So here's where I'm at now... not ready to quit

[nicotineisbomb]

I'm 18 years old and have been getting lectures from family and friends about cigarette dangers... I watched my aunts best friend die of liver cancer, my entire dads family died of smoking, and my papa died of lung cancer. I think I know enough of the risks but at my age I have no motivation to stop, I do plan on stopping at a later age however, maybe by 40. I get more angry at people trying to make me stop than the cigarettes themselves (which will eventually cause major health risks). However, I've been controlling it to the 5-7 range lately, which is a big reason that I am not stopping as well... My chest always feels tight and when playing basketball for 10 minutes or more it starts to burn and I need to take a breather... I do golf, and walking the courses aren't a problem for me at this age, of course I had to give up cross country due to my lung capacity, but I am fine with that. Smoking just has a different feeling for me, seeing it linger in the air as opposed to the dissipitation of vapor, the smell, and the throwing it away just all fit together like a puzzle piece. I'm not trying to encourage anyone to smoke, just giving you all an update on where I stand. Oh, and vaping isn't all that bad, I do enjoy it to an extent, but nowhere near the joy of a cigarette. One thing that gives me anxiety is nicotine overdoses, I had one a few months ago and fell to the ground, could barely stand up, move my hands, head, feet, hands, everything was numb and slow. I don't have to worry about that with smoking, and its so simple for me as opposed to the work a vape requires. vaping hasn't been studied longterm (as far as I know) and smoking has only been known to cause drastic health effects in the longrun. Hell, even doctors recommended cigarettes back in the day, so I don't trust the 95% safer then smoking thing either. I don't know how else to put it, but I'm sick of the lectures from people like my family and friends because of the reasons stated above. I'll stick with my leaf and paper with 100% certainty of the effects as of now, and maybe in 20 years or so I'll try vaping again when we know more about it. If you guys want to discuss anything please don't be hesitant, as I'm very friendly and open to any discussion.

 

[bombastinator]

Long term studies were done in Britain in the beginning before the tobacco industry began to see vaping as a threat and started shutting down research in a couple nefarious ways. Recently some other studies have started to filter through cracks in the wall and are showing vaping to be 95% safer than smoking.

I’m also going to answer your other question though I don’t think it will do a bit of good. You likely won’t listen and if you do you likely won’t understand. That’s the way us hairless chimps are.
I do however like to hear myself talk so I’ll do it anyway because I enjoy it.

People in general tend to refuse to believe that they are not snowflakes. Men buy sports cars in their 40s time after time year after year but don’t really realize why till they’re 50. It keeps on happening but all these men somehow feel they’re special. (Also the reason isn’t actually bad) It will likely happen to you, but telling you so is more or less pointless because you haven’t reached that point in your life yet. It’s just how people work. Think of it this way: take a given 12 year old. How well can you predict what he is going to do or say? Pretty well I suspect. Here’s the really ugly part: your elders can do that to you just as well as you can do it to that 12 year old. They’ve BEEN your age. Im sure a sixty or seventy year old can do it to me.
So here’s the thing: they KNOW it won’t do any good, so why are they doing it?

Because they’re completely freaking terrified.

All those relatives of yours are their relatives too. They were very possibly hurt WORSE by those deaths than you were because they knew the people longer and better.
Dangling your cigarette in front of them is pure cruelty. You will I’m sure deny this even to yourself, but it’s likely mostly a power thing.

Stop being mean to your family. Using someone’s love for you to hurt them is a particularly nasty game.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Your thread that was moved to the Not Advisable sub forum tells the story, at least for me.
You want to smoke, you'll go to any outrageous length, ignore sound reason & medical fact and have some form of self justification to do so.
I get it,,, it took me 8 years of trying to finally quit smoking, I didn't do it for myself not due to the social stigma or smell or any health related or financial reasons.

There is no safe amount or safer way to inhale the byproducts of smoldering tobacco.
Fact is you don't have to smoke for years to end up with long term life altering negative health effects or even become a statistic of any one of a dozen fatal smoking related diseases.
Considering cancer runs in the genetics of your family you are at a much higher risk.
Ignoring those that love you most and have your best interests at heart hurts them watching you go down the same path that took the life of their loved ones, and is a slap in the face to those you've lost.

There really isn't anything to discuss, you're acting out as a typical self destructive bone headed teenager.
We all get it, most of us started our 10 - 50 year addictions to all the chemicals & toxins in tobacco smoke much the same way.

 

[zoiDman]

I'm 18 years old and have been getting lectures from family and friends about cigarette dangers... I watched my aunts best friend die of liver cancer, my entire dads family died of smoking, and my papa died of lung cancer. I think I know enough of the risks but at my age I have no motivation to stop, I do plan on stopping at a later age however, maybe by 40. I get more angry at people trying to make me stop than the cigarettes themselves (which will eventually cause major health risks). However, I've been controlling it to the 5-7 range lately, which is a big reason that I am not stopping as well... My chest always feels tight and when playing basketball for 10 minutes or more it starts to burn and I need to take a breather... I do golf, and walking the courses aren't a problem for me at this age, of course I had to give up cross country due to my lung capacity, but I am fine with that. Smoking just has a different feeling for me, seeing it linger in the air as opposed to the dissipitation of vapor, the smell, and the throwing it away just all fit together like a puzzle piece. I'm not trying to encourage anyone to smoke, just giving you all an update on where I stand. Oh, and vaping isn't all that bad, I do enjoy it to an extent, but nowhere near the joy of a cigarette. One thing that gives me anxiety is nicotine overdoses, I had one a few months ago and fell to the ground, could barely stand up, move my hands, head, feet, hands, everything was numb and slow. I don't have to worry about that with smoking, and its so simple for me as opposed to the work a vape requires. Vaping hasn't been studied longterm (as far as I know) and smoking has only been known to cause drastic health effects in the longrun. Hell, even doctors recommended cigarettes back in the day, so I don't trust the 95% safer then smoking thing either. I don't know how else to put it, but I'm sick of the lectures from people like my family and friends because of the reasons stated above. I'll stick with my leaf and paper with 100% certainty of the effects as of now, and maybe in 20 years or so I'll try vaping again when we know more about it. If you guys want to discuss anything please don't be hesitant, as I'm very friendly and open to any discussion.

Wouldn't this kinda of Rant be More Appropriate on a Cigarette Forum?

Or are you just Fishing for Enablers?

 

[jfcooley]

Well, your lungs.
Sounds like you don't really wanna quit, so no idea why you're here.

Come see me when you're serious about quitting. I learned a long time ago that if the horse isn't thirsty, not wasting my time leading it to water.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

(really)...make a decision.

 

[Beamslider]

Smoke all you want....It's your life and your health.

But as others have said here, why are you here?

 

[smacuser]

How long have you been smoking?

I encouraged my young son to vape after he started smoking; now he does neither.

 

[bombastinator]

Wouldn't this kinda of Rant be More Appropriate on a Cigarette Forum?

Or are you just Fishing for Enablers?

I strongly suspect he doesn’t know what the heck he’s doing. Accurate introspection is largely foreign to the adolescent mind. I’m guessing conflicted because a part of himself knows how messed up the behavior is and he’s just trying to shake something loose.

 

[ScottP]

I do plan on stopping at a later age however, maybe by 40.

I personally believe that there is something I call the "cigarette of no return". As you smoke the carcinogens build up in your body, and some point it becomes enough to actually cause you to get cancer. Kind of like the "straw that broke the camel's back", the "cigarette of no return" is the one that puts you over this limit. If you quit smoking before that cigarette you will be fine, if you quit after, it will be too late because once you have reached that point you will get cancer. Every single cigarette that you smoke could potentially be "the one". The more you smoke the more likely you will get to that point, especially with such a high prevalence of cancer in your genetics. You might get lucky at make it to 40 without getting to "the one" or you could hit it at age 25. It is of course your risk to choose to take or not. Just something to think about.

 

[Dubminer]

I strongly suspect he is on a wind up.

 

[bombastinator]

I strongly suspect he is on a wind up.

I had to look up what a wind up is but I think I agree

 

[BoogaWu]

I worked with a guy, no family history of cancer, that ended up with lung cancer at the ripe old age of 32, about 17 years of smoking less than a pack a day according to him. Lucky for him he was young and strong this time, he just lost all his muscles and hair and sex drive and ability to come into work everyday, his own feeling of wellness and that feeling of invincibility you are supposed to have until you are at least fifty. Well worth losing all of that for some cancer sticks, am I right?

 

[Beamslider]

I got lucky, I guess. I smoked for around 50 years with no serious complications. However, my brother died of lung cancer and it was attributed to his smoking even though he had quit 4 or 5 years before the cancer.

 

[ScottP]

I got lucky, I guess. I smoked for around 50 years with no serious complications. However, my brother died of lung cancer and it was attributed to his smoking even though he had quit 4 or 5 years before the cancer.

I am sorry for your loss. My brother passed away at 23 (not smoking related) so I really relate to that loss.

Stories like that is why I came up with my "cigarette of no return" theory, that I detailed above. There is obviously a point at which you are still going to get cancer, even if you quit smoking before actually getting cancer. Lots of people incorrectly assume that as long as they quit, before they get cancer, that they are safe. Which is just not always the case.

 

[smacuser]

Unfortunately, in my case, it's a family history.

 

[Canadian_Vaper]

Just thought I'd throw this out there, Smoking cigarettes significantly lowers your quality of life, while generally yes most major life threatening effects do appear in the long term I spent my life ignoring the truth, I missed out on so much because I wanted to have a smoke break or because my lungs were so bad I just couldn't do it. It made every aspect of my life harder, if you want to give up on vaping that's fine it simply doesn't work for everyone but just don't give up on quitting, I tried to quit for 15 years and vaping was the only thing that really really worked for me but there's other options, the patch worked for my wife, I don't know if there's snus in your area you can reduce your cancer risk by switching to that, even iQos has got to be better for you than smoking.

Don't accept that the only option is to continue smoking, there's other options that are better for you..

 

[Scy123]

maybe in 20 years or so I'll try vaping again when we know more about it.

You were ready to smoke tea leaves to try and quit yet their is not enough studies about vaping for you?

 

[bombastinator]

I am sorry for your loss. My brother passed away at 23 (not smoking related) so I really relate to that loss.

Stories like that is why I came up with my "cigarette of no return" theory, that I detailed above. There is obviously a point at which you are still going to get cancer, even if you quit smoking before actually getting cancer. Lots of people incorrectly assume that as long as they quit, before they get cancer, that they are safe. Which is just not always the case.

Iirc this one is documented. Statistically a person needs to be cigarette free for at least 5 years or something like that before his/her cancer risk drops

 

[ScottP]

I missed out on so much because I wanted to have a smoke break

I am glad you brought up the time spent on smoke breaks. If you spend just 7 minutes smoking per cigarette and smoke just 1 pack a day, you are spending 2 hours and 20 minutes per day, killing yourself. That is a bit more than 851 hours per year. That is a LOT of time wasted that you could be doing other things.