Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors

Konata

"The saddest thing that I’d ever seen
Were smokers outside the hospital doors"

These days, we're ALL well aware of the dangers associated with smoking. We know all about the lung cancer, the addiction, the smell, the cost, the yellow teeth and chesty cough. Yet, in my experience anyway, this knowledge doesn't seem to stop a lot of young people from taking up smoking.

I've seen the same pattern happen over and over again with many of my friends - no inclination to smoke, then they try one on a night out, next thing they're 'social smokers' ie only smoking when out/drunk and before you know it, they're full-blown smokers.

So, do you smoke? Are you a social smoker or a full-blown smoker? And most of all, what made you decide to have those first few cigarettes? Do you regret starting or do you enjoy it?
If you don't smoke - why not? Ever been tempted to start?

phlegms

Pretty much a full time smoker at this stage. Trying to give up tho. Only really seeing sporadic success with it. I have a habit of going for a week or so without smoking and then instantly fall back into habitual smoking. Its a bit crap tbh. Hoping it being the summer I'll find it easier to give up rather than when I'm in college.

JamieK

Never smoked...never even contemplated it really. Maybe that's weird given the fact that my only other sibling and both parents smoke! I just don't see the appeal but I'm not one of these people who go up to peoples' face's saying "smokers are jokers" and all that...I know I do my own fair share of unhealthy stuff as regards food and my weekend habits so I wouldn't try play the "holier than thou card" ...each to their own!

Konata

JamieK wrote: »

I just don't see the appeal but I'm not one of these people who go up to peoples' face's saying "smokers are jokers" and all that...I know I do my own fair share of unhealthy stuff as regards food and my weekend habits so I wouldn't try play the "holier than thou card" ...each to their own!

^This.

I've had a few cigarettes in the past but it's not something I ever enjoyed and I've made a decision not to even try any more, *just* in case.

I've watched my Dad try to give up smoking for as long as I can remember. It hasn't been pretty and I guess that's always made me very wary of taking up smoking. (He's a whole year cigarette free now though ).

KnifeWRENCH

I only smoke when I'm out/drunk

This was me up until a couple of months ago. Since then, it's been more regular. (Exam stress possibly a factor)
I'll be moving home at the end of the month though, so I'll be off them whether I like it or not.

amacachi

phlegms wrote: »

Pretty much a full time smoker at this stage. Trying to give up tho. Only really seeing sporadic success with it. I have a habit of going for a week or so without smoking and then instantly fall back into habitual smoking. Its a bit crap tbh. Hoping it being the summer I'll find it easier to give up rather than when I'm in college.

You go a week or so without? You're not a smoker.

I'm a smoker, never really tried to quit. I don't see the point in spending a large part of my life denying myself something I really want and really enjoy.

highlydebased

I've often considered it due to 1-pressure from friends 2-stress 3-a social thing to do...e.g askin a girl for a light, etc haha

Have yet to have one though.

ohthebaby

I've never tried it. I don't see the appeal in it at all. My grandfather smoked all his life and eventually died of lung cancer after a long period of sickness when I was seven so that turned me against cigarettes at a young age. When i see the damage they do to your lungs from the pictures in science books I just don't understand why people do it. There's enough illnesses out there that we have no control over contracting without almost drawing one on yourself.

I know it's bad for your health but on a superficial level too it's awful. Your teeth will eventually yellow if you're a hardcore smoker, as will your nails. I don't understand people showering themselves in perfume / aftershave going out, only to smoke on the way and completely ruin the nice fragrance. Shallow I know, but still.

bythewoods

I ****ing love smoking.
Love it.

Oh, I know the dangers. I've held the lungs of a dead smoker in my hands. I've poked mushy bits of disintegrated lung which were so ****ed they couldn't even be examined properly. I've held the lungs of an emphysema patient.

I still don't care. I ****ing love it.
And there's very few things I enjoy.

Novella

Nope, I don't smoke. I have tried, but it just doesn't appeal to me. The smell makes me feel sick and just ugh, I really hate it. It isn't a health conscious decision at all, 'cause I honestly do not care, just a 'Smoking is icky' decision.

norwegianwood

http://www.healthjackal.com/health/2010/05/27/dad-says-2-year-old-son-addicted-to-smoking/

There are some fùcked up people in the world, seriously...

KnifeWRENCH

norwegianwood wrote: »

http://www.healthjackal.com/health/2010/05/27/dad-says-2-year-old-son-addicted-to-smoking/

There are some fùcked up people in the world, seriously...

The most fucked up thing about that story is this:

The Indonesian authorities have offered the family a car if the child stopped smoking.

If I was an Indonesian parent, I'd be feeding my kids cigarettes too if I thought I could get a car out of it. :rolleyes:

Jay P

bythewoods wrote: »

I ****ing love smoking.
Love it.

Oh, I know the dangers. I've held the lungs of a dead smoker in my hands. I've poked mushy bits of disintegrated lung which were so ****ed they couldn't even be examined properly. I've held the lungs of an emphysema patient.

I still don't care. I ****ing love it.
And there's very few things I enjoy.

This. Except for the holding the lungs part. Smoking makes me feel good. There is nothing like the first smoke of the day with a coffee. It's a perfect start to the day.

But I'm quitting, as of yesterday. My parents absolutely freaked a few months ago when they found out I was smoking, so now that I'm moving home, I've stopped, and it's going to be hard. I tried quitting before, and did well for about a week, but then decided I wanted to smoke and started again. I have no choice this time though... Man, I miss it already.

I always smoke when I'm out, so hopefully it's not going to go beyond that again.

soccymonster

Was at some sort of science body exhibit in dublin. They had the lungs of a smoker on display. Don't have any intention tbh.

illiop

I only smoke when I'm drunk. I have 2 lines I'm not allowed to cross: no sober smoking and no buying my own fags (I did buy a cigar once for the laugh though).
I started because I love hanging out in the smoking area on nights out and I felt a bit left out without them...plus I carry a lighter so when I lend it to people they often offer a cigerette in return and I have to do something with it. I do feel like a bit of a sell out though because i made it to 18 with out ever doing it and then gave in

Craguls

I smoke occasionally when I'm out but not habitually. I wouldn't hate on smokers though, everybody has their poisons I guess and I've a personal policy of trying things at least once. I'll always remember my first cigarette though;

bythewoods wrote:

What?! You've never smoked before? Want to try?
I LOVE BEING A BAD INFLUENCE. I'M SUCH A GREAT PERSON.

Then I fumbled with a lighter until she lit it for me. I felt so emasculated.

jumpguy

No, I even tried a drag once (the you-only-live-once mentality, I wasn't starting smoking or anything) and was like "jayzuz, is that it?" It was like breathing warm air that had a weird taste. Or was I doing it wrong?

After encouraging my father and mother to stop smoking, I really could never start without looking like the world's biggest hypocrite. I find the whole "social smoking" thing a bit retarded tbh. It's basically just doing it cause other's a doing it. What's that say about yourself?

I don't scorn on people who smoke, just so long as they don't blow the smoke in my face, or smoke in a house full of non-smokers. Tbh, that grinds me most.

As for smoking outside hospitals, well, that's the end result of it all I guess. It's a bit pathetic.

Extrasupervery

This thread makes me sad.

yerayeah

Only time I ever smoked was when I chain smoked a whole pack on holiday one night in about an hour but I was terribly drunk so I didn't get any cravings or anything because i couldn't remember the taste really...

People only think of the lung disease but it's a risk factor for so many other diseases as well, I could never do it.

phlegms

Jay P wrote: »

This. Except for the holding the lungs part. Smoking makes me feel good. There is nothing like the first smoke of the day with a coffee. It's a perfect start to the day.

But I'm quitting, as of yesterday. My parents absolutely freaked a few months ago when they found out I was smoking, so now that I'm moving home, I've stopped, and it's going to be hard. I tried quitting before, and did well for about a week, but then decided I wanted to smoke and started again. I have no choice this time though... Man, I miss it already.

I always smoke when I'm out, so hopefully it's not going to go beyond that again.

This pretty much.
Genuinely enjoy smoking and it gives me something to do when I'm bored waiting for my train in the morning. But I should stop..

Davidius

Have never tried it and have never really been too curious about it either. I can't really be one to judge considering I have some bad habits myself and supposedly an 'addictive personality'.

I do think you'd probably be foolish to try or start it in your late teens and beyond. I don't understand the mindset that people just had to try it to see for themselves. With the prevalence of anti-smoking campaigns I'd have thought you'd trust them to know what they were talking about. I don't mean to sound overly judgemental when I say that.

My parents don't smoke but they did, and quit before they even knew each other. I've siblings who smoked before but as far as I know only one of them is at it now. Smokers in the wider family don't seem to last very long, my Grandad gave up at some point and he's the only one in his immediate family who has lived to be close to 90 (89 at the moment). The rest of his family died a good bit younger and almost all were smokers (He had a lot of siblings.)

I have an aunt going in for cancer treatment with a life of heavy smoking behind her. I think that's enough to put me off forever.

Also because it smells bad.

EDIT:
Which reminds me. Lighting up when under the bus shelter when it's pissing rain is inconsiderate. People should stop doing that. That and throwing cigarettes on the ground when you're done with them, sure that's littering. We all know littering is evil.

Konata

illiop wrote: »

I started because I love hanging out in the smoking area on nights out and I felt a bit left out without them

I spend a lot of time in smoking areas when I'm out aswell. It's often the only place in nightclubs where you can actually hear people speaking to you. Almost every single time I stand in a smoking area, I get offered a cigarette by someone. Hence, I can see why it'd be very easy to take one when you're standing there chatting. There is that ever-so-slight 'left out' feeling when everyone around you is.

Grrrr nightclubs.

Ms.Odgeynist

Come on guys - I'm not pro-smoking - far from it, but let's all be honest. Its a miserable existence out there. It's quiet when you want excitement. It's loud when you want some peace and quiet. The guy beside you is irritating but it's inappropriate to tell him to shut the f*** up!!!! There are a million reasons to smoke. There is only one reason not to -- There's murder, rape, gangs of illiterate thugs marauding through the streets, H.I.V, feminists, paedophile priests, oil slicks, homeless people with **** stains on their trousers all waiting for you when you wake up each day, and yet, as Bill would put it, You're telling me that my cigarette is f***ing up the delicate balance of nature!! I doubt it. We just need to moralise! It's our birth right! We are repressed and we need to deprive people of things that we cannot enjoy guilt free!!!!

jumpguy

Ms.Odgeynist wrote: »

Come on guys - I'm not pro-smoking - far from it, but let's all be honest. Its a miserable existence out there. It's quiet when you want excitement. It's loud when you want some peace and quiet. The guy beside you is irritating but it's inappropriate to tell him to shut the f*** up!!!! There are a million reasons to smoke. There is only one reason not to -- There's murder, rape, gangs of illiterate thugs marauding through the streets, H.I.V, feminists, paedophile priests, oil slicks, homeless people with **** stains on their trousers all waiting for you when you wake up each day, and yet, as Bill would put it, You're telling me that my cigarette is f***ing up the delicate balance of nature!! I doubt it. We just need to moralise! It's our birth right! We are repressed and we need to deprive people of things that we cannot enjoy guilt free!!!!

Feminists are equated with thugs, HIV and paedo priests? :P

A Neurotic

FÚCK MY LIFE, I'd written a massive, grossly offensive spiel (including a suggestion that Deirdre Barlow should be put on cigarette boxes instead of health warnings) but my internet cut just as I pressed post and I lost it.

It was massive and really offensive to smokers and now I'm not going to bother typing it again

It's pretty horrible. Not sickeningly horrible, but there were no good points that I could see.
Why would anybody ever have a second?

Cami

Smoking is disgusting! If a group of people enter a room you can always smell the smoker coming!Nobody wants to be the smelly smoker. Personally, Iv tried smoking a number of times but I hate it. I don't get the smoking thing at all. It hurts my throat, my breath and hand smells after! Why bother starting if they know its so addictive?!

And as for smoking outside hospital doors..... its so desperate. Its a funny sight to see a bunch of ill people in their pyjames puffing away! I spent some time in hospital myself and if i wanted to get a breath of fresh air I had to go far beyond the hospital doors to do so! eew drop the habit people!!

lou91

Hotaru wrote: »

"The saddest thing that I’d ever seen
Were smokers outside the hospital doors"

I've seen the same pattern happen over and over again with many of my friends - no inclination to smoke, then they try one on a night out, next thing they're 'social smokers' ie only smoking when out/drunk and before you know it, they're full-blown smokers.

QUOTE]


I've seen this too, but I don't really get it. I had one on a night out and all I could think was "people get addicted to this? really?". I don't think you can really get into it without having it for a bit, not liking it, but persisting. Some people do seem to do it for the social aspect though, which seems a bit ridiculous to me. This is a great way of understanding it:

1. Hypersensitization
Compulsive seeking of drugs comes from a progressive and persistent hypersensitization of particular neural systems.

This neural sensitization describes increasing ability of a drug to stimulate particular neurobehavioral systems. Even intermittent use of drugs leads to this sensitization.

Sensitization increases the effect of the same quantity of a drug. Thus the person gets steadily increasing pleasure each time they use it.

This is not just a pharmacological effect. Learning systems and conditioning are important and act to amplify results.

2. Increased wanting
The neural systems involved lead to a motivational sequence of incentive salience or, more simply, 'wanting.'

This is not 'liking' or pleasure, which is an outcome, but a driver of the addictive action, although it may have pleasurable associations, perhaps of anticipated pleasure.

The 'wanting' and 'liking' described here are preconscious processes that leads to conscious desire and pleasure.

3. Repetition
Repetition of the addictive behavior, typically taking drugs, leads to increased sensitization. Addicts thus want the drugs more even if they know the harmful effects and would like to stop.

4. Conscious desire
The preconscious neural wanting becomes conscious desire. This translation process can lead to us seeking something without really knowing why.

/loves being able to use college stuff for everyday situations.

bythewoods

Proof that smoking is cool:

1. Paul Banks


2. Pete Doherty


3. Julian Casablancas


4. Jimi Hendrix


...More to come.

A Neurotic

I repeat:

Aoibheann

Ok, before I get into this, I don't want to offend someone so apologies in advance if I do! After re-reading, this is more of a rant on hypocrisy than smoking.. Sorry! >.<

I hate, hate, HATE the idea of smoking so much (I've never once smoked so I can't say I hate smoking, but the idea? Ew.). My dad has always smoked, my mother quit before I was born. All of my sisters and myself were completely anti-smoking from an early age. Now one of them can't go 5 minutes without lighting up.. and another? Well, she's actually much worse in my eyes. She goes on tangents about how utterly disgusting smoking is and how stupid people are to start - but if you wander out to the smoking area of the local nightclub on a Saturday night, guess who's there, cigarette in hand? Hypocrites drive me INSANE.

Actually, worse than that still is the holier-than-thou attitude of former smokers - claiming it to be a disgusting habit and how they don't get how everyone doesn't quit. Bet it wasn't so easy for you to quit - but now you have, you're suddenly better than those who haven't?! Rage.

So anyway, back to smoking. Like bythewoods, I've held the lungs of dead smokers - lungs that were pretty much entirely green, black and shrivelled. Not for me. But the only danger for me lies in passive smoking, something which I avoid at all costs. My friends who do smoke have the decency to not smoke in front of me (and them for that).. But my dad is so set in his ways that he genuinely doesn't seem to realise that he's not the only one he's causing harm to. I could tell him countless times the damage it could cause to myself and others in the house, and beg for him not to smoke in the same room as us - but he'll forget 5 minutes later.

Thing is - I don't have any say in what other people choose to do any more than they have over my choices. I won't lecture people on their choices once they respect that I have chosen not to smoke (i.e. don't wave a cigarette in my face, and I don't kill you :pac:).

I'm not entirely sure I've got my thoughts across in any intelligible manner, so I may come back to this.