Do you smoke?

So I was scrolling through The New York Times this past Friday and saw this absolutely wild headline claiming that "as many as 40 percent of American fifteen-year-olds are oral sex enthusiasts."

Richard Booth35 said:So I was scrolling through The New York Times this past Friday and saw this absolutely wild headline claiming that "as many as 40 percent of American fifteen-year-olds are oral sex enthusiasts."

No, and there isn't a single smoker in my family.👍
Whenever I travel through the US or Germany, I'm honestly shocked by how many people smoke😲 and it never seems to occur to anyone to ask, "Do you mind me polluting the air?"😕 😁

Nothing is more repulsive to me than seeing a mother with her child in a car, smoking like she's at some kind of smoking competition...😲

I smoked relentlessly from the day I started until I hit 46, at which point I finally kicked the habit just so I could "set a good example for my younger son,"
when he was only about 13... because, let's face it, I couldn't exactly lecture him about staying clean while I had a cigarette in my hand myself.

So, I've been smoke-free for 20 years now, and while my lungs have essentially reset themselves to 100% functionality... the damage to my vascular system wasn't so easy to undo. My veins narrowed and hardened, and they stayed that way.

My coronary arteries are also about 60-70% blocked, though I manage it by being extremely careful and taking a daily 100mg Aspirin to help with circulation.

Back when we were young, we didn't have half the data we have today regarding the long-term fallout, and "nowadays there are warnings everywhere and everyone is aware of the risks"...not to mention the sheer financial drain of it all.

My oldest son, who's 44 now, is still smoking despite our constant pleas for him to quit.

vilko
🙂 😉

I don’t smoke and I never have. 😉 My parents were heavy smokers right up until they hit 50. My dad actually just went through three separate bypass surgeries because his coronary arteries were basically completely blocked—doctors were pretty blunt about it being the smoking that did it. My brother has been at it for about 15 years now; he’s 33, and honestly, it doesn't look like he's planning on quitting anytime soon. 🙄 My only real grievance is that my parents used to smoke right in my face all the time—just suffocating me for years.

Seriously, don't start. There isn't a single healthy thing about it. People who smoke smell, their hands turn yellow, and their voices get all raspy—and that’s not even mentioning the massive health disasters waiting down the road. 😘

No, but honestly—the old guy is already mentally preparing—in his own way, of course—to call it quits. 🙄

Michael Garcia23 said:I don’t smoke and I never have. 😉 My parents were heavy smokers right up until they hit 50. My dad actually just went through three separate bypass surgeries because his coronary arteries were basically completely blocked—doctors were pretty blunt about it being the smoking that did it. My brother has been at it for about 15 years now; he’s 33, and honestly, it doesn't look like he's planning on quitting anytime soon. 🙄 My only real grievance is that my parents used to smoke right in my face all the time—just suffocating me for years.

Seriously, don't start. There isn't a single healthy thing about it. People who smoke smell, their hands turn yellow, and their voices get all raspy—and that’s not even mentioning the massive health disasters waiting down the road. 😘

Well, look at it this way—I'm actually grateful my old man doesn't poison us; he never smokes inside the house or in the car.

jadetiger10 said:No, and there isn't a single smoker in my family.👍
Whenever I travel through the US or Germany, I'm honestly shocked by how many people smoke😲 and it never seems to occur to anyone to ask, "Do you mind me polluting the air?"😕 😁

Nothing is more repulsive to me than seeing a mother with her child in a car, smoking like she's at some kind of smoking competition...😲

👍
It’s essentially the same thing as a child being a passive smoker. My oldest son used to babysit his own little brother in the car and out at the park for about five years, and both he and his wife were smokers, both at home and everywhere else... now the boy has asthma.

vilko

I’m definitely contributing my fair share to that 40% margin, haha (honestly, I feel like I'm fifteen again 😍).
That said, if someone actually bothered to run a study, I suspect the percentage of people smoking for over 20 years would be significantly higher 😕.
It isn't as if I have an odor problem—no one has ever been polite enough to mention it—and my hands are as clean as white linen (maybe it's because I wash them with the intensity of someone struggling with OCD, haha)...

Cheers 🙂

So here it is: 🤔 thirteen months since I finally kicked the habit. 🙂 🙂 👋 🙂 I’ve saved over a thousand bucks 🙂 and honestly, it just happened. One night, I was chain-smoking and realized I’d torched fifteen cigarettes straight. I told myself, "Alright, that's way too much, tomorrow I'm done." So there went day one. Then I figured, why not day two? And day two passed. 🤔 Once I hit forty-eight hours without a smoke, I pushed for another two. That was over a year ago.
Before this, whenever I tried to set a specific quit date, I failed every single time. My brother even bought me those nicotine gums, but man, that stuff is a drag. You chew one, wait two minutes, bite down again, wait two more... it's constant. It actually used to piss me off and make me want to light up even more.
Now? It’s like I never even touched a cigarette. Like I've never even seen one.
I feel so much better. I can sprint three hundred meters without gasping for air. Titemi doesn't bother me at all.

I don't smoke.

I think besides my husband and me, everyone else smokes... but they know the rules when I'm home. I quit once I got pregnant... and he stopped when his health started declining...

I have zero issues telling someone to stop smoking near me or my kid, especially indoors. Honestly, I’ll gladly get into an argument about it😈 , because they're going to get a piece of my mind if they don't😬 😍

northernsailor said:I’m definitely contributing my fair share to that 40% margin, haha (honestly, I feel like I'm fifteen again 😍).
That said, if someone actually bothered to run a study, I suspect the percentage of people smoking for over 20 years would be significantly higher 😕.
It isn't as if I have an odor problem—no one has ever been polite enough to mention it—and my hands are as clean as white linen (maybe it's because I wash them with the intensity of someone struggling with OCD, haha)...

Cheers 🙂

It isn't really about which generation smokes more... it's about how young kids are starting. And our numbers are pretty devastating...😎

The only real fix is licensing the places that sell cigarettes and alcohol. That gives us leverage if laws get broken. We also need much tighter inspections. That's an area where the US could definitely improve things overall.

Nah, I don't smoke... never have, and I definitely don't plan to.

Honestly, America is basically just running on smokers and heavy drinkers. Sure, it works in the short term, but it's going to cost a fortune down the road—who’s actually going to foot the bill for all those health issues?

The last time I was in Chicago, I saw a pregnant woman with a massive belly, holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. Absolutely disgusting!

I don't smoke, and nobody in my family does either.
My boyfriend is a weekend warrior when it comes to partying, and he smokes cigarettes bought right here in the States. I don't get how people claim they're only "partially" addicted; it's total nonsense.

Raymond Kelly44 said:Honestly, America is basically just running on smokers and heavy drinkers. Sure, it works in the short term, but it's going to cost a fortune down the road—who’s actually going to foot the bill for all those health issues?

The last time I was in Chicago, I saw a pregnant woman with a massive belly, holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. Absolutely disgusting!

I don't smoke, and nobody in my family does either.
My boyfriend is a weekend warrior when it comes to partying, and he smokes cigarettes bought right here in the States. I don't get how people claim they're only "partially" addicted; it's total nonsense.

There might be a different math behind it: People who smoke and drink won't live long enough to collect a pension. 😈

I don't smoke, and neither does anyone in my family.

Only sharing this with good friends. 🤣

The habit. 🤣

I smoked back in high school, but once I moved to Australia, I quit because I couldn't stand the sight of myself anymore. I just stopped—cold turkey—without any hesitation, and I haven't touched that garbage since. Growing up, everyone in my family smoked except my mom, so I was basically suffocating in smoke from day one. I can't say I ever actually enjoyed it; it was just that teenage phase where everyone smokes, so I did too, but I got hooked hard. Quitting was a struggle.

What nauseates me most about life here in America is how intolerant smokers are toward non-smokers. When I lived in Australia, I had friends who smoked, but it never even crossed their minds to light up while we were eating or—God forbid—inside my house. They’d at least ask if it bothered anyone. It’s even worse seeing parents smoking recklessly around their kids, babies, or in cars with children in the backseat... Despite all the anti-smoking propaganda out there, I think it's pure spite, rudeness, and a total lack of respect for anyone who chooses not to smoke.

Personally, I don't mind and I'm not accusing anyone. If someone wants to smoke, fine—they're just destroying themselves—but a little tolerance for others would go a long way. For instance, if a smoker has to step out onto a balcony just to have a cigarette, they act like it's some kind of humiliation. It's pathetic.

Sarah James4 said:I think besides my husband and me, everyone else smokes... but they know the rules when I'm home. I quit once I got pregnant... and he stopped when his health started declining...

I have zero issues telling someone to stop smoking near me or my kid, especially indoors. Honestly, I’ll gladly get into an argument about it😈 , because they're going to get a piece of my mind if they don't😬 😍

👍

One thing has been weighing on me lately. My partner smokes—not much, and rarely right in front of me since he knows it bothers me—but we're moving in together soon and I've already 😈 😈 made it clear there’s no smoking in the house, period. His response? "What if people come over?" Fine. I'm totally okay with no smoking inside; you go out to the balcony or the backyard. That's standard. I don't want to be the neighborhood killjoy, but honestly, the smoke is starting to choke me. What am I supposed to do here?

Looks like I might end up being the old hag with an empty house after all.😢

Nathan Kern77 said:👍

One thing has been weighing on me lately. My partner smokes—not much, and rarely right in front of me since he knows it bothers me—but we're moving in together soon and I've already 😈 😈 made it clear there’s no smoking in the house, period. His response? "What if people come over?" Fine. I'm totally okay with no smoking inside; you go out to the balcony or the backyard. That's standard. I don't want to be the neighborhood killjoy, but honestly, the smoke is starting to choke me. What am I supposed to do here?

Looks like I might end up being the old hag with an empty house after all.😢

Moving in with the wrong crowd, I see. 😁

But in all seriousness—what kind of friends are they if they find it difficult to step onto a balcony when the craving hits? Just ask them nicely. That's it.
For instance, my partner isn't a smoker, and neither am I (she's particularly sensitive to it), yet our smoking friends always respect our space when they visit. Our house isn't empty because of it.

Look, I’ve got a pretty strict policy when people come over to my place: if you smoke, you head straight for the balcony. No debate, no questions asked—everyone knows the drill and just steps outside without me even having to say anything. Honestly, it’s not even a chore because my balcony is basically a little urban garden, all lush greenery and stuff, so nobody really minds the fresh air. Even my mom follows the rules; she only smokes out there. It’s absolutely revolting when the whole apartment reeks of stale cigarettes. Plus, the maintenance is a nightmare—you practically have to repaint the walls every few months to get rid of the grime, gross...
Oh, tell me about it. Over here in the States, they’ve had smoking banned in all bars and restaurants since way back in 2008, and thank God for that!!👍

Around here, things have changed smokers have been phased out long ago👍 so there isn't really much point in reminding anyone not to smoke indoors anymore😁

I can't even imagine someone smoking right under my nose at work 😲 honestly, I feel like they'd probably end up swallowing whatever they just lit