People that I know that smoke, use the words to describe their smoking as love, need, pleasure, taste, compulsion, so this to me makes me think it's a natural thing for people to smoke, and on the flip side living into old age is not natural, because of all the miseries that befall us in body and mind maybe it's better to not live as long.

Weird thought I had about this subject, smoking was brought up in the Gilly get well thread but I didn't want to derail, but I think the enjoyment some people here get from smoking is major.

I think there are nicotine receptors in the brain or something. I'll go and Google it.

My parents smoked, so it seemed natural to me, even though it probably isn't.

When I was 8, my friend next door used to pinch packets of cigarettes from her parents' shop, & we'd go & smoke them in the hay loft, which, as you can imagine, didn't end well.

Rick wrote:
I don't want to live to be an older person unless they have stem cell therapy to make us young again.

With that being said, I smoke cannabis but i think cigarettes are nasty.

Add addiction to your list of ways to describe it.

I used to really enjoy smoking. The zyban has taken most of the pleasure out of it now.

Rick wrote: It isn't natural. All you're experiencing when that happens is your brain chemistry's addiction to nicotine. If you're going to say that's natural, you might as well say smoking opium is natural.

wake_up_bomb wrote:
There's many ways to ingest/consume many products that have varying effects.
We have as a species been consuming various narcotics for a hell of a long time now. Even tea/coffee is a drug.

I guess the question to ask is why our brains have a reaction to such substances at all.

/shrugs and grins.

evolution right?

Well the pleasure sensations of smoking a cigarette and the relaxing effect may be worth it, but if the health conditions come on you early especially the breathing difficulties it may or may not be worth it, each individual decides I guess, speaking for myself if I smoked it would become a addiction for me, I have not doubt about it.

The doctor told my grandfather to keep smoking, if he tried to quit the stress of that would kill him, he is long dead but died from alcohol related medical things of the liver I think, he seemed to breath good

andyh wrote:
Damn right it is!

Smoking comes naturally to me.

As I'm no quitter I intend to see it through to its inevitable wheezy conclusion.

That's what I thought hugo, until I had 2 chest infections/bronchitis in the space of a few months this year.

LesleyPumpshaft wrote:
Blimey, not surprised you quit.

I've noticed over the last 2 winters that when I get a wee cold it tends to hang around on my chest for an extra day or so. Although I have to say that since switching my baccy brand from cheap and nasty to American Spirit about 18 months ago I don't get intermitent coughing spells anymore.

Not that I'm saying that smoking is fine - it's not kids, no matter how cool you look - but changing brand made a difference.

Good for you, you're doing really well, Lesley. How long have you abstained for now?

I stopped last Wednesday, under duress, but couldn't hack it for more than a few hours. I don't really want to stop though, because it makes me so horrid to people, and I enjoy smoking. But I still admire your sterling efforts, knowing how hard it is, and the benefits of knocking it on the head.

I'm reet proud of you!

I have had a few lapses, but on the whole I'm finding that the zyban is one of the best methods I've used for quitting. I've been 2 days since my last puff.

I'm chewing gum and using patches too, but my cough has cleared up.

RealAmerican wrote:
So what is an older person? 65 70 75 80 85? I am 50 and can remember thinking 50 was old. Age is a construct thrust upon us by too much bullshit in one place. Too many people communicating at once. Too much information piling up against unused information. Without all the unwanted shit I would just be me and you would never even realise how old you were. I think that the smoking of cannabis is a part of the problem. A drug that inhibits the train of rational thought by replacing it with the enduring feeling of being one step ahead of everyone else.

I can't stand pot, but I enjoy/enjoyed tobacco.

Incidentally, Gilly, did you get any odd side effects from zyban?

I agree with so much of what you say Monoman, except about the cannabis part because I think that emotions play a HUGE part in whether you are aging - or not, and cannabis has been known to have a positive impact on emotional well being.

LesleyPumpshaft wrote:
Not that I can remember now - spaced out for a bit. It was years ago though.