I think smoking is not as bad as drinking alcohol, due to the fact smoking tobacco doesn´t cause any accident or violence or crime. Some heavy smokers are healthy! Why?
9 Answers so far
jettachef86 May 18, 2008
2:39 am
some people are just lucky. it sucks when there are people out there who havent smoked a day in their life, and they die from lung cancer.
its all in your genes!
Dr. L May 20, 2008
11:42 pm
I agree that alcohol is worse on society than smoking but smoking leads to the death of one-two persons/minute in this country…that’s a lot of medical costs to society while they are sick and dying…
some people are lucky that the mutagens and carcinogens in tobacco smoke don’t seem to trigger cancerous changes in their cells…
Crouching Doggie May 24, 2008
7:53 am
I do very much agree that alcohol is a far more dangerous drug than tobacco, but tobacco cost us a fortune as tax payers to treat. After all is said and done, epidemiologic studies suggest that only 15% of smokers will die from tobacco associated consequences. It’s really a matter of public health policy and how much of a gambler you are, as theh first author pointed out.
ladyren May 25, 2008
2:46 am
Some people as well survive a skydiving accident when their parachute fails. “Some” isn’t really good enough, is it?
All we can do is go by what insurance companies call Statistics… and we know that statistically your chances of acquiring lung cancers, mouth cancers COPD and other tobacco induced diseases increase if you are a smoker. And insurance companies aren’t in the business of loosing money, are they? That’s why, your life insurance policy is less on a non-smoker than on a smoker.
Still wanna be a smoker????????
PregoMom3 May 28, 2008
11:33 am
Because alot of the information that is given out is false.
There is alot of booklets, tv ads, and scare tactics, but never has there been scientific evidence on how or why smoking is bad for anyone. Alot of people just buy into it, instead of wanting the real info which nobody seems to shre with anyone because they’re of beng exposed. They want people to people to quit, so why tell them the truth?
Mariam Clara Casey May 31, 2008
8:06 pm
Driving under the influence of nicotine is not dangerous. It does not risk lives of innocent bystanders.
Women don’t sell their bodies on the street for cigarettes.
Smoking causes cancer and heart disease, though.
Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug. And it’s expensive. For the minimal amount of pleasure gained, it is not worth the health risks to smoke.
Bob June 3, 2008
7:59 am
It is all relative. It has to do with many factors that cannot be computed on an individual basis. Genes, factors in the environment. There are way too many factors to take into account and answer your question with a sentence or two.
Heavy smokers have a much greater risk of COPD’s and other diseases than the general population. That we do know, an individual case by case situation is another thing.
When it comes to health, not everyone is the same.
Anne June 6, 2008
3:55 am
While I agree that the negative effects of smoking aren’t as obvious in some cases, not everoyne who drinks is going to smash places up, hit people, or cause a car accident either. Some people eat fried food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and are really thin, and don’t die of a heart attack.
The cancer-causing effects of smoke aren’t guaranteed to occur, but the fact they happen in so many people is enough to make people concerned. I wasn’t really a fan of the smoking bans myself (and no, I don’t smoke) but I do hope that they encourage some people to stop smoking – there are lots of stop smoking aids out there now, if quitting can be less painful than it was a few years ago, what do people have to lose, except an expensive habit?
Pangolin June 8, 2008
8:13 pm
There are outliers in any population. Just because you can point to one or two outliers, that doesn’t negate the vast majority of smokers who suffer severe, debilitating disease and early death.
I’ve taken care of many many thousands of patients, and have seen maybe of handful of heavy smokers who have made it to their 80’s. I have seen HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of smokers in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s who have debilitating lung disease, cancers, vascular disasters, heart disease, strokes and other tobacco related maladies.
The fact that alcohol can destroy your body doesn’t make smoking OK. They both stink. (Just like the patients who abuse alcohol and tobacco!)
some people are just lucky. it sucks when there are people out there who havent smoked a day in their life, and they die from lung cancer.
its all in your genes!
I agree that alcohol is worse on society than smoking but smoking leads to the death of one-two persons/minute in this country…that’s a lot of medical costs to society while they are sick and dying…
some people are lucky that the mutagens and carcinogens in tobacco smoke don’t seem to trigger cancerous changes in their cells…
I do very much agree that alcohol is a far more dangerous drug than tobacco, but tobacco cost us a fortune as tax payers to treat. After all is said and done, epidemiologic studies suggest that only 15% of smokers will die from tobacco associated consequences. It’s really a matter of public health policy and how much of a gambler you are, as theh first author pointed out.
Some people as well survive a skydiving accident when their parachute fails. “Some” isn’t really good enough, is it?
All we can do is go by what insurance companies call Statistics… and we know that statistically your chances of acquiring lung cancers, mouth cancers COPD and other tobacco induced diseases increase if you are a smoker. And insurance companies aren’t in the business of loosing money, are they? That’s why, your life insurance policy is less on a non-smoker than on a smoker.
Still wanna be a smoker????????
Because alot of the information that is given out is false.
There is alot of booklets, tv ads, and scare tactics, but never has there been scientific evidence on how or why smoking is bad for anyone. Alot of people just buy into it, instead of wanting the real info which nobody seems to shre with anyone because they’re of beng exposed. They want people to people to quit, so why tell them the truth?
Driving under the influence of nicotine is not dangerous. It does not risk lives of innocent bystanders.
Women don’t sell their bodies on the street for cigarettes.
Smoking causes cancer and heart disease, though.
Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug. And it’s expensive. For the minimal amount of pleasure gained, it is not worth the health risks to smoke.
It is all relative. It has to do with many factors that cannot be computed on an individual basis. Genes, factors in the environment. There are way too many factors to take into account and answer your question with a sentence or two.
Heavy smokers have a much greater risk of COPD’s and other diseases than the general population. That we do know, an individual case by case situation is another thing.
When it comes to health, not everyone is the same.
While I agree that the negative effects of smoking aren’t as obvious in some cases, not everoyne who drinks is going to smash places up, hit people, or cause a car accident either. Some people eat fried food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and are really thin, and don’t die of a heart attack.
The cancer-causing effects of smoke aren’t guaranteed to occur, but the fact they happen in so many people is enough to make people concerned. I wasn’t really a fan of the smoking bans myself (and no, I don’t smoke) but I do hope that they encourage some people to stop smoking – there are lots of stop smoking aids out there now, if quitting can be less painful than it was a few years ago, what do people have to lose, except an expensive habit?
There are outliers in any population. Just because you can point to one or two outliers, that doesn’t negate the vast majority of smokers who suffer severe, debilitating disease and early death.
I’ve taken care of many many thousands of patients, and have seen maybe of handful of heavy smokers who have made it to their 80’s. I have seen HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of smokers in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s who have debilitating lung disease, cancers, vascular disasters, heart disease, strokes and other tobacco related maladies.
The fact that alcohol can destroy your body doesn’t make smoking OK. They both stink. (Just like the patients who abuse alcohol and tobacco!)