Too Many Free Staters Are Smokers, Please Consider Quitting

[JellyFish]

So I was at Murphy's last night at Taproom Tuesday and I noticed again how many free staters smoke. Frankly, it really bums me out. Most of the free stater crowd wasn't inside of Murphy's. Most were outside and most were smoking. 

Why does it bother me? Well I like to socialize but I hate sitting or standing in the clouds of smoke. It's nasty.

My father died of lung cancer and my mother's husband has severe emphesema (and has had bladder cancer) from smoking. He went this morning to be tested again to see if his bladder cancer has come back. He may also have lung cancer but they doctors are not sure yet. They are hesitant to do a biopsy because his lungs are too frail. He is 58 but has the lungs of a 92 year old. If they go into to do the biopsy then his lungs might collapse and he could die.

When I see all of the smart, passionate and liberty loving free staters slowly poisoning themselves to death by smoking, it bums me out. Especially the young ones like Dan and Ryan and some of the others. You're slowly killing yourselves guys, please consider quitting.

No, I don't support smoking bans or any of that stuff.

But I really do wish all of you would quit. Think ahead 30 years and imagine yourselves with bladder cancer or not being able to get up a flight of stairs without sounding like Darth Vader when you breathe.

Smoking really does suck. It adds nothing to the quality of life and it just poisons you and makes you smell bad.

Please consider trying to quit. I know that one lady I talked to last night apparently has and good for her. I'm proud of you Monica. Keep it up and don't go back onto the poison.

Just my two cents, take it as you will and God bless each of you that does try to quit. Life is a lot better without cigarettes.

As for me, I will still drop by Murphy's but just not as often.

Maybe in the winter there will be more people sitting inside of Murphy's and it will be possible to socialize with the smokers as they won't be outside puffing away because of the cold.

It's a sad sight to see such amazing, politically active and passionate people killing themselves. 

(I will post this on my blog too)

[Porcupine_in_MA]

I don't smoke cigarettes, but I do smoke cigars. For me it does add to my life because I like the tastes (large variety of cigar flavors like wine), the smell and it relaxes me quite a bit. Personally I hate the smell of cigarettes, so I know how you feel, although I just ignore the smell. I appreciate where you are coming from in trying to get folk to quit smoking, as long as you're not preachy and pushy about it. Thats where I start to get annoyed and tune you out.

[JellyFish]

I don't smoke cigarettes, but I do smoke cigars. For me it does add to my life because I like the tastes (large variety of cigar flavors like wine), the smell and it relaxes me quite a bit. Personally I hate the smell of cigarettes, so I know how you feel, although I just ignore the smell. I appreciate where you are coming from in trying to get folk to quit smoking, as long as you're not preachy and pushy about it. Thats where I start to get annoyed and tune you out.

Nope, I'm not an antismoking fanatic. Just somebody who has seen the other side of smoking and hopes fervently that it doesn't happen to any free staters. I wish them all well.

[Romak]

There are only two vices in my life that are detrimental to my health, drinking soda and smoking. I don't drink alcohol much just moderately so thats not an issue. I quit soda about two months ago and lost 7 pounds within a week. I'm in good shape as it is so dropping from 172 to 165 in a week seriously showed me how much crap was in my body from all that soda. I would love to quit smoking but haven't tried. Wont go cold turkey because there is way too much I do on a daily basis with work and taking care of two little ones to put them through that. I know there isn't an easy way but any suggestions would be great. I'm more than willing to listen to someone who is sincere as opposed to someone telling me how dumb I am for smoking or telling me to take it outside. So now that you mentioned it do you have any ideas? I'm also not in your boat because both of my parents smoke and all of my grandparents smoked and lived into their 90s with no problems, and there is absolutely no cancer in my family so the motivation isn't there in terms of worrying about what you mentioned down the road. I'm just thinking of quitting simply because its the only thing I do thats bad for me and I don't want to do it anymore.

[JellyFish]

My mother and her husband used the nicotine gum and I think that chantex drug to get off the cigarettes. The doctor told him he had to stop immediately or he would die.

Maybe consider the patches too? There seems to be a lot of different ways now to quit. Though I am not an expert so talking to your doctor is probably the best place to start.

I wish you well and I hope you succeed. 

[William]

It's a sad sight to see such amazing, politically active and passionate people killing themselves. 

Yes but you forgot to mention the liver disease from the alcohol and the heart disease from the hamburgers.

[PattyLee loves dogs]

Yes but you forgot to mention the liver disease from the alcohol and the heart disease from the hamburgers.

Moderate alcohol consumption is STRONGLY linked with reduced heart disease (I dislike alcohol, but force myself to have a Sam Adams once in a while. Facts is facts).

Most of the heart disease is from the Twinkies. Of course, given that the USDA forcibly stopped that Texas slaughterhouse from testing for BSE, steaks are a better idea than hamburger (hamburger means you get little pieces of thousands of cows from the blades, much more risk).

Of course in Grafton we just eat deer and berries, no heart disease for us 

[Atlas]

I have to add that socializing around alcoholic beverages doesn't exactly help a cig smoker to quit, since the two seem to complement each other. And being a mover with the FSP away from one's comfort zones all the while challenging the state's authority makes stress levels unusually high--especially for young, single folks. To each his/her own though I can't deny that smoking is considered a detriment.

[grasshopper]

 Cantrix (or whatever) is a rittalit, RITTALIN! Stay away from it unless you want to kill your family.
  AS for you smokers, if I told you you had to give me 5 bucks 5 times a week and you couldn't stop, you'd tell me to go screw myself.  Try to think of those killers the same way, they know smoking will kill you, they add fermeldahyde to it to give you a kick, if you have to smoke, roll your own with pure tobacco, not that crappy bitter shit you stick in your faces and ours.
  Get angry, knowing they are drug dealers, hate them as I do, My dad also dies of lung cancer.
Oh well, now to go suck down a few shots of scotch and have a prime rib dinner and wash it down with some nice Honey Porter Sam Adams.

[Pat McCotter]

Cantrix (or whatever) is a rittalit, RITTALIN! Stay away from it unless you want to kill your family.

Citations?

Oh well, now to go suck down a few shots of scotch and have a prime rib dinner and wash it down with some nice Honey Porter Sam Adams.

No, no, no.
Salad with bleu cheese dressing.
Carafe of wine
Porterhouse
Baked potato w/ butter & sour cream
Vegetables with butter
Cheese cake
Coffee
Cognac

[K. Darien Freeheart]

I quit smoking two years ago and am quite happy I did. That said...

It seems to me that choosing to smoke is choosing to give up a lot of freedom in the long run. I cannot understand why anyone in his right mind would smoke, but seeing "freedom lovers" do it is doubly perplexing.

You sound like a non-smoker. I say that because (as both a former anti-smoking activist turned smoker turned ex-smoker) the only people who say "I don't get it" have never had a nicotine buzz. People smoke for the same reason they drink, masturbate, gamble, and eat chocolate - it feels good. People who's lifestyles center around eliminating the things that cause displeasure are statistically more likely to be pleasure seekers and smoking is a pleasurable activity.

I have always believed that people give up much more freedom voluntarily than government ever takes away from them.

Perhaps you need to listen to Free Talk Live more often. If you were being told daily how the government is restricting people's lives, I think you'd disagree. This man lost his house essentially for exercise his freedom to park a car on his own driveway. Somehow, working an honest day's labor, using those wages to buy some tobacco or cannabis and smoking that seems like much less of a restriction than being forced out of your home at the threat of men with guns.

I have to add that socializing around alcoholic beverages doesn't exactly help a cig smoker to quit, since the two seem to complement each other

My mother and her husband used the nicotine gum and I think that chantex drug to get off the cigarettes.

I would love to quit smoking but haven't tried. Wont go cold turkey because there is way too much I do on a daily basis with work and taking care of two little ones to put them through that. I know there isn't an easy way but any suggestions would be great. I'm more than willing to listen to someone who is sincere as opposed to someone telling me how dumb I am for smoking or telling me to take it outside.

The only way to quit smoking is to want to stop smoking. I got sick of smoking and stopped, cold turkey. They say that nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known to man (my father claims crack cocaine was easier to kick than Marlboros) but it's nothing at all if you're actually truly wanting to quit smoking. I have coworked who still remark that I "just quit" and asked how I do it. I ask them "Do you like the cigarette buzz?" when they answer "Yes", I ask them if they want those buzzes to simply go away, most say "No". There's your reason why people struggle to quit smoking. Most people want to save money, or avoid social ostracism or attain that intangible "better health" but the simple truth is while all of those are good reasons, most people really don't want to "not smoke" else they'd do it.

And there's nothing wrong with that at all. My wife still smokes and enjoys. You do yourself no favors by trying to trick yourself either. A lot of people who want the benefits of not smoking, but don't really want to not smoke, feel guilty that they're "not strong enough" and I think that's a bad thing to foster. If you don't want to stop smoking, don't fool yourself. Driving less or finding a cheaper car insurance provider will save you a lot of money. Exercising more often will improve your health. But the only way to be a non-smoker is to stop smoking. Set your goals and attain them.

Most of the free stater crowd wasn't inside of Murphy's. Most were outside and most were smoking.

I get pissed that (before they passed a smoking ban in Maryland this year) places would tell my wife if she wanted to smoke she'd be forced to interrupt our conversation and meal. I made it a point to ensure that she's never forced to stand outside with a cigarette alone. As a non-smoker, I'd be right out there supporting those people's lifestyles because for me the fact that they're not free to make their own choice on the matter is a much bigger issue than the fact that they're smoking.

[PattyLee loves dogs]

Of course the FDA doesn't even have a CATEGORY for approval of "recreational" drugs (or of anti-aging drugs, or of nootropics, or of any other human-enhancing categories). So while nicotine's stimulus-barrier quality seems to be useful for some people, there's no way to legally sell a safer way to get it... FDA Delenda Est:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/walker/walker29.html

[MengerFan]

Please consider not believing the hype.

God created tobacco, and it was good.

[doobie]

How much in taxes are you paying for the privileged of smoking?  Maybe that'll get some FSP'ers to stop smoking.

I dislike people smoking, but as the OP mentioned everyone is outside.  I try to be aware of who is smoking, where the wind is...and when they release a breath and just hold my breath if I think it'll come my way...

[Porcupine_in_MA]

Please consider not believing the hype.

God created tobacco, and it was good.

Mmmmmmmmm goooooood cigar



Onyx...pretty damn good smoke, better than I was expecting actually