I ‘stopped’ smoking some years ago. I still crave and smoke cigarettes when I drink, and get drunk, but as I get older I drink less and less.

Last night I had 1 cigarette, the first since Boxing day. I doubt I’ll have another for 2 or 3 months. So what harm does that cigarette do to me? is it any worse than my daily 10 mile commute, about half of which is in traffic?

I’m in the same boat. Once in a blue moon I’ll buy 10 fags and smoke them over 2 days, riding that week will be a killer and I’m out of breath on the gentlest slopes. Thing is there’s a lad in our club who’s first up every climb and smokes roll ups. When the rest of us get to the top he’s either got one on or is rolling one.

5 minutes off your life isn’t it?
or at least that’s what we were told in school 20 years ago.
I guess the main harm is that it’s one step closer to taking up smoking again… hmmm 😐

brakes, I will definitely never smoke sober again. I haven’t in 10 years or so. If it is “5 minutes off your life” then what harm does riding in traffic do, with the carbon monoxide from engines?

certainly less than smoking unless you suck on the exhaust ppes whilst riding. Think how conncentrated the smoke is from a fag.
No one knows as you cant doa controllled study re commuting due to all the variables. we do kindly tend to have exhausts on our and pedestrian side though which is annoying

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12193602

I haven’t smoked for a month or so now. Don’t miss it, and unless I’m thinking about it, don’t seem to crave it either. Wanted one a few nights ago after supper. Was only a light smoker though, maybe 5 a day something like that.

funny ones don’t count, right? 😉

That right they dont count, provided theres no tobacco in there 😀

anjs – Member
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12193602

That’s the report I remember as well.

Personally speaking I know that if I had a few it could well re-ignite the addiction within me.

Just gotta fight it man!! it gets easier. I used to be a social smoker it took ages to crack stopping altogether.

jazz woodbines are worse because you draw that sweet smoke deep into your hooverbags

I smoke cigars. They’re marvellous. 😉

if you like mouth cancer

if you like mouth cancer

Depends how much you smoke of course. Drinking can give you throat cancer, but it’s not guaranteed. I’ll have a big fat Cuban cigar on my birthday with a nice single malt or brandy. I doubt it does any harm.

Depends how much you smoke of course.

Indeed. I reckon with one or two a month at most, I’ll take my chances.

So if I smoke about 30 B&H a day I’m pretty much as good as dead right?

🙁

I was searching for vintage smoking ads when I came across this. I can’t believe that even cyclists used to smoke back then. I showed this to my dad, and it got him teary-eyed. He was a cyclist before, but he stopped because his cigarette addiction damaged his lungs. He’s now using a vaporizer to make up for his habit. For me, the best part about it is that I already know what to give him for Christmas: vaporizer parts! Ha ha!

As far as lung damage is concerned, I really can’t see the odd one doing that much damage in the grand scheme of things. I think the health nazi’s who constantly whine and moan about passive smoking when you come within 6ft of someone smoking outdoors need to get a sense of perspective and shut their pathetic bleating. Oops. I appear to be going off on one 🙂

Anyway… I’m planning another assault on my habit now the suns out, so more opportunity to ride, and everything’s generally a bit less depressing.

I sometimes feel bad about my on/off smoking habit.

I get through between 5 and 1o per day now, but I was just sat out on the patio with a cup of tea and a plate of Boasters, smoking away in the sunlight and everything seemed great!

If the odd one stops you from going back fulltime to smoking then I say don’t worry about it too much.

On a general note- Cigarettes are utterly evil. ‘Passive’ deaths also involve house fires and longterm damage to children of smokers (who smoke in the home). Not forgetting the fact that one day you’ll be told that your time has come prematurely and your loved ones will have to see you suffer and degenerate infront of their eyes whilst only in your 50’s.

I think the health nazi’s who constantly whine and moan about passive smoking when you come within 6ft of someone smoking outdoors

It’s not for health reasons. It’s because it f’in stinks and is f’in disgusting. I do not want a lungful of your toxic stinking second hand crud please thx.

Vancouver must be a good place to quit…

People would burst into fits of exaggerated coughing as they walked past ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!

Still, I never smoke near children and never in the house/car either.

Even as a smoker I hate it when you find huddles of smokers directly outside the door to a building, be it a pub, restaurant, office etc
I’m always worried that I’ll get a cigarette burn in my clothes.

Smoking is cool. fact.

Drinking is cool as long as it doesn’t dictate when and how frequent you use it…

So alcoholism is bad as its an addiction.

Why do smokers think their addiction is not as sad as alcoholism?

OP

you have probably done yourself more harm by worrying about the level of harm you have caused yourself by smoking one cigarette in three months

one lightweight fag might equal your 10 mile commute, if you are in traffic, stuck behind a bus etc, or it may equal all the fumes from your commutes over the last three months…

but you could be under that bus tomorrow – smoke if you wanna.

People would burst into fits of exaggerated coughing as they walked past ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!

Just because your senses are knackered from constant burning smoke doesn’t mean everyone else’s are.

Many smokers are amazed at how us non smokers can detect fags from a distance. It’s not amazing, it’s normal. That stuff IS very disgusting!

Hora – because they look cool.

I can’t believe that even cyclists used to smoke back then.

Back in the early days of the tour, riders would stop at the bottom of a climb for a cigarette to open up their lungs.

Cigarettes being bad for you is a relatively recent phenomenon. For a long time their health benefits were touted, they were recommended as an expectorant.

Even now there are some who try to claim that there is no causal link between smoking and cancer. Problem being that it is difficult to do a real RCT on it.

Hmmmmmmmmm sexy

my misspent teenage years mean that living long enuff to die of lung cancer wont be a problem, lol 🙂

Yeah Hora! This is what my average evenings smoking consists of. You’ll never be faced with life or death decisions like this because you’re a wuss who doesn’t smoke

National No Smoking Day… tomorrow.

And this one is particularly relevant. You, you sad bastard are going to be filling in your census returns in your little non-smoking way. A sad chewed little bic biro wondering if you can put Bingo down as a Jedi

But NO, not for us smokers. This is what my evening will consist of sucker!!!

What’s in a cigarette? Various chemicals that are also used for:

Paint Stripper
Floor Cleaner
Poison in gas chambers
Mothballs
Insecticide, weed killer
Car batteries
Poisonous gas in car exhaust
Makes PVC
White ant poison
Lighter fuel
Insecticide
Petrol fumes
Embalming fluid
Radioactive gas

Long term effects:

 Stroke
 Heart disease
 Chronic bronchitis
 Emphysema
 Lung cancer
 Mouth and throat cancer
 Stomach ulcers
 Bladder cancer
 Premature ageing of the skin
 Infertility
 Peripheral vascular disease in
arms and legs (can lead to
amputation)
 Poor circulation
 Damage to foetus in pregnant
women
 Sudden

The thing is with the 5 minutes malarky is it will likely be spent in a retirement home or senile… which is not much of an incentive to give up 👿

Many smokers are amazed at how us non smokers can detect fags from a distance.

Hmm not me – when I try giving up I can detect a ciggie at about 15 miles!

those women will be old and minging by now!

The thing is with the 5 minutes malarky is it will likely be spent in a retirement home or senile… which is not much of an incentive to give up

The first steps are slowly, breathing difficulties that you wont pick up on as its a very slow decline.

Another side effect of smoking is you’ll at least get a mobility-funded car in your 50’s binners.

Then there are issues; circulation, heart, blood. It could be that a particular smoker declines (their quality of life) over two decades say.

For some it could be a relatively swift decline. From a cough that wont go away to all the plans that you had now cancelled. Seeing your children flourish, never seeing your Grandchildren grow up.

All this but in a really painful and demeaning way.

We can’t chose exactly how we die but by God we know that large corporations who have no interest in our life or our childrens lives want us to suffer a slow death to pay them money.

Why put cigarettes at eye level neon-lit just above the sweets?

+1 Hora!

Aaaaahh. I’ve been taking the wrong approach. Hora let me tempt you with something i know will get your attention

Look. A bloke in leather chaps 😉

I too used to think non-smokers were ‘gay’ and uncool. I grew up. I started to hate it, hate myself for liking it as I realised I was a user and an addict.

I am part Jewish and I don’t like the Nazi-comments either.

Did the Tobacco companies create this title? Ironic that companies that actively peddle a product that creates new customers from children to replace those that are killed by its product, all inhaled death..