Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobblehead
3 of my grandparents smoked. None of them lived past their mid sixties.
On my mother's side, she was the 9th of 9 children. Children 8 & 9 (my mother) smoked. My mother finally quit in her mid 50s when she had a heart valve replacement. Her sister who smoked passed away from a heart attack in her early 60s. All the older children who didn't smoke have lived into their 70s and 80s (one of my uncles passed away last summer in his mid 70s, the rest are still hale and healthy). Of the spouses, 3 of them were smokers. One passed away of lung cancer (a horrible, horrible way to go), one has suffered at least a half dozen minor strokes, and one is still alive and well onto his golden years.
So it is only anecdotal but even in my own family I have seen the consequences of smoking.
And I'm not sure smoking really is a choice. Sure, when you first start it is a choice. But once you are addicted I think your ability to choose to smoke is taken away, or at best severely limited. I have known a few people who are able to seem to stop at will or never be addicted. But for every one of them I know a handful more who have tried to quit and haven't been able to quit. That addiction is insidious.
And can you imagine today if someone were to introduce a product that creates major health issues, has little or no benefits, and is this addictive?
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I wasted years of my life smoking. Tried to quit more times than I can count. Finally got it right over 7 years ago. The kicker for me? A visit with a friend's father who had ternminal lung cancer. And I still want the damn things. It's a battle that will never end for me. Very happy that I have it under control.
My poor uncle is 70, he's given up trying to quit. He's been smoking for more than 50 years. His older sister died at 59, covered in cancerous tumours (no idea why that image didn't make me quit). Nicotine is an evil thing.
I was definitely guilty of throwing butts pretty much anywhere, I'm ashamed. Didn't really think of it at the time.