What are your personal guidelines and attitude concerning smoking ?

by caliber 23 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  caliber

  We all know how the WT. deals with smoking. Have your personal attitude towards such changed ?

  Do you require that all your friends and inner circle be smoke free ?

  Do you believe is proper to set restrictions concerning your car , home or even your personal space ?

  Do you feel compassion for those who smoke .. understanding the addictive nature of Tobacco ?

  Nicotine has been shown to have effects on brain dopamine systems similar to those of drugs such as heroin and cocaine- Report of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health. Department of Health, 1998.

  Recent information concerning dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and well-being, indicates that cigarette smoke might use both techniques for raising dopamine levels. Nicotine has long been known to stimulate the release of dopamine. Now, research by scientists at

  Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York points toward -- but does not prove -- another mechanism for cigarette addiction. They've found something in cigarette smoke that seems to be slowing the breakdown of dopamine.These brain slices show levels of the "killjoy" enzyme MAO B in the brains of two people. The non-smoker at the top has plenty of MAO B, but the smoker at bottom has much less -- a sign that something in cigarette smoke is destroying MAO B, allowing the pleasure chemical dopamine to tell the body it likes smoking and wants to continue.

  Caliber
• 

  Uzzah

  The days of my demanding other people to do or believe the same as me are over. This includes smoking/smokers.

  Many of my closest friends smoke. I do not (except for an occasional Cuban). I am free to set boundaries that impact me such as no smoking in my car or inside my house. Aside from that people can do what they please and it is none of my business or concern. If someone decides they want to quit I will support them as best I can but it is not my place to be bugging a friend.

  Teh one exception to the above is regarding pot. Most of my friends know I can't be around it at all, so they usually will 'go for a walk' or if I notice then I simply make myself scarse while my friends do their thing. It is never a big deal and we all accept each other's choices. Novel concept after being raised a Witness eh?
• 

  caliber

  They've found something in cigarette smoke that seems to be slowing the breakdown of dopamine.These brain slices show levels of the "killjoy" enzyme MAO B in the brains of two people. The non-smoker at the top has plenty of MAO B, but the smoker at bottom has much less -- a sign that something in cigarette smoke is destroying MAO B, allowing the pleasure chemical dopamine to tell the body it likes smoking and wants to continue.

  So in essence, the nicotine is tricking your body into thinking it needs more nicotine in order to feel good, while at the same time, it's slowly killing you. ( Mary's comment on another post )

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/91326/2/Smoking

  So there are brain function changes.. it is a formidable challenge to quite smoking to say the least !

  Caliver
• 

  Leolaia

  My attitudes towards smoking have nothing to do with the JWs .... I had them as a young child when both my parents were smokers and I was utterly disgusted with it (and when I had pretty strong sensory sensitivities). You know the way Mr. Monk is with touching things that are dirty or that he doesn't like? That is exactly the way I am around cigarettes or tobacco. I would feel revulsed just touching a pack of cigarettes, or being in a restaurant where people are smoking, or even walking on a cigarette butt on the street. For some reason, I don't mind the smell of pipe as much. But cigars, cigarettes, and weed pretty much turn me away quickly.
• 

  undercover

  We all know how the WT. deals with smoking. Have your personal attitude towards such changed ?

  I know that smoking is bad for you and I personally don't smoke nor see the fun of it(though I've tried it and found it less than satisfying). My attitude has changed in that I don't see it as some evil sin where upon one should be ostracized for practicing it.

  Do you require that all your friends and inner circle be smoke free ?

  Nope. Who am I to force my conscience or lifestyle on someon else? What they do on their own is their business.

  Do you believe is proper to set restrictions concerning your car , home or even your personal space ?

  Smoking is not allowed in my home, but is allowed on the front porch or the back deck. No smoking, no how, no way in my vehicles. If I'm in a bar sitting with a friend who smokes, I don't expect him to not smoke just for me. As long as it's allowed in those settings, I understand that I'll have to deal with it. If it's a problem I can always leave.

  Do you feel compassion for those who smoke .. understanding the addictive nature of Tobacco ?

  I have a sense of wonder. I wonder why, when there is so much evidence of smoking being bad for you, that people continue to want to smoke. I feel compassion for people trying to quit and having a hard time, but I know some people who like it and refuse to quit. I have to wonder about that, though I never berate them about it. It's their choice, not mine.

  I have no problem with people who like a nice cigar or pipe once in a while. While still not good for you, it's not like they're chain smoking 3 packs a day. They're enjoying a vice of their choice on a limited basis. No different than going out once in a while and slamming down a few cocktails or beers.
• 

  sammielee24

  Don't do it in my house but if you want to sit outside and smoke it's okay with me. I think we have become way too intolerant of others sometimes in this nonsense that if a person is smoking on their front porch and you walk by, you can sue them for letting their smoke drift onto you. I don't think less of anybody who smokes nor do I think more. It's their choice...I know people who drink diet sodas every single day, filling their bodies with chemicals that dengenerate their cell structure but that's their choice and wouldn't be mine. I don't smoke but some of my family does - do I love them less? No. sammieswife.
• 

  caliber

  A few thoughts to ponder....

  It's stiffling to inhale 2nd hand smoke. When you stop smoking, your blood carries 25% more oxygen, just like it should do always. So you become restless and agitated because you can't handle the extra oxygen. .

  You are supporting a very large corporation( no not the WT this time) .. and getting NOTHING but ill health in return.

  (partial personal quotes from above previous posting) (With added humor )

  Cal
• 

  only me

  I very rarely smoke, only once in a while when I'm out with friends who smoke.

  My oldest daughter smokes because it settles her nerves. She cannot take meds for her depression and smoking helps her not to cut herself. I know it's just another form of self harming but even the doctors agree it's better than cutting.
• 

  undercover

  You are supporting a very large corporation... and getting NOTHING but ill health in return.

  Yes, smokers are supporting the agents of their own demise. But as long as there is a market, there will be tobacco companies.

  I'm familiar with the tobacco company world as I grew up in a tobacco town and have/had several family members work for them. Back tin the 60s and 70s, tobacco was king. Now, it's struggling to stay profitable. They're closing plants, laying off workers, buying less tobacco from the farmers. The companies are re-focsing on brand marketing overseas, instead of here.

  These are not good times for tobacco companies or tobacco farmers. The market is shrinking. Less and less people are smoking or are smoking less. Sooner or later (maybe not in our lifetime) the tobacco companies will lose the ability to have powerful lobbyists from keeping them from being regulated more than they are now. Sooner or later, either the market will collapse and they go under or the government will finally be able to strictly regulate them to the point that the tobacco giants will become a niche product supplier.

  Nothing happens overnight when you're talking about giant corporations. It takes time for them to crumble. But if the market changes, then the corporations must change. If they don't, they'll fail. In the US we see how the big auto companies failed to change and are in trouble. With tobacco, we see that a product that was once popular is losing its appeal. If they don't diversify (which they're trying to do with some limited success) they'll fail.
• 

  caliber

  Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke, is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of tobacco products (side-stream smoke) and the mainstream smoke exhaled by smokers. It is a complex mixture containing many chemicals (including formaldehyde, cyanide, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and nicotine), many of which are known carcinogens. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. In addition, secondhand smoke causes respiratory problems in nonsmokers such as coughing, phlegm, and reduced lung function. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma.

  Over the past four decades, cigarette smoking has caused an estimated 12 million deaths, including 4.1 million deaths from cancer, deaths from cardiovascular diseases, 2.1 million deaths from respiratory diseases, and 94,000 infant deaths related to mothers smoking during pregnancy

  So consider what is the cost to OTHERS and society in general not even speaking of personal consequences !

  Cal