<p>Here is a recent poll on who actually smokes:
<a href=“Who smokes in America? | Pew Research Center”>Who smokes in America? | Pew Research Center;
<p>Note that the age group with the lowest smoking rate is 65+, even though they grew up when smoking was much more socially acceptable (and allowed in more places). Perhaps there is a survivorship bias there – non-smokers are more likely to be alive at that age than smokers.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Recent research indicates that there is genetic variability in how strong the addiction is.</p>
<p>^^^My mother was addicted and couldn’t quit or even cut down. My father, OTOH, quit cold turkey when he was in his early 30s. Maybe I got my lucky gene from him.</p>
<p>Has anyone ever seen Bob Newhart’s schtick where he talks by phone to Sir Walter Raleigh about smoking? It’s hysterical.</p>
<p>My sister and I both started smoking as teenagers. Her first, as she was older. I quit about 10 years later (another surprise pregnancy!) but she has tried and tried and can’t seem to do it. I think a large part of her problem is that she has lived in Europe since 1990 and it just became less socially acceptable here earlier and Europe is bit further behind in that. </p>
<p>I remember thinking that it would be impossible to quit since my friends smoked, since everyone smoked in restaurants and bars, since I could never give up that “after dinner” cigarette. How times have changed! I’m very grateful for all the nonsmokers out there who put pressure on the rest of us to rid the world of second hand smoke. I’m very grateful for the laws that protect most enclosed spaces from smoke. I’m mostly grateful for that surprise pregnancy that forced quitting on me at a much younger age than I would have considered it. </p>
<p>Rumor has it that President Obama still smokes although publicly he claims he kicked the habit a few years back.</p>
<p>Wait, Obama is human?? </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/obama-jokes-first-lady-scared-him-quitting-smoking-v20664972”>http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/obama-jokes-first-lady-scared-him-quitting-smoking-v20664972</a> may be of interest.</p>
<p>Never smoked, parents never smoked. Grandparents did, but not during my lifetime. </p>
<p>I will just offer how amazing it is that the culture has rejected smoking. I can remember sitting in smokey airplanes, smokey student lounges, smokey clubs and bars. My high school had a designated smoking area for kids old enough to smoke! I never liked it, had to get my clothes cleaned and go wash my hair. It is so much more pleasant now to go out and be in the world!</p>
<p>Obama was photographed popping a piece of Nicorette gum in his mouth at a WH function a couple months ago. He ‘quit smoking’ in 2007, so he has been using pharma nicotine for six years now. It’s a shame. In 30 days, he could have been free from the nicotine junkie addiction trap. It takes about three days to get it out of your system and between 14 and 28 days to up regulate the hi-jacked brain receptors that are the underlying mechanism of the a drug addiction. After 30 days, the physical craving for nicotine is gone – as long as you stick to a personal commitment to never use nicotine again.</p>
<p>Instead, he has suffered nicotine craving for SIX YEARS (assuming he actually quit smoking, which I doubt…) Talk about misery. That’s six years of totally preventable cravings. And, they say that nicotine gum makes quitting “easier”. I don’t know. I quit six years ago today, and I haven’t had a craving for nicotine in nearly six years. Haven’t even thought about smoking for about five years (it takes a year to experience and reprogram all the learned triggers – like first time mowing in the spring associated with smoking, first time raking leaves in the fall associated with smoking, etc.)</p>
<p>If anything the article humanizes him. He’s a man, a husband, a father…and just so happens to be president. </p>
<p>Idad, why is it difficult for you to grasp that individuals are different? People deal with addiction in different ways and what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. </p>
<p>My ex tried to quit smoking for over a year when we were together. I know for a fact that he went without a cigarette or nicotine for almost two months and still had very intense cravings. Everything about his personality was addicting though. </p>
<p>It’s not pleasant when you tell others that they haven’t done enough or questioning why something hasn’t worked for someone else. People are different. Some can quit easier than others. Just look at this thread. </p>
<p>Personally, I’m grateful when anyone even tries to quit. </p>
<p>Euphemisms like “trying to kick the habit” and “occasionally falling off the wagon” are the kinds of things nicotine junkies say, things that show they really don’t have the first clue what they are up against. You can’t “try to quit smoking”. You either quit or you don’t. To quit, you have to make a personal commitment that you are not going to smoke for the next 60 minutes. Then, for another 60 minutes. And, at some point, for the entire day. Even introducing the concept of “try”, gives an “excuse” or an “out” that pulls the rug out from under the effort.</p>
<p>From the article cited by ucb</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>More evidence that poor people are often stupid people.</p>
<p>More evidence that poor people are often less-educated people.
Silly autocorrect! ;)</p>
<p>Razor, surely you jest???</p>
<p>interesteddad, I smoked more than a pack a day for 20 years. I quit within 10 days with the assistance of nicotine gum, which was the only available nicotine product, available by prescription only. My method was halving the number of cigarettes I smoked every other day–2 days 10, 2 days 5, 2 days 2, 2 days 1, then I was done. Then 3 months later I did the same with the gum. I haven’t had a cigarette since then, 25 years ago. That was my way and it worked for me, even if it wasn’t your way.</p>
<p>No, not really. Isn’t that what the data shows?</p>
<p>If the package says smoking this will kill you and you start smoking, what does that make you? In my mind it makes you an idiot. </p>
<p>Think Niquii was trying to save you - jump on the lifeboat.</p>
<p>I’m not a smoker and can’t stand being near smokers. My kids have all said they would never date a smoker as they can’t stand the smell. My SIL died at 45 after lung cancer spread to her brain. She started smoking at age 16. I feel as if any smoker who saw her right before she died would have quit immediately. </p>
<p>We are fortunate as Calif prohibits smoking in the workplace including restaurants. Our city prohibits it within 25’ of any public building and as a result we rarely see smokers around here. All UC AND Cal State campuses are now smoke-free as well. We forget how nice it is until we travel to another state and smell cigarette smoke!</p>
<p>More evidence that poor people are often stupid people.
Tobacco does curb your appetite.</p>