I'm a social smoker: I smoke if others are smoking, and never more than once a week, else I feel sick. Being a lightweight has never been so beneficial. Dreams are my cigs of choice, and I'm sad to see them discontinued... at least I've still got hookah.
Acrisius said:
Just... lopping all your posts together here, because I'm going to make a sweeping generalization of what you've stated so far.
Yes: Judging happens and so forth, but that doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it.I don't enjoy the whole archetype of a "gangsta rappa" and the stereotypes that go with, but I'm not telling people off because of it, and encouraging people to go crush their bling if their parents are doing it because it annoys/offends me.
Crushing cigarettes would be a good way to get smacked yourself. Almost every smoker I've ever known has been fairly defensive about their cigs, especially if they've been at it for a long time. Crushing their cigarettes is often akin to throwing away one's antidepressant medication just because you don't like it. Stupid, senseless, and just plain invasive...
I do agree that smokers shouldn't smoke in enclosed areas, however. Always keep a window open and so forth, that way if there is people who are bothered by it, you don't have to deal with it. Understandable, really, but you shouldn't just kick them out for no reason. If that's the case, kick out anybody drinking or wearing too strong of cologne/perfume, because that, too, could be horribly offensive and might even result in health problems.
Honestly, many people who haven't smoked will use the arguments you've put forth: the "there's no benefit, it's just killing you slowly and painfully" bits. If you've smoked, you know why people do it. You get a buzz from the nicotine. This works as a synthetic dopamine (or was it seratonin... crap, always get those two confused) and makes you feel happy. Heavy smokers tend to be grouchy when they don't get their smokes because their body doesn't want to make more dopamine (seratonin?) when a cigarette is a quick, easy way to get the same effect, and even a nice smell to go with it.
Furthermore, I remain skeptical on the effects of second-hand smoke, especially when I hear BS like "Secondhand is just as deadly indoors as it is outdoors," because that's just flat out illogical. In a closed room, it will get stuck and hang in the air. In the outdoors, or even with a window open, it will dissipate and not be nearly as concentrated.
Your words remind me of the popular insurgence of the "straight edge" kids (WARNING: MORE GENERALIZATIONS) who (at least around where I am) act like stuck up pricks because they don't drink, smoke, party, have sex, et cetera... yet quite a few are more than happy to go beat the shit out of someone instead. Methinks that straight-edge is just another name for "person who doesn't want to take a risk now and then", but that's just my humble opinion.
In closing: I smoke, I enjoy it when I do, but I follow the key rule for everything in life; moderation. Besides, if I want to kill myself faster, leave me to it and go on with your merry life. I don't need to hear you whine and spew statistics about how I'm killing myself.
