latin....., it matters. It matters because your posts are great arguments for smoking bans. The fewer places there are to smoke, the less smoking will take place.

I go to a bar in Chicago that was always packed before the statewide smoking ban and is now still packed after the ban was enacted. Plus, a woman bartender there said that she's glad the ban was passed because it'll help her to quit.

i smoke when i can so guess it depends on the day not that it matters

latin....., I suspect that restricting the times and places when and where you smoke, you smoke less than you used to, right?

i smoke, i don't push my smoking on anyone else, i don't smoke around people who do not smoke, i don't even smoke in my own house. so as long as i am not around you non smokers then really it is non of your business and your opinion does not matter. you can harp all you want but it won't change what i do and i wont quit

I quit smoking for 3 years...then my Grams died, and sadly I went back to the nasty habit in my grief. Not really a good excuse but there it is. I'm finding it much harder to quit this time around, but I will do it. Hang in there everyone!

No, I'm thinking Hurst conversion kit.

Yes, is momo... a tranny?!

I guess those two are gone.

I'm so sick of seeing the same lame people with the same lame opinions on these blogs! Your lame nutty opinions don't matter to anyone. Also, why don't you email each other instead of fight publicly on the blogs. Get a life.

momof4: How is it that your name is "momof4" and you have a wife? That's more confusing than this whole discussion!

I'm very ashamed to say that I'm a smoker. I started a new job a few months back and very few people smoke where I work. It's so embarrasing when I come back in from a smoke break and coworkers comment on the smell. it's to the extent I need someone to relieve me of my duty so I can go out and "have one" every two hours or so. I wish I could quit but the damn things own you. I can forget many things throughout the day ex/ wallet, cellphone, pay a bill, and many other various day to days. But the scary thing is no matter what I'm doing or wher I'm going, I always check to make sure I have smokes. I smoke a pack a day and my wife is close to that. Add that up and at the end of the month thats a new truck payment. I sure would like a new truck. Somebodyhelp me!!!

gazettefan="firestarter"

Where is the clergy when it comes to condemning smoking?

gazettefan~ I personally know someone who passed up a legit business program that was worth a potential six figure income or more because they chose not to invest the $5/day into the business because they didn't want to quit smoking. To each his own, but, what does it take for people? We're only given one body. What is our health worth to us?

$5 per day is $1825 per year. Or $18,250.00 per ten years.

I read a statistic regarding smokers who've decided to quit (which I congratulate them for) and the disturbing part about it was the fact that out of 100 smokers who quit, 30% of those smokers quit because they couldn't afford cigarettes anymore! What is people's health worth to them? My mother for example has a $5/day smoking habit, but, she claims she can't afford to spend the same amount on a proven health enhancement product. I'm not a smoker and never have been so it's easy for me to say, but, it's still mind boggling to me that 3 out of every 10 people think that way. You would've thought Ms. Flood would've made that change when she lost the first parent to cancer. We're only given one body in our lifetime. As the old cliche' goes, "this aint no dress rehearsal"! Either way, I'm happy for Ms. Flood and the people who are able to kick their nasty habit.

thekid's been putting his cannabis in cookies.

Good for you Susan! I hope you can be an inspiration to others trying to quit too!!

To funny momof5, glad I wasn't taken a drink when I was reading that post.

thekid...you didn't "totally" quit smoking, did you? Or, are you friends with Bill Clinton and don't inhale :) (just teasing ya!)

BAHH!! All of you non smokers out there patting yourself on the back for being a non smoker need to shut up, this story isnt about how cool you feel that you didnt smoke cigs. It's for those who quit.. To all of you Congrats!!
Everyone quit telling everyone else how bad they smell, and how much better you feel now. blah, blah, etc....
Remember how much you hated that when you were a smoker being lectured by a self richeous non smoker?
No one except for the smoker themself will convince them to quit. They wont if they want to smoke regardless.
Smoking is bad, but so is acting like your above others because you dont smoke and they do. Didn't you mommies and daddys teach you to be kind to everyone?

I must be one in a million ! 90% of my family smoked and still does.Only 1 had lung cancer,the one that didnt smoke. I myself had hard core asthma until I started smoking! (not even one attack since) Ok, it smells bad.It is dirty. I agree with those who do not wish to have smokers nearby while eating or have young ones present, but at least give us the bars!!!! You non-smokers already have everything else! Do you really need to be so selfish as to take over the world?

As a smoker for over 20 years I must say it is hard to quit. I quit about seven years ago. Two years before that I quit drinking. After doing this life slowed down and I feel a million percent better. Started exercizing and now am in better shape than I was in high school and now get looks from women in their 20's even though I am old enough to be their father.Just takes some real effort to kick the habits- good luck to all those that make a real effort.

I have heard that heavy smokers can lose a tooth a year from smoking....anyone know if this is true or not? Just curious.

My sister started smoking when she was in her early thirties. I never did get it. I can understand (not agree with) youngsters who are trying to be cool and don't listen to common sense but someone who really should know better beginning to smoke at that age baffles me as well superdave. I never thought of my sister as super intelligent but I never really thought of her as stupid either. She still is smoking to this day and I'll never understand her logic.

Well dancer, you are in the minority. There are many people who smoke and don't realize how offensive it is to other people. Esp people that work in service industries. If I'm eating out and my waitress smells like an ashtray...it puts a damper on the whole experience. Even worse when I nurse smells like smoke going into a patient's room.

I would just like to state that I smoke in my own garage, in my own car, do not go out to the bar, and always make sure I'm away from people when I'm smoking outside. I am asking nicely, please back off. I certainly don't have any plans to ridicule anyone else for things that they do, either. Some of these comments I feel are a bit too much.

I quite about 15 years ago and let me tell you it was not easy. I was a heavy smoker for many years and saw my Mom die early from it. It still took me about 4 more years to finally kick the awful habit. There was no support group around then and I even tried to start one but no one would answer my ad in the paper. It would have helped me and maybe I wouldn't have had so many relapses. Important thing is that you MUST want to kick the habit for yourself. I love not smoking and I'm not very tolerant of places that allow smoking as the smell is very bad. Hats off to all of you that have taken the cure for good.

I too will be very happy when Janesville/Wisconsin goes smoke-free. I always know that I will be washing my bedding the day after a night out at the bars, because my bedding stanks like smoke! Nasty - props to all you quitting smoking!

My husband and I are both non-smokers. He came home from a meeting last night reeking of smoke. Our favorite bar has very high ceilings and doesn't get smoky untill late in the evening. I'll be glad when the state goes smoke- free. We'll spend more time at the bar. And before you ask: one of us stays completely sober at all times.

greengina8: Thanks for the explanation (you wanted to be like the rest of your family and you liked the "buzz") - and congrats on quitting! I do realize that many people start smoking when they are very young. But a friend of mine started in his mid 30s, and of course is now hooked for life. He has tried to quit numerous times, but doesn't even last three days. Both of his parents were smokers, and both died of lung cancer. So let me ask this - can anyone explain why an ADULT would start smoking? And Gina, I never said "all smokers are stupid". I am sure many smokers are brilliant, I know many people who could be described that way. I said they look stupid to me. I mean this in two ways: 1) they look stupid just like I would look stupid if I walked around with baby carrots shoved up my nose (AND tried to act cool!). And 2) if it's a stranger, it makes me think that that person must not be too bright, the same thing you would think if you saw people playing Russian Roulette. Smart people don't point loaded guns at their heads.
In particular, I see a lot of people in their 20s lighting up. These people had access to all the current information regarding smoking when they first started, but they chose to smoke anyway. This is what I don't "get".
If anyone out there started smoking after age 21, please let us know your thoughts! I have never heard a good explanation as to why people (adults) start smoking.

Super Dave-I started smoking when I was 11. All the adults in my family were smokers, cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and I wanted to be like the rest of my family. In the 70's & early 80's there wasn't much of a non-smoking movement, and I could buy cigarettes without an ID or a note from my mother. I coughed the first time I lit up, but not the second. And I really liked the buzz they gave me. None of my friends were smokers at the time, and I feel as if I may have influenced some of them to start. I smoked for 24 years, and quit several times during that time. This March 9th will mark the 5th anniversary of me quitting cold turkey. I still get cravings, but they are not as frequent or as strong as they were for the 1st year. Quitting smoking was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. You are right when you say it is not cool to smoke; I was not trying to be cool. I agree when you say smokers smell bad. But I don't agree with the comment that all smokers are stupid just because they smoke. Einstein smoked a pipe. Tobacco is a legal drug and is more addictive than alcohol or heroin. The withdrawl symptoms are worse than someone trying to quit booze or other drugs. It's easy to make bad choices and I feel smoking is a bad choice. It hurts a lot of people. I knew it could harm me, but I didn't really care at the time. I am thankful I had a very supportive family to help me throught the rough times. I could not have done it without them.

beeferer: This is a case where it is not good enough to just SLOW DOWN.
One must STOP totally. Congrats to you, your wife and to everyone else who has quit.

Good for you!! That is not an easy habit to break!!

I'm a non-smoker, always have been. I don't understand the attraction that people have to smoking cigarettes. First of all, you don't look "cool", you just look stupid. When I see a complete stranger light up a cigarette, in my mind their IQ drops about fifty points - I just assume they can't be too bright. If I'm in a social situation and I see a woman light up, I have ZERO interest in meeting her, regardless of what she looks like or any other factor. In a restaurant, I sit as far as possible away from smokers. Sitting near smokers is like sitting too close to the bathroom - P-U! If someone could explain to me why they started smoking, I would really like to hear your explanation.

I was a social smoker in high school and college, but never smoking more than a pack in a week or two, so very minimal. I thought I was THE coolest. As an adult, I was smoking a couple cigarettes here and there, desperate for that occasional fix. When I became pregnant with my son, I realized it was time to stop. I didn't want to expose my child to that. Poisoning your child's lungs is what it is. Second hand smoke lent my grandmother emphysema - now she's on an oxygen tank! Think about your children and it's easy to quit if you want to give them AND YOURSELVES the healthiest lifestyle possible. They and you deserve it and you'll feel healthier. Now I chew gum all the time and it tastes and smells much better!

Way to go Sue!

Hello Everyone,
My wife was finally able to kick the habit before she got pregnant with our now first born beautiful baby girl, so I thought I'll share the resource that she has used to help her quit the smoking habit with as many people as I can.
She was a heavy smoker for about ten years and just a couple of weeks after finding out about the program that I have researched online, she was able to quit smoking permanently and now can't stop telling people about how she had kicked the habit for good.
Anyway if you want to check it out, here is the site that my wife has used to help her quit smoking; www.invisismoke.com

Congratulations to everyone who has quit smoking!

Quitting is easy- if you want to quit bad enough. 20+ years ago, my wife and I wanted to quit for a year before trying to have kids. When we got the overwhelming urge to have a cigarette, we just told ourselves that "If you really want to quit, this is what you have to go through. Now then, do you really want to quit this badly?" The answer was "YES, I do want to quit this badly!" We did it for our future children. It was totally worth the withdrawal symptoms to have 3 beautiful kids with a clear conscience knowing that we did what was right for the kids' health. My brother told me that the dependence on nicotine only affects you for 3 days. After that, the urges were NOT from withdrawals, but only from the habit of having something to fidget with. If you are trying to quit, then just do it. And never ever Ever have "Just one more" to see what you are missing. Then it wouldn't be quitting, just taking a break. Don't kid yourself. Just think of how badly you want to quit. The only one who can keep you from successfully quitting is YOU.

i quit smoking almost 3 years ago and i used www.quitnet.com to help. its a pretty kewl site that just keeps track of your total days smoke free...total cigs NOT smoked...money saved...and days added to life. they email me on monthly anniversaries to remind me why i chose to quit:)