How Many of You Smoke? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Flash Walken · 03-11-2008, 01:38 AM

And how much do you smoke?

I figure we have one for hookers/blow, weed and a psuedo one about drinking (health canada recommendations), why not one for smoking?

So, I'll start it off:

I smoke when I drink, occasionally.

MelBridgeman · 03-11-2008, 01:44 AM

smokes and drinks

Torture · 03-11-2008, 01:45 AM

Sometimes when I drink, but very rarely. And when I do I regret it cause I don't really enjoy it or understand the appeal.

Dion · 03-11-2008, 01:45 AM

I do not smoke. Never had the urge to try either.

It is a filthy disghusting habit. Could never understand why someone would suck/inhale a product that makes your breathe, clothes, and hair stink. Worse off people i know actually enjoy the habit

Personaly i find the smell to be a stench.

That is all

Jayems · 03-11-2008, 01:46 AM

Smoke free for 2.5 years now!

But i still manage to blow this new found money on other crap.

See: Beer.

Jayems · 03-11-2008, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

I do not smoke. Never had the urge to try either.

It is a filthy disghusting habit. Could never understand why someone would suck/inhale a product that makes your breathe, clothes, and hair stink. Worse off people i know actually enjoy the habit

Personaly i find the smell to be a stench.

That is all

And as a smoker, I always found this argument to be overblown. I can't smell it, I don't mind the taste of smoke, and you only ever really notice the smell when you wake up after a long night at the pub. So, i'd always hate it when people asked me: How can you smoke?! That's so disgusting!!!

Then I quit.

And now I'm on the other side of the fence. When people who have just smoked get near me, I just can't stand it. Especially when it's really cold out, and some construction worker gets on the c-train after having a butt, and you're 0.0001" away from him/her and its crowded... good god.

I can honestly say I had no idea how bad it was. As a smoker, you just can't tell most of the time. Overblown the argument was NOT!

Dion · 03-11-2008, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayems

Smoke free for 2.5 years now!

But i still manage to blow this new found money on other crap.

See: Beer.

Congrats on the 2.5 years!

How difficult was it for you to quit?

MelBridgeman · 03-11-2008, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

I do not smoke. Never had the urge to try either.

It is a filthy disghusting habit. Could never understand why someone would suck/inhale a product that makes your breathe, clothes, and hair stink. Worse off people i know actually enjoy the habit

Personaly i find the smell to be a stench.

That is all

something called addiction!

arsenal · 03-11-2008, 01:57 AM

smoker for about 11 years now. Started after I was legal strange enough.
Tried lots of times to quit. never really quit did it though. Longest I did was about 3 months with the patch.
Not that great. Got stressed out and started again.

Dion · 03-11-2008, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayems

And as a smoker, I always found this argument to be overblown. I can't smell it, I don't mind the taste of smoke, and you only ever really notice the smell when you wake up after a long night at the pub. So, i'd always hate it when people asked me: How can you smoke?! That's so disgusting!!!

I find it odd that you can't smell it. Did your sense of smell deteriorate when you smoked?

Quote:

Then I quit.

And now I'm on the other side of the fence. When people who have just smoked get near me, I just can't stand it. Especially when it's really cold out, and some construction worker gets on the c-train after having a butt, and you're 0.0001" away from him/her and its crowded... good god.

I can honestly say I had no idea how bad it was. As a smoker, you just can't tell most of the time. Overblown the argument was NOT!

My mother is a former smoker and says much the same thing. She finds that cigarette smoke sets off her asthma. It's only when she's under extreme stress does she ever think of that cigarette. Thankfully she's smart enough to know that one cigarete would have back smoking again.

Jayems · 03-11-2008, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

Congrats on the 2.5 years!

How difficult was it for you to quit?

Pretty hard. I had quit for 2 months about 2 years before I quit for good. Then, a night at the casino with some friends who smoked, and it was game over.

I ended up taking wellbutrin, which I guess is an anti-depressant, but it's the same thing as zyban. I didn't take it for the anti-depressant effect, but it blocks the nicotine receptors in the brain or something. Anyway, I was told to keep smoking for a week like regular. Every day, I would smoke less and less. I didn't have urges, just smoking out of habit.

Then, after about a week, it got to the point where i was having these habit smokes, but I could only have a puff or two before being grossed out. It tasted like crap, did nothing for me... so I finally just chucked my pack in the garbage and never smoked again.

I had to finish the pills, which took about ~3 months of weaning off if I remember correctly. Then, coming off, I was a grumpy gus for about a day or two, but never smoked again.

I'm now at the point where I just couldn't bust this record I have going. The urges never go away, and it's still hard.

I think the fact that my fiancee and I quit at the same time made it easier not to start again. If I have urges, she keeps me in check. But, the urges never go away. Of course, they come the hardest when you're drinking, because that's something that I loved more than anything.

Beer and smokes. mmmmm...

But, I'm glad I'm off.

arsenal · 03-11-2008, 01:59 AM

When you smoke, you don't smell it.
The times that I have quit, even after a day, I can smell the smoke on people. It doesn't take that long. Funny thing is.. it doesn't really disgust me, it kind of makes me want a cigarette

Jayems · 03-11-2008, 02:01 AM

Actually, speaking of smelling smoke. One thing I could never smell was when someone in a car or two ahead of me was smoking, and it came in through my vents. It was a new phenomenon for me when I quit.

Now, I can smell someone who's smoking in Balzac.

... And I don't miss the musky smoke stank that was once my car/truck.

Dion · 03-11-2008, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

something called addiction!

I understand the addiction part. There's also some who don't want to quit because they enjoy smoking. My late uncle was one of them. Knew the dangers but never tried to quit because he didn't want to. And i'm sure there are many like him.That struck me odd.

MelBridgeman · 03-11-2008, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dion

I understand the addiction part. There's also some who don't want to quit because they enjoy smoking. My late uncle was one of them. Knew the dangers but never tried to quit because he didn't want to. And i'm sure there are many like him.That struck me odd.

it is amazing how people in general can rationalize things...the "it will never happen to me" is very powerful thing when dealing with addiction...people love to justify there behavior..

The oldest person on record smoked for almost 100+ years...gives all smokers hope that they can beat the odds...very irrational, but addiction is just that.

SarichFan · 03-11-2008, 02:10 AM

Not anymore, I find it disgusting.. can't stand being in Casinos or bars that allow smoking.

I smoked in High School for quite some time but quit once I saw a family member get diagnosed with cancer..

Dion · 03-11-2008, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

it is amazing how people in general can rationalize things...the "it will never happen to me" is very powerful thing when dealing with addiction...people love to justify there behavior..

The oldest person on record smoked for almost 100+ years...gives all smokers hope that they can beat the odds...very irrational, but addiction is just that.

Good points. I often hear the it's never going to happen to me comment.

I watched my uncle die a very painful death from lung cancer last year. It convinced me to never ever try the product. A few of his buddies, who were smokers, were convinced to quit also.

CrispyGriz · 03-11-2008, 02:12 AM

Only ever smoked a single cigarette in my life. I was completely hammered and don't remember the effects at all if there were any. No intentions to smoke any more though im sure i might have one or 2 more in my life under similar circumstances.

On a tangent though, i do have a hookah and smoke sheesha occasionally. That i wouldn't want to give up for the world, there is nothing more relaxing than puffing on a hookah, beer in hand watching a movie or game.

GreatWhiteEbola · 03-11-2008, 02:15 AM

Dec 3rd, 2007. Cold turkey. I feel better than I have felt in 10 years. I still get cravings, mostly when I drink coffee. I think one thing that helped a lot, was that I quit drinking Nov 15th, 2007.

corporatejay · 03-11-2008, 02:21 AM

Smoked for six years, I've been "clean" for 5+ years now. I still occasionally smoke cigars but that's not to feed an addiction, it's more of a social/celebratory thing.

I still get the urge to smoke sometimes when i'm really drunk even though i literally cannot stand the smell anymore, i think it's like reflex...but I haven't so much as touched one. In fact I stopped going to bars/casinos in calgary because they allowed smoking. I didn't notice how brutal it was until i moved to edmonton (they were like 2+ years ahead of calgary on the ban).