I have been smoking since I was eleven and nothing has ever happened to me. My mother has been smoking since she was sixteen, my father since he was twelve, my grandmother since she was seventeen....nothing has ever happened to any of them either. Why do these kind of people insist on shoving these facts down my throat when I know it already and am not going to quit? I've seen the videos and the pictures, I heard the testimonies and "quitting to save my life" stories, and I'm still not going to quit. So what's the point?

My dad has been smoking since he was 17 (he's only 64 now) as well, however, he has been diagnosed with the following problems that have been directly or indirectly linked to smoking by a number of doctors that he has seen over the years: 1) Respretory problems 2) Gum disease 3) Severe tooth decay (recently had to have all teeth pulled and replaced 4) Congestive heart disease 5) Liver Problems 6) Blood disorders He's tried to quit a number of times over the years and hasn't been able to do it, but if more attention is focused on it then we (as a society) can help save some lives.

your hurting other people

Wolf, you ask "What's the point"? Well, as Bird's post states, "You're hurting other people". Very nicely put. Short, sweet and right to the point. If you're not certain just how your smoking hurts us non-smokers, just read some of the other posts, mine included. Most of us non-smokers are not going to be as lucky as you and your parents. Most of us don't have those anti-cancer genes that you apparently have. I've already gone through one bout with cancer this year. I don't want to go through another one...caused by inhaling second-hand smoke. That's the point. When I was eighteen, I was a cocky guy, filled with self-confidence. No one could tell me anything, except my parents, who I respected greatly. I did things my way. I didn't smoke, but I too, felt that if I had wanted to smoke, it was my right to do so and no one could tell me otherwise. BUT THEN, when I turned nineteen, my uncle died from lung cancer...caused by chain-smoking. It was then that I realized just how wrong I was. I realized what an offensive habit smoking really was and that it was the non-smokers who were right...not the smokers. It suddenly dawned on me that "what right did I or anyone else have to DIRECTLY, repeat DIRECTLY, affect the health of others"? When my uncle died, his brother, my father, stopped smoking cold-turkey. Dad went from 3 packs of Lucky's to none in one day. He was in his mid-30s then. After his brother's funeral, my dad never smoked again. His doctor told him that he would meet the same fate as his brother if he didn't stop smoking. Dad lived to see 86. I still have his last, open pack of Lucky Strikes. He kept it and then gave it to me as a reminder never to smoke. The 12 cigarettes in it are over 50 years old. I too, will pass them on to my grandchildren. So you see, the point is that most of us non-smokers don't have your apparent anti-cancer genes. As a result, your smoking can and indeed does, send cancer our way - not to mention all of the other health issues. So what's the point? Are you any closer to understanding what our point is?

Some are fortunate and don't suffer the effects of smoking but the ones that DO should be encouraged to quit and not criticized or maligned because they want to. I have NEVER smoked but my mom, my 1 older sister and 1 older brother ALL do and I have wanted them to quit for years. With all the stuff I read about second hand smoke and the recent announcement that even Dana Reeve got lung cancer despite the fact that she does NOT smoke--I hope they continue to shed light on this topic. I understand that nicotine is a powerful addiction and YES there are other maladies in the world that can kill you--but smoking to me hurts more than just physically. The reluctance or in some cases, refusal to quit can destroy even the most loving relationship--say between a husband or wife...or in my case, mother-child. My mother and I have done battle over this for some time and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Whenever I bring up the subject she's almost hostile! I think it's terrible that smoking can do something like that to a person--make them SO dependent that they turn on even the ones that love them. I have health issues of my own (rheumatoid arthritis and lupus)and I sometimes neglect my health as well. But I feel what she is doing to HERSELF is way more harmful than me occasionally refusing to take a treatment for my illness. I have already lost 1 older sister and my father (10 years ago) and the family circle is getting smaller. She has told me that her doctor has mentioned cutting back on her smoking and I hope she has. I think my older brother is trying to quit but it's gotten so I don't broach the subject with him. My sister's a NURSE and I think she would know better! Non-smokers aren't ALL bad and we DO understand how hard it may be to shake such a horrible thing. I hope the people in ABC's experiment continue on the new phase of their smoke-free life and realize just how much better off they are for it. And I think it should be done in way that doesn't make them feel that they are less of a person if they fail--they should be encouraged to quit not for others but for themselves.

Gov.... The list above that you posted, anyone can get those things without smoking. Whose to say if it is really caused by smoking. Your Dad may have gotten these even if he did not smoke...

...as far as the second part of your post... If you're not going to quit, fine, turn off the TV and ignore it, however, there are 50 million other smokers in the US, many of them under the age of 18, and many who might not be as familiar with the dangers. Lets give them a chance to be informed.

I AM under eighteen, and I know PLENTY of "under eighteen" kids who don't want to quit and don't feel the need to. Don't speak for people of whom you know NOTHING about.

"I AM under eighteen, and I know PLENTY of "under eighteen" kids who don't want to quit and don't feel the need to. Don't speak for people of whom you know NOTHING about." That would be because most kids under 18 don't have a clue about their own mortality. I know I didn't when I was under 18 and smoking. No one really does. Everyone always thinks it's not going to happen to them, it's going to happen to someone else. Until, of course, it does happen to them.

People I know nothing about? I teach at a high school and work with kids your age everyday. I have spoken with kids very directly about this and while it is true that I have found many who don't feel the need to quit, I have met quite a few that didn't know about the chemicals added to cigs, or about the other health effects. Have you talked to your mom about her smoking habit? Does she feel that smoking has not been a bad choice?

:)

I've never smoked nor grown up around second hand smoke. I am 41 years old and recovering from the removal of 1/2 of my right lung. My doctors say it is similar to being hit by a MACK truck in a tiny car without a seat belt on. The pain alone that I have experienced with this disease has been enough for those of my friends to do smoke to stop...instantly. I was the picture of health and had no signs or symptoms. Had I not been in an automobile accident I would have never known what was going on inside my lung. There is no family history of cancer on either side and no real "medical" reason for me getting lung cancer. My answer to "what's the point" question is because you just may lesson your chances of having to go through all of the medical procedures I've had to. Where my lung used to be continues to fill with fluid. This requires needles going into my back and a tube inserted into the pocket where the fluid is...then the suction is turned on and it drains the fluid out. I've had this done 4 times and staring at number 5. Did I mention I'm in chemotherapy too? This is another answer to the "what's the point" question. I am so blessed to have found the cancer and have it removed at Stage 1...I will live...many others will die.

Thank you - I think that says about what some of us need to hear .. 85 days quit for me and I'm thankful every day. As we say in the quit forum I am a member of "take what you need and leave the rest" ... If you don't want to quit then that is your choice ... you have a 50/50 chance of life or death. Your choice ... choose wisely.

The point is that unlike you maybe hearing the facts and seeing the faces will lead other people to quit smoking. I have one question for you not Why is this so important?, but Why are you and your family so important? To be so ignorant to the facts and yet spared the effects of this terrible disease. Also these people that you refer to shoving this stuff down your throat are usually people who have witnessed people near and very dear to their heart fight a loosing battle with this disease.

I was also an under age smoker at one time, and had the same feeling that you do about why I should bother quiting. I married a smoker and it wasn't until I got pregnant with our first child that I even considered quiting. But as soon as I found out I was expecting a baby there wasn't a question in my mind that the only thing to do was to quit. Granted, this won't apply to you as much to you if you are male, but the fact that I would be subjecting my innocent child to such damaging chemicals was just not an option to me. Another reason I decided to quit was because I don't want my kids standing over my hospital bed wondering how much longer I have to live. The potential is still there that someday I could be struck with another illness that would land me and my family in the same situation, but at least I would know that it wasn't self inflicted. I suppose my question to you would be, why not quit? People will no longer hold there breath when they walk by you or take a step back when you start talking to them (and trust me they do). I can't tell you how much better I felt once I quit smoking, I had energy and I didn't have to plan my life around my smoking hmmmm....eat or smoke? I hope you change your mind about quiting, your quality of life will greatly improve.

Hey Wolf, I'm glad that nothing has happened to you... yet. Ditto your parents. I hope that your family never has to worry about smoking's ill-effects. Yes, it's your right to keep on smoking. But please cut us non-smokers a break when you go out to a public place. Try to hold off if you can, until you get outside. You said you heard the stories and you won't quit. OK...that's certainly up to you. But I do indeed care about the studies and the facts: Cancer gets MANY more smokers than non-smokers. One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Smokers also get more heart disease, emphysema, and high blood pressure than non-smokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels. Subsequent straining of your heart and blood vessels can cause heart attacks and stroke. It slows your blood flow, cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers actually end up having their limbs amputated. Men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers. Smoking causes around one in five deaths from heart disease. In younger people, three out of four deaths from heart disease are due to smoking. Here's an interesting point, borrowed from the ABC website: According to Reuters, the poorer mental function seen among alcoholics, many of whom also regularly smoke cigarettes, may be partially due to the long-term effects of nicotine, new research suggests. "People who are also smokers are at a much higher risk," Dr. Jennifer M. Glass, of the University of Michigan's Addiction Research Center, told Reuters Health. In her study, "cigarette smoking was negatively related to IQ and thinking," she said. Goodness! So, smoking not only causes severe health issues, but may also reduce IQ! An examination of a small number of posts from smokers on the ABC "Quit to Live" website seems to bear this out. One individual in particular apparently believes that all of the facts which support the evils of smoking are made up by the government and by the medical profession. She appears to feel that we are all being brainwashed into thinking that smoking causes health problems. By the way, she is a smoker. Obviously, this is proof that smoking does indeed, reduce IQ.

Wolfe... I have to agree with you on this. I think it depends on our makeup. We are NOT all the same. Some people would have probably gotten cancer and such even if they did not smoke. I've also known a lot of people that have smoked all their lives, and live to be in their 70's and 80's. JUST because a person smokes does not mean they are going to die of some smoking related health problem...Thank you for your post. :)

Look if you dont want to quit that is fine, but when you get to the point that you cant breathe, your chest, head and whole body hurts or you get heart disease then remember we tried to tell you to quit while at an early age!!!!!!! Trust us, we have all been there at your age thinking that it wont happen to us. IT does and will.