Post reasons to stop smoking here

[NoBushSpokenHere]

Please keep it civil. Leave the stink out of it. Stick to posting valid reasons to quit. This post is not meant to be a debate regarding the right to choose to smoke. Nor is it to be for oneupmanship of your side in the issue. I simply want to see what DUers consider valid reasons to quit. Please post your sources for your information including the names of the companies who have paid for the studies. Include an explanation as to why you believe that company paid for the anti-smoking study. Also please remember there are numerous causes of lung cancer. Explain why you believe the primary cause of lung cancer to be tobacco smoke.

[TahitiNut]

1. It'd let the stress build up until ...

... some tobacco-nazi got in the ex-smoker's face and the ex-smoker eviscerated them like a carp.

:sarcasm: <--- for the clue-immune.

[Beaverhausen]

2. "Keep it civil"

maybe if you had kept the "names of the company that paid for the anti-smoking study" and "there are numerous causes for lung cancer" out of your OP, it might not look like flamebait.


Glad I got here early before all the good seats are taken.

:popcorn:

[johnaries]

3. *sigh* What part of "addictive" do people not understand? nt

[TacticalPeek]

4. Things taste better.

[lvx35]

22. There you go...finally.

you feel a lot better too. Its good to hear you listing the positives of quitting, as negativity directed at smokers only makes them want to smoke more, whether the negativeity causes anxiety, depression, or anger. I know cause I was one for a long time.

[comradebillyboy]

5. oxygen tanks

seeing the long time smokers hauling their oxygen tanks at the supermarket helped me decide to quit. I also had burned holes in everything I owned. Also coughing up brown phlegm into the sink every morning played into my decision to quit.

[uppityperson]

6. your breath doesn't smell like burnt tobacco

Edited to add, if you have even a non-smoking related type of lung cancer, quitting smoking will probably help you live better, more healthier, get you more oxygen to your cancerous lungs. Speaking from the perspective of a 1 1/2pack/day smoking parent who was in this situation.

[piedmont]

7. Saves money to take up mountain climbing

Sorry, dumb topics running together in my mind.

[Zhade]

8. Death.

(Too subtle?)

[tabatha]

9. some reasons

- it raises one's blood pressure
- it is a waste of money that could be better spent
- some filthy rich person is making money off the smoker's worsening health

[barb162]

10. There's lots of toxicity in cigarette smoke

You do your body no good by inhaling it. Talk to MDs who have done autopsies on people who have smoked and ask them about the lungs in these bodies.

[Skittles]

11. it's too much work now

I hated having to plan for every situation when/where I could smoke - I am basically a lazy person and I got tired of it - it really was what prompted me to quit smoking. Yeah I am all for the efforts to decrease smoking and they certainly worked on me. :)

[question everything]

12. Dying is a painful miserable process

we all want to die in our sleep, or, at least, be run over by an eighteen wheeler before we know what hit us.

But emphysema, and cancer, and the difficulty to breath, and to swallow, and the sickness from chemotherapy are painful and miserable.

If you've ever been around someone who is dying from cigarettes caused illness you would know what I am talking about.

Otherwise, yes, one should be free to choose one's vices whether it is smoking, greasy food, being couch potatoes, unprotected sex (as long as you do not transmit what you have), whatever.

[OzarkDem]

13. Actually I've been thinking of starting again

I quit 16 years ago, but all this talk about smoking has made me want to begin again.

[TahitiNut]

18. I know how you feel.

:noddinghead:

[Bluebear]

27. :joining the nodding heads:

[Higans]

14. It cost you $5-$10 a day, and you don't even get high. N/T

[WhiteTara]

15. your skin will look better

you will feel better. you will be able to walk for long distances without becoming exhausted. You won't be short of breath, you might not end up with an oxygen tank strapped to your body. You will save oodles of money. You won't have to go outside when everyone else is having fun inside. You won't be a social pariah. Your fingers won't be yellow.Your teeth won't be brown stained. You will have greater self mastery. Just a few things I thought of right away.

[whoneedstickets]

16. So you can someday meet your great grandchildren

My grandmother never got the chance.

[JDPriestly]

17. Non-smokers will enjoy kissing you.

Your children won't worry about your health so much.
You will not smell like am addict.

John Paul Getty described how he woke up in the middle of the night and after realizing that he was prepared to get dressed and go out to get cigarettes decided to quit. He said something to the effect that he didn't want anything in his life that he wanted that much, anything with that kind of hold on him.

You are less likely to get lung or bladder cancer and will not get heart disease and high blood pressure as early.

You won't waste money on something that literally just goes up in smoke.

You will probably enjoy sports and physically demanding activities more and to an older age.

Your teeth will stay whiter.

You will get fewer wrinkles and have better skin.

[JDPriestly]

20. Oops! You won't be paying Big Tobacco to addict your kids

I am sympathetic with the addiction argument. That is why I don't hate addicts or smokers. I just feel really sorry for them. It must be horrible to be driven to do something you know you should not be doing. I imagine the guilt feelings and the resulting lack of self esteem must be awful.

I have read that tobacco company studies show that future smokers have a particular personality profile. I also know that many cigarette addicts have other serious psychological problems. Just as they self-medicate with other drugs, they self-medicate with nicotine. I don't judge cigarette smokers. We all have our problems.

It is ridiculous, however, to smoke and then insist on buying organic foods. If you want to ingest non-toxic substances only, don't smoke.

[Az]

19. You won't kill the one's you love

Including yourself. As long as you are ok with that then go ahead and smoke.

[Blue-Jay]

21. So I won't have to listen to righteous non-smokers

who get off on preaching to folks.

[Nicole]

23. Only one that works: Because you want to

As an ex-smoker I heard all the other reasons, for years and years. I didn't quit until I wanted to.

[Maine-ah]

31. Nicole, I completly agree with you

thats how it happened for me too.

[DesEtoiles]

24. clothes don't smell smoky

[Jane Austin]

25. Once you quit, you'll never have to worry about how you need to quit

again.

You can finally get off your back!

[northofdenali]

26. Hubby and I are starting a program -

The reason? MONEY MONEY MONEY. Cigarettes are nearly $5 a pack here. And that's not the premium brands. $10/day = $300/month = $3600/year.

Health, believe it or not, is secondary!!!

http://www.chantix.com This is a very new oral daily drug that supposedly works. It is totally different from Zyban (nee Wellbutrin) and the Patch. Look it up. We're giving it a shot. NOTE: MOST INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL NOT PAY FOR SMOKING CESSATION DRUGS, INCLUDING THE PATCH OR NICOTINE GUM, even if prescribed by your doctor.

Good luck to us all (if we live through it, or do so without winding up in jail for killing someone!)

[ruiner4u]

34. Thanks for that info and link

My father and I are planning on quitting first of the year <we want everyone else to have a happy holiday.. :)...> and besides, we need the crutch this season.. But that looks very interesting and I will look into that..

[TygrBright]

28. Because you really, REALLY want to. Nothing else works, so...

...there's really no point, is there?

quizzically,
Bright

[Berry Cool]

29. Keith Olbermann did a great editorial on this last year

in his pre-Special Comment days, right after Peter Jennings died.

He described what it was like, after 27 years of smoking pipes and cigars, to have a biopsy taken of the very spot in your mouth where the end of the pipe or cigar was always parked, and then to spend a week spitting blood into wastebaskets and wondering whether it was going to come back as cancer. Fortunately, for Keith, it came back negative. But that was when it occurred to him how much easier it is to quit smoking while you're healthy than it is to have to do it after you've been diagnosed with cancer or some other disease.

It was as powerful as any of his comments about the Bush Administration this year.

[JoDog]

30. My Grandpa Collander

My arguement for people to quit smoking is my maternal grandfather, Merle Collander. I barely remember him. After taking up smoking while in the Navy during WWII, he died of emphysema when I was 4. While that condition isn't always caused by smoking, well, 40 years of tobacco use probably didn't help matters any.

[undeterred]

32. Its expensive for the smoker.

A few years ago I worked in a convenience store. Much of the non fuel sales are lottery tickets, alcohol, or cigarettes. Many of the smokers worked at low paying jobs, living paycheck to paycheck. A pack a day habit costs over $100 month and saving that could only be a good thing.

[Katzenjammer]

33. It's dangerous and expensive, like bungee jumping.

You might die of something other than a smoking-related cancer or emphysemia, but it'll be despite smoking, not because of it.

[Scout1071]

35. Simply put...you will feel better.

Take it from me NBSH, I quit last February. And it is amazing how much better I feel on a daily basis. I didn't even know how badly it was affecting me until I quit. On the occassions that I have cheated while out drinking with friends, I cannot believe how bad I feel the next day. It really is like putting poison in your body everyday.

Also, I cannot tell you how smelly smokers are to me now. It is amazing. I actually cringe when people walk past me in a store because they smell sooo bad, and I cannot believe that I walked around smelling like that for 20 years. This is not some silly reason to quit, it's a real legit thing.

Finally, can you believe how much money you are giving to "the man"? How much of your paycheck has gone to big tobacco? An amazing amount over the years, I'm sure. All for what? A terrible addiction that will likely eventually kill you.

So, NBSH, I do hope that you will take the plunge and quit. It was not easy and I highly recommend that you talk with your Doctor before you quit. I had to take anti-depressants for a while. When you've been a longterm smoker, you will have a chemical imbalance for a while after you quit. For me, this caused rage and depression - like the worst case of PMS I've ever had. So, be proactive and talk with your Doctor about the best plan for you. Personally, I recommend Wellbutrin.

Best wishes. I really do hope that you will shake the habit. You won't regret it.

[roody]

36. for FREEDOM!!

[LynneSin]

37. Because you don't want to end up like my father or uncle

Father died at age 41 of Lung Cancer
Uncle didn't die of smoking related illness but instead had his lower jaw and part of his tongue removed because of smoker related illness

And btw, smokers stink something fierce. I'd rather be next to someone with bad BO than a smoker

[Nye Bevan]

38. Here you go....

What happens when you quit....

20 minutes - Blood pressure & pulse rate come down slightly and body temperature of hands and feet increases.

2 hours - the nicotine is out of your system.

24 Hours - Carbon monoxide level in the blood returns to normal. Oxygen level in the blood increases to normal. Your lungs work more efficiently.

48 Hours - Nerve endings start regrowing. Ability to taste and smell is enhanced.

2 Weeks to 3 Months - Circulation improves. Walking becomes easier. Lung function increases up to 30%. Your tastebuds come alive and your sense of smell returns.

1 to 9 Months - Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decreases. Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection. Body's overall energy increases. Both sexes become more fertile.

1 Year - Excess risk of sudden death from heart attack is down to almost half that of smokers.

5 Years - The risk of heart attack is now almost the same as for a non-smoker. Lung cancer death rate for average smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half.

5 to 15 years after quitting - stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.

10 Years - Lung cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers. Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.

[MountainLaurel]

39. You won't snore as badly

Which will make for a happier spouse.

[Skip Intro]

40. Healthy lung vs. Smoker's lung - pix. (and thanks for this thread...)

I quit smoking like six years ago after about twenty years. Felt great. Earlier this year, I had a cigar at a poker game. Now, months later, I smoke about five of those little tipped cigars (no filter) a day. The habbit/addiction is back. My major resolution for the new year is to set this crap aside once and for all. I knew I needed to remind myself of all the reasons to quit again, and this thread is one I will come back to over and over as the new year approaches.

One thing that did it for me the first time I quit was a shocking picture of what a smoker's lung looked like next to a healthy lung. I can't find that particular picutre on the net at the moment - but did find the one below. Blatant, worth a thousand words proof that if you smoke, you need to quit - asap. Every draw or drag you take off that cigarette or cigar or pipe just inflicts that much more damage to the only set of lungs you have.

Thanks for the motivation.

[Dems Will Win]

41. My wife stopped with Niacinamide and avoiding my mother

Picamilon works as well
http://www.picamilon.net/picamilon/picamilon-1.htm

Picamilon is Niacinamide (or nicotinamide) fused with GABA. It's a supplement.

Have to dose yourself up for a couple of weeks beforehand, then do it.

Picamilon and Niacinamide both also relieve most forms of depression, even schizophrenia. They are "nootropic" supplements.

[Quantess]

42. My boyfriend used to snore----bad. Then he quit smoking

and now he hardly ever snores at night.

[never cry wolf]

43. Kick, so I can find this later for inspiration to quit... n/t

[Dora]

44. For your dental health, and to reduce sinus infections.

Smoking dries out the mouth which contributes to gum disease. Smoking irritates the sinus passages, which can contribute to sinus infection.s


I smoked for 20 years.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

45. Your house will be cleaner!

When my Grandma was diagnosed with inoperable, terminal lung caner due to smoking, we took care of her at home. We decided to make her living space as nice as possible for her, so we started to wash down the walls and clean the drapes. I will never forget the rivlets of nicotine running down the walls as we sponged them. The water in our buckets was brown with the stuff. When we were finished, her walls were around 10 shades lighter than they had been in years.

When she finally died -- a year and much pain later -- at least her walls were clean.

[shadowknows69]

46. For the millionth time

I know I'm killing myself. Kidnap me and throw me in rehab for 30 days. Please, really!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

47. Another: Your children will thank you!

I grew up in smoking household -- both cigarettes and pipe. For the first 11 years of my life I slept in my Mom's room. I can remember waking up in the morning to a haze in the bedroom (Mom smoked at night when she was stressed out). It was the worst during the winters when it was cold and Mom didn't want to open up the windows -- the haze hung there day in and out, never really going away. It would make me feel nauseous, make my nose itch and run, and generally miserable. I remember 5 hour l-o-n-g drives in our tiny Pinto up to Tahoe to see my oldest sister. I would beg Mom to crack a window, even just a little bit so we could get some fresh air. Sometimes it was so bad I thought I would suffocate.

I "smoked" until I was 20 years old, when my Mom finally beat her addiction -- it was one of the best things that ever happened to us both.

[L A Woman]

48. I quit 2 years ago and there isn't enough room here to post all the benefits

You'll discover that there are benefits to quitting that you never imagined.

Your senses will return to their pre-smoking level (for most of us, that takes us back to our teen years) - particularly your senses of smell and taste - smokers don't realize how much of that has been taken away from them.

Obviously, breathing becomes much easier and when you cough, it will be because you have a cold. No more of that tightness in the chest.

In California, over the past two years, I estimate I have saved $3650. That is a low estimate, assuming that I smoked one pack a day. I usually smoked more. What will you save?

No Republican tobacco executive will become a billionaire by killing you.

No more standing outside in bad weather, inhaling that poison you are a slave to...

If cleanliness is important to you - White teeth, nice breath, fresh-smelling home and clothes...

If other people are important to you - you won't irritate them, or make them sick.

Honestly, I have to work or I could be here all day listing things. It was the single best decision I ever made. Period. Good luck to all who want to do it.

[Nye Bevan]

49. Would you like $100,000 in 22 years?

Invest the money you save from quitting... assuming you save $1800 per year and get an 8% return, you will end up with $100,000 in 22 years.

[applegrove]

50. There are trace amounts of polonium in cigarettes?

[Cleita]

51. There are so many reasons, but for me, the main benefit of

quitting smoking was breaking the addiction. I never realized before I quit how much I had planned my daily routine around my smoking habit. It was like being let out of an invisible prison.

[Booster]

52. My old boss, who smoked as much as 3 packs a day for his

entire life, is trying the new drug Chantix, and he has been smoke free for 7 days now, without a single craving for the nicotine, only a craving re: the habit itself, like after a meal, on the phone, etc. Believe me, if he has gone 7 days without a smoke, this stuff really works cause he has tried everything under the sun to quit.

[Gabi Hayes]

53. seen this? polonium among the thousands of chemicals in cigarettes...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2947292

[npincus]

54. it's not sexy

[ripple]

55. For the love of God, people!

Can we at least change things up a bit?

Obesity?

Sun worshipping?

Drinking?

Stress?

Sedentary lifestyle?

Cholesterol?

Caffiene?

Trans fats?


Pick your vice. Since people seem so bound and determined to pass judgement on others, let's at the very least try to keep things interesting.

Did you swear off ice cream, french fries, Snicker bars, fudge, mocha lattes, pizza, cookies, etc.-all because those items posed a potential future risk to your health? Share your story! By all means, let's pile on to the fat slobs who eat that crap! :sarcasm:

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

56. I'm going to lock this.

Sorry, but we've had enough threads about smoking for today.

best,
wakemeupwhenitsover
DU Moderator