Hooked4Life
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..Just not very creative 
Smoking divers
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SeaJay
Contributor
I had to come in and break the tie between "I am a smoker, so no comment," and "I don't smoke, and I don't care if you do."
How ironic that not too long ago, I'd have had to pick the first one. Now I can break the tie with the "I don't smoke" option.
Non-smoking is wonderful. And yes, the craves do go away. The people who tell you they don't are those people just looking for excuses to keep smoking.
I'm free. No regrets. I'm very happy like this. The best is that what I WANTED to be and what I AM are now the same thing. I no longer beat myself up over this... And that's the real beauty of non-smoking. The second benefit, and almost as huge, is the obvious health reason.
Someone above likened the addictin of nicotine to drug or alcohol addiction. I contend that while nicotine might not be as dramatically destructive to one's lifestyle (they don't pull you over and give you a blood/nicotine test), any doctor in the world will tell you that nicotine is by far the most addictive substance known to man. I've heard that it's many times more addictive than even heroin. Just ask any "recovering alcoholic" or "recovering substance abuser;" The people who have gone through the notorious 12-step programs often still smoke. When I've asked these people how they can quit Jack Daniels or cocaine or pot, but not cigarettes, they look at me with disbelief and say, "Man, I was barely able to quit the drug... There's no way I can quit smoking..."
As a society, we downplay the addictive nature of nicotine because the action of smoking tobacco is socially acceptable. I'm telling y'all that the substance is worse, and much more likely to kill a person. With an average of 15 "hits" in a cigarette and 20 cigs in a pack, your average pack-a-day smoker gets 300 "hits" a day. When was the last time you heard of someone doing coke 300 times a day? The substance is much less potent, but considerably more addictive. It's nothing to play with, and it will kill you.
That said, I still feel that it's the smoker's right to choose to smoke, just as I feel that someone has the right to kill themselves.
...And there are a lot of reasons to choose or not to choose a dive buddy. For me, smoking would not be one of them, believe it or not. But if I've got to wait for you underwater because you're huffin' and puffin', then we ain't buddying again, you know?
...So my choice would have nothing to do with smoking. However, it would have to do with other things that may be affected by smoking.
See, I don't want to miss out on great dive buddies just because of my choice to quit smoking. So what? That's my choice... You're entitled to yours too.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no issue until the dive becomes a problem due to someone's lack of physical fitness... Which could be due to smoking, obesity, asthma, or just plain ol' laziness.
How ironic that not too long ago, I'd have had to pick the first one. Now I can break the tie with the "I don't smoke" option.
Non-smoking is wonderful. And yes, the craves do go away. The people who tell you they don't are those people just looking for excuses to keep smoking.
I'm free. No regrets. I'm very happy like this. The best is that what I WANTED to be and what I AM are now the same thing. I no longer beat myself up over this... And that's the real beauty of non-smoking. The second benefit, and almost as huge, is the obvious health reason.
Someone above likened the addictin of nicotine to drug or alcohol addiction. I contend that while nicotine might not be as dramatically destructive to one's lifestyle (they don't pull you over and give you a blood/nicotine test), any doctor in the world will tell you that nicotine is by far the most addictive substance known to man. I've heard that it's many times more addictive than even heroin. Just ask any "recovering alcoholic" or "recovering substance abuser;" The people who have gone through the notorious 12-step programs often still smoke. When I've asked these people how they can quit Jack Daniels or cocaine or pot, but not cigarettes, they look at me with disbelief and say, "Man, I was barely able to quit the drug... There's no way I can quit smoking..."
As a society, we downplay the addictive nature of nicotine because the action of smoking tobacco is socially acceptable. I'm telling y'all that the substance is worse, and much more likely to kill a person. With an average of 15 "hits" in a cigarette and 20 cigs in a pack, your average pack-a-day smoker gets 300 "hits" a day. When was the last time you heard of someone doing coke 300 times a day? The substance is much less potent, but considerably more addictive. It's nothing to play with, and it will kill you.
That said, I still feel that it's the smoker's right to choose to smoke, just as I feel that someone has the right to kill themselves.
...And there are a lot of reasons to choose or not to choose a dive buddy. For me, smoking would not be one of them, believe it or not. But if I've got to wait for you underwater because you're huffin' and puffin', then we ain't buddying again, you know?
...So my choice would have nothing to do with smoking. However, it would have to do with other things that may be affected by smoking.
See, I don't want to miss out on great dive buddies just because of my choice to quit smoking. So what? That's my choice... You're entitled to yours too.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no issue until the dive becomes a problem due to someone's lack of physical fitness... Which could be due to smoking, obesity, asthma, or just plain ol' laziness.
bwerb
Hoser/English Translator, eh
Don't take any great offense at this but your statement here is untrue. The majority of posts on this thread have been from smokers talking about their own struggles. There have been a few posts from non-smokers indicating their reasoning behind their opinions.
By pulling out the "label" card, you are in effect circumventing the discussion/debate and resorting to name calling.
I don't know if you smoke, I don't care if you smoke, I just think that by reducing the argument to "it's the vocal minority of "anti's" being anti" doesn't do anything to forward the discussion. It comes off as being rather petty.
For those of you who are addicted to smoking and want to quit, I really feel for you. I have a close relative who is addicted to Cocaine and Meth., believe me, I know all about the logic and struggles of addiction. I wouldn't wish any form of chemical dependency or addiction on anyone.
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the problem is, this is one of THOSE topics. The next thing that happens is that someone brings up GUE and from there is descends.....
WW
WW
bwerb
Hoser/English Translator, eh
I'll file this one on the "things to fight about thread" and send Genesis and MHK a PM to let them know what we are talking about...
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bwerb once bubbled...
send Genesis and MHK a PM to let them know what we are talking about...
Don't do it mon!
I think Mike's tired of this particular battle anyway, I know I am.
WW
Vocal minority steering the agenda. That's interesting. If you're in the majority, and don't leverage the collective voice to control the agenda (afterall,you are the majority) or at the very least raise your own for you own peace-of-mind, than basically is sucks to be you. What's the deal with that? Next stop, Remora. Its a life - being a non-vocal minority and eating the scraps from the shark, but not really an abundant life. No thanks.
As to smoking, I've always thought of it as there are three camps:
Smokers
Non-Smokers
Anti-Smokers (think Elaine Benis here)
I'm a non-smoker. Not my thing. My entire family smokes except for me and my sister. Its killed a few, some have lived well into their 80's + Its a strange thing, smoking. Sure, its a timebomb, but you never know if or when it will go off.
I think dvleemin hit it on the head. Someone in reasonably good condition who is a smoker is capable of being an excellent buddy. Someone who is morbidly obese (smoking or non) is incapable of being a reliable buddy.
K
As to smoking, I've always thought of it as there are three camps:
Smokers
Non-Smokers
Anti-Smokers (think Elaine Benis here)
I'm a non-smoker. Not my thing. My entire family smokes except for me and my sister. Its killed a few, some have lived well into their 80's + Its a strange thing, smoking. Sure, its a timebomb, but you never know if or when it will go off.
I think dvleemin hit it on the head. Someone in reasonably good condition who is a smoker is capable of being an excellent buddy. Someone who is morbidly obese (smoking or non) is incapable of being a reliable buddy.
K
bwerb
Hoser/English Translator, eh
PMs already sent...
...kidding, just kidding. WW, I agree with you totally. The thread we are referring to was an absolute abomination which hopefully is NEVER resurrected. It was the perfect example of how stupid and outright abusive some of THOSE topics get. Not what we need at all...hopefully, it doesn't degenerate to that again in any thread.
Brian
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I still feel badly for having been involved in getting that mess started!
WW
Well, I smoke, my dive buddy, she smokes, life is good. I don't plan on quitting and it works for me. I don't bother others with my smoke, and I expect others not to bother me with thier oxygen.
Smokin' in the cold so cal waters.
*puff puff*
-Dennis
Smokin' in the cold so cal waters.
*puff puff*
-Dennis
