You can always sue. That is one of your rights. Would you win? Maybe. I have heard of weaker cases that succeeded. For me, personally, I find that taking complete responsibility for my own actions instead of trying to blame others makes my life a lot easier.

It sure sounds nice to win a bunch of money in court for something like this, but it discredits those who have actually suffered damages, as well as raising liability in general for the rest of us. If you do go to court over this please don't ever complain about the cost of your medical insurance.

Note: I am editing this post b/c I just realized that you live in London. In the States you can sue for anything. In the UK, I am fairly certain that this is also true, but I am not 100% on that. I also realize now that you probably don't pay for medical insurance, so *bang* goes my argument. Oh well...

When I was a young idealist, I had the time to putter

So true, Bowser. I rode a bike throughout college and I, too, ranted about people driving around, wasting resources, etc.

However, most job situations go on the assumption that you have your own car, just as they assume that you will wear appropriate clothes. Many people live far from their jobs for financial reasons, or to provide a safe neighborhood for their kids. It is unfair, in my opinion, to criticize people for doing something which is a defacto neccessity to their own livelihood and to the proper care of their family. Thes people are contributing something good to the world.

I love riding my bike but where I live it is too hot in the summer to ride to work b/c there is no shower there, and too dangerous in the winter because of the lack of bike lanes and because drivers are simply not accustomed to dealing with cyclists.

I applaud your efforts, machaon, but you can't expect everyone to do what you do just because your own situation allows it.

Peace!

 

[Bebelina]

Smoking

Yes Stryder, I also had parents that were smoking around me constantly. And I think you are very right in your observations of the physical and psychological damages second degree smoke inhalation causes.
I don´t smoke now and never have. (Except from an occasional joint now and then..). I remeber lighting a cigarette when I was 11 and home alone, but didn´t like it, so I never started. I have always been curious why people start smoking, because it doesn´t taste good, it´s bad for your health and makes you age prematurely. And it´s not cool! So what am I missing, what´s the deal with tobacco?

And yes, take the bus!

 

[MuliBoy]

I´m a hardcore smoker. Yes, it makes me a lesser man.
I´ll stop the moment I can buy marijuana legally.

 

[Benji]

I´m a hardcore smoker. Yes, it makes me a lesser man.
I´ll stop the moment I can buy marijuana legally.

Yea me to, only problem is il have died from lung cancer long before they free the weed.
Have to quit eventually, its only a matter of time.

 

[my_notebook]

I started about ten years ago, and quit last June. My lungs don't hurt anymore, and I feel good every morning when I wake up.

On the other hand, I enjoyed smoking cigarrettes immensely, and as far as I know there were no long term effects. I figure you are probably OK to smoke for a few years so long as you quit before you cause permanent damage.

Trouble is, the longer you smoke the harder it gets!

*insert smoking smiley-face here*

 

[machaon]

Bowser

LOL. In defense of my fat ass: When you have a life which includes a job, a family, and a tight schedule, you find that there is little time for strolling. When I was a young idealist, I had the time to putter.

Yes, of course, you are right. I would like to add, though, that I am not young. Neither am I an idealist. I am just a card carrying loser who wishes he could change the world.

 

[Benji]

Iv been smoking for about 7 years now, and yes its gettin to the point where im about ready to quit, problem is i become prone to really bad mood swings, people have to walk on egg shells around me coz when i v tred to quit b4 only takes them smallest thing and im going barmy because of it.
I must have an addictive personality, thankful i was well educated on certain drugs long before i ever came into contact with, i do enjoy a ciggy tho, stress relief doesnt even cover it sometimes.

 

[my_notebook]

I agree that quitting smoking does make you moody, but that was a temporary thing in my case, and only occasional.

What most surprised me was how short a time the cravings actually lasted. When I crave a cigarette, I need only wait a couple of minutes for the feeling to subside. That was how I quit - one craving at a time. That way, you can succumb to one craving without relapsing mentally. That's what worked for me anyway.

But I know how freakin hard it is to quit and I would not criticize anyone for smoking.

 

[machaon]

Benji

I must have an addictive personality, thankful i was well educated on certain drugs long before i ever came into contact with, i do enjoy a ciggy tho, stress relief doesnt even cover it sometimes.

I think I have an addictive personality also. Sometimes I will drift into a deep sleep and start having weird dreams about smoking crack(tm) . The really weird thing is that when I wake up, I am actually smoking crack, and the room is lit up in the eery, pulsating glow of blue police lights....