Can You be An Occasional Smoker?

[jyl]

Okay, this is a serious question for once.

Do you think it is possible to smoke only a little?

I usually go through about 1.5 to 2 packs a week. Basically a smoke on the way to work, a couple during the day, and one on the way home, sometimes one at night, none on the weekends, none on vacation. Kind of a "work smoker" I guess.

Recently my smoking buddy at work and I decided to quit, so it has now been about 2 weeks since my last cigarette.

The problem is, I really do enjoy smoking. Not the everyday smoking I was doing - that was a habit I want to break. But, for example, I like a contemplative pause with a pipe. Or a hand-roll and a Guinness at the local pub.

Do you think it is possible to be an occasional smoker? Know anyone who is?

[88BlueTSiQuest]

I am a full time smoker..... Take it from me, you really don't want to be an occasional smoker, as it can lead to full time.

Considering how easily you can go long periods without smoking, it's best to just put the habbit down totally, as it's not so easy to do so when you are truly addicted.

If you insist that you have the will power to keep your habit to the bearest of minimums, I don't guess there would be a problem with the occasional pipe/cigar/roll. No different really than being an occasional drinker, aside from the ill effects on your lungs.


< ----- Really needs to quit smoking, but lacks the will power to do so 'cold turkey', and sees smoking as being cheaper than the stop smoking alternatives on the shelves.

[350HP930]

I might smoke several cigarrettes a month at the most.

I concider myself a social smoker.

[mikester]

I only do it when I drink more than a moderate amount.

[campbellcj]

I smoked cigarettes (and other stuff) fairly hardcore in college, but quit completely by age 22/23 as I did not want to go further with that habit... fast-forward 15 years and not too long ago I started dabbling in cigars a bit and although I enjoy them, I really have no urge to smoke more than one every few weeks if not months, and have no attraction whatsoever to the small n' white coffin nails.

To make a long story short, yep I think it's possible, but that's heavily dependent on the individual.

[SilverPoly]

I think that's a pretty thin line. I started out social smoking and then sure enough before I knew it I was chain smoking.

I'd even go play full court basketball every other day for hours at a time, even as a smoker. Doctor told me that I was crazy and I was destryoing my lungs, kidneys and God knows what else. Anyhow I quit. It was very hard. It even got to the point where I'd jones and go buy a pack, smoke a couple, feel guilty then throw away the rest of the cigarettes. It was stupid and expensive.

Then one day at the liquor store I saw a homeless guy come in and ask for 1 cigarette for .25cents. I thought.. hmmm... So I'd come in whenever I needed a nicotine fix and have 1 cigarette. I'd buy one a day then it became one every other day and eventually one a week until I was OVER IT. It got to the point where my liquor store guy would not even sell me one. He actually helped me quit. Who would have thought.

But like campbellcj said, it is up to you and only you.

I smoked for 8 years pack or two a day, and even to this day most of my friends still smoke. Me, I don't even flinch. Good luck to those who have WILL POWER.



Don't get me wrong I'm no staunch anti-smoker hating smokers now. I know what a good buzz is..

[Oh Haha]

I have often thought this same thing. I haven't had a smoke in almost three years. I quit when we found out my wife was expecting our first.
I ,however, know that if I bum one I could be starting again. I have smoked on and off through my 20's and into my 30's. I played in a band so it just became part of the life.( No funny cigarettes, though.)
I don't drink much anymore, either. A beer every now and then but that's it. I don't go to clubs or bars so the temptation is taken away by self policing. My Dad died from smoking related issues so I am disgusted by the habit and don't know why someone would slowly kill themselves. But...........this is a free country and you can do what you want. Besides, at the cost of smokes, that is a lot of money that I can justify going into the Porsche!!
My opinion on the pipe? If you think you will pick up cigarettes again then don't even start smoking anything. Sorry about the rant.

[350HP930]

I still sometimes smoke the 'funny' cigarettes too as well as the occasional cigar.

Everything in moderation I say, but them funny cigs are my favorite.

[Joeaksa]

I watched my Mother die years ago from a lifetime of smoking. She did not smoke that much, possibly a pack every couple of days.

Her lungs were so full of tar and crap that she could not get enough oxygen in her system. The last 3 years were confined to a bed in the care facility. The last 2 years were in a oxygen tent to try to keep her going.

They cut off a leg 1.5 years before she passed. Not enough oxygen getting to her lower limbs and she got gangrene.

My ex-wife promised on our wedding day that she would stop smoking. 14 years later she is still smoking. We divorced a few years back, and smoking was one of the major issues. She just had a child 2 years ago and could not stop even when pregnant.

Guys, its proven what smoking does to your body. Its a drug and addicts you to it just to make profits for the cigarette companies. I smoked when younger (in high school) but stopped years ago. Have 3-5 cigars a year, thats it. Life is too much fun to spend your final years confined to a hospital bed in a oxygen tent....

JoeA

PS also smoked those "funny" cigarettes years ago. Not in the last 25 years though. The FAA has those pesky drug tests that make it not worth it, besides Jack Daniels smooths things out when needed these days.

[350HP930]

IMHO a dozen cigs a day is a heavy smoker.

I would consider my smoking a problem if I smoked even a pack a month.

Our lungs are designed to fend off a certain amount of particulate pollution and living or working in polluted areas is likened to smoking almost a pack a day. The problem is that if we abuse our bodies with more contamination than they can effectively deal with we will pay for it sooner or later.

Its just like drinking. A shot every now and then is one thing, being a raging alcoholic is another.

[Moses]

John, Most smokers worry about lung cancer. Of all the ways smoking can kill you, lung cancer is the kindest. I frequently tell smokers that smoking may not kill you, but it is almost certain to disable you.

Many of the ill effects of smoking appear to be dose independent. Yes, two cigarettes a day may be enough to give you an early heart attack or stroke. As healthy non-smokers age, our pulmonary capacity and cardiovascular function declines. Smoking accelerates the normal loss of function.

Look at your family history. Do people die of cardiovascular disease or emphysema? If they do, then put down the smokes.

[350HP930]

So true moses, but how would you rate the health effects of drinking several cups of coffee a day? Eating lost of fatty foods? Living a sedentary lifestyle?

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by procon
IMHO the brand/type of cig you smoke makes a major difference.
The big addiction of cigs isn't so much the nicotine, it's all the other additives.
I would stick with a brand that is 100% additive free, such as Drum or American Spirit.

One thing that gets me is that you always hear things like "my Grandfather smoked until he was 101, then was hit by a truck" so that must mean that its ok to smoke.

The problem is that the land where they grow the tobacco was farmed out of natural nutrients years ago. They are having to do all sorts of things to grow the same or more product. The fertilizers and such are ending up in the tobacco and into the smoke we breathe in.

To boot the tobacco companies are putting new chemicals in the fags to get the nicotine into the blood system better. Agree that pure tobacco is lots better than what is in most of todays cigarettes but why smoke in the first place? It kills you...

Joe A

[Moses]

Originally posted by 350HP930
So true moses, but how would you rate the health effects of drinking several cups of coffee a day? Eating lost of fatty foods? Living a sedentary lifestyle?

Great topic. Let's look at coffee first. If you do not have hypertension or cardiac arrhythmias, there is not much evidence that coffee is dangerous. (I only drink 1-2 small cups a day. If I wanted more. I'd drink it.)

Poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can be a deadly combination if they are associated with obesity or coronary vascular disease.

Rather than reading every medical report to figure out how to live your life, people should tailor their lifestyles based on their personal and family medical histories. If your family is filled with diabetics, avoid obesity and a carbohydrate-rich diet. If early heart attacks plague your family, you might be a candidate for cholesterol lowering meds, aspirin, etc. If your family has a history of sedentary smokers that live to be 100 years old, then do whatever the hell you want.

[SilverPoly]

100% additive free is not all that it's cracked up to be. Sure they may not have the 3,000+ chemicals (including ammonia and rat poison) and additives that a light cigarette has and is advertised as "better" for you but the worse thing for your body is the TAR.

Ever see those Winston additive free ads in magazines? "This cigarette does not mean a safer cigarette" in plain ol' english.

[350HP930]

Originally posted by Moses
If your family has a history of sedentary smokers that live to be 100 years old, then do whatever the hell you want.

LOL, interestingly enough granddad was a sedentary, filterless chain smoker who loved the fatty foods and lived to be 88.

[pwd72s]

I used to be one of those "about a pack a day" guys...Marlboro's to start, then Camel straights. Finally, I got tired of wheezing & coughing up crud. Quit Ciggie boos about 8 years ago. Now? Maybe 1-2 stogies per week...just had my weekly allotment today, while mowing the lawn. Yeah, I have a BIG lawn, use a 21" walk behind mower because it forces me to walk, probably a few miles by the time I'm done....let's see, figure 20" wide swaths, because of the wheel overlap, 20,000 square feet of lawn... Well never mind. Bottom line? Glad I quit cigarettes...my breathing is MUCH better now. Deep inside, I know...if I bought a pack, I'd be right back at it...sucking those little rascals at a rapid rate. I don't buy 'em!

[jyl]

Well, passed a sort of test today. Went up to Sacto, to a British car recycler, to get a tailgate and rear bumper for the wife's Rangie. The yard guy was a friendly chap, I helped him remove the parts, and he was smoking. I was tempted to bum a smoke. But I didn't. And the Rangie looks much nicer now, too.

[Oh Haha]

Glad to hear you resisted temptation, John. Lendaddy had a pretty intense thread here a few months ago about him trying to quit.
Given his most recent posts, I am not sure that he did.

[jyl]

I read that thread (all umpteen pages) for inspiration. Hopefully he stayed clean, if he didn't then hopefully he'll quit again, it seemed like he was doing well for at least 2 months which is not a small accomplishment. Yes, seems like he's going through a lot lately.