Cigerettes: Any safe dose?

[Dynamic_Coins]

A theme here on BL has always been opinions on the amount of dosage leaway individual recreational drugs allow for. Talk of one mdma trip a month being the best compromise for the brain, how smoking crystal shouldn't be done regularly b/c it is supa addictive & fucks your teeth and just about everything else, umm, even how heroin isn't some evil poison sythned in the depths of hell, but rather is a very potent and fun way to waste time that can be used on a semi-regular basis safely and with less risks than most more commonly used drugs.
Now we come to my query, what about smokes? I'm not going to bother regurgitating the harmful side affects of smoking. But all the information governments and the like tend to provide is very vague, almost as if anti-smoking advertising is done by the same ppl responsible for the "this egg in a frying pan is like your brain on all drugs" spots. So yeah, can nicotine be fit into one's lifestyle in any sort of responsible & relitively harmless way? Especially for a set period of time? (does it help to say "i'm going to quit on said date?" To make the question a bit simpler, lets assume said person has a hellova lot of self disipline, and can deal somewhat well with cravings. Any takers?
And fyi, yes this is obviously a personal issue i'm struggling with, but I basically don't smoke, or if I do, I'm just starting...

 

[housefreeeek]

Don't start smoking...it's evil.
Basically how it works is that once you get an addiction to nicotine, your body finds a level at which the drug sits best, and you smoke to keep that level up. Some people smoke more than others because their nicotine level decreases faster that others. That's why people usually smoke roughly the same amount of cigarettes each day (unless their mixing with other drugs which makes you smoke more as nicotine prolongs the effect of these other substances).
I've been smoking for a while now and it's a really battle to give up the habit. The nicotine isn't the problem really, it's the other crap they put in cigarettes which are doing the most damage.
If you do start smoking then it is really hard to get rid of the psychological addiction i find. Smoking with coffee, after a meal, in clubs, bars, late at night with friends. I find it hard to do things like these without feeling like i want a cigarette in my hand.
Don't do it if you can...there are no beneficial effects from becoming a smoker. (please someone, correct me if i'm wrong).
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- "God made me Funky!"

 

[Dynamic_Coins]

I should definately have addressed you the last thing in my original post. I mean, thats the statement everybody makes, 'theres NO point'. But I find that extremely hard to believe. Its a drug like any other, no? The substances people consistantly choose to put in thselves really tend not to be arbitrary. Rather, ppl do drugs for fairly specific pharmacological (trying to say effects on their body) reasons. Caffeine addiction, well duh, you might want more after you have some, but I hardly think thats why ppl have coffee in the morning. They get a buzz. A major question I've been going over is what are the advantages to smoking? And with my experiementation, not to mention common sense, have concluded there definately are some, they're just more difficult to explain than some other drugs ie they don't alter your mood in a huge way, they don't make you think waaay faster, but perhaps they do all this and more with a subtler manner?
fyi, I honestly do appreciate your 'dont start smoking' centiment. But at the same time, I kinda see through it, and knew it was coming from a mile away. I created this thread because I'm looking for reltively solid info, not unreferenced feelings. But if it makes you feel any better, i'm totally leaning towards not smoking at all, I'm just curious, and want to make a smart decision.

 

[NiQu3LorD]

Dynamic.
It's a bit pointless asking this since you've just started smoking. Because when you start it isn't pointless, it's a fun drug - the mad headspins, the novelty of it.
But after a while all the positive effects cease, it'll last perhaps 6 monthes if you go easy, and after a yr you'll get no joy out of them at all.
In order to quit your hunch is correct - communication with yourself is the best way, tell yourself I'm quitting this Tuesday, tell the people around you your quiting this Tuesday also, be excited about it, you'll be waking up on Tuesday free of having to have a smoke. Don't try quit without planning a specific day though, it'll fail.
You can fit more into the day when your a non smoker, and more efficiently.
So keep smoking your smokes till your getting nothing out of them, then be fearless of planning a quit day, where it all ends - it isn't hard.

 

[twiddlebug]

i apologise in advance for more unreferenced feelings... ;-)
but, i think the replys above are correct... initially, there is a reason to smoke, you do get a slight buzz, it's really mild but it just feels nice.
however, it IS physically addictive, and your body will get used to a particular level of nicotine. eventually, a cigarette gives you no enhanced feelings at all, it simply maintains the 'status quo' so to speak.
i find the cravings when i can't smoke for a while (eg on an airplane) are not too bad, but only because i know i'll be having a smoke when i get off... it's not a huge craving like rolling around ont he floor in agony... but you simply NEED a smoke. and that's not very nice.
i am in a slightly similar situation to you, i already smoke, and i don't really want to quit, i enjoy the nice effects, but i want to cut down (i was on about 15 a day, just switched to rolling tobacco to try to smoke less) for health reasons (and expense). but, trust me, it's hard. really hard.
i'm not gonna say don't smoke, i don't want to preach, but, go careful, it's very, very difficult to keep to a dose that is less than your body decides it's wants after time.
good luck
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*twiddle*bug*
"work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching"

 

[DrEIMiller]

I'm sort of still a smoker and I'm not sure exactly why. I used to smoke about a pack a day for 5 years then I met my current girlfriend and she doesnt like smoking and thats fine and probably good for me in fact. So I spend all weekend with her and I don't smoke at all and oddly enough, I rarely get any cravings. Then stupidly enough when I get home for my work week I smoke, but only about half a pack a day. It's very weird and I'm not sure what the psychological or physiological reasons are for me not feeling any withdrawals over the weekends.
Enough of my rant.
I don't think one of the original questions has been answered which I'm curious about myself. Is there any amount of smoking you can do that will probably not be harmful to you? A pack a day is established that you have a good chance of dying from cigarette related complications downt the road; but what about a half a pack? 5 cigarettes a day? Or will nearly any amount of daily smoking cause complications down the road?
Any thoughts?

 

[Dr. Quack]

What do you mean by "safe"? Like ...... you won't get cancer? Or you won't damage your heart and lungs?
Cigarettes out sell any other drug, and out price almost all others in prisons now. (you can’t smoke in most state pens anymore ) Addiction must be a factor if you want to assess safety, the two are one, that’s why they kill….but lets set that aside…
Sure if a person could smoke a cig a month, they would not likely have the problems associated with smoking, more than say a person who lives with pollution. But cancers, heart conditions, and many diseases associated with smoking have dynamic causes that relate to environment, genetics and behavior. It would be hard to ever assess a “safe” level because with out knowing all the factors that go into a persons overall heath you can't determine the probability that they will get sick. They know what happens to most people who smoke a certain amount of tobacco over a certain amount of time on the average, but there are always those old boots who smoke ‘til they are 101. There are also those who smoke until they are 26 and get cancer. So you role the dice...... I wonder if the 400,000 is really true though, based on what I said above, I wonder how they know for sure they are all related to smoking. Not to say it isn’t a hell of a lot, smoking is bad news……mmmmmm… but they are tosted……..
How many “drunk driving” accidents are there caused by the sober person in the other car? Does MADD note this is the stats?…goodness no! …..

 

[bliss99e]

yo - dont fucking smoke. it sucks. i smoke, i have for 3 years, ive "quit" twice but always get pulled back in. nicotine is i think the second most addictive drug on the planet, i think barbiturates are first. yeah, its a drug, but think - would you do a drug that only lasts for a minute? and then it MAKES you have more at time intervals - but those other ones dont give you any sort of feeling except - ok now im back to normal. i look at drugs this way: you are at baseline, you take a drug, it lifts you up. then you come down. with nicotine, it lifts you up, but for a VERY short duration, and once youre back at baseline, its almost as if the longer you dont have one, you are pulled BELOW baseline, (a nic-fit) and then when you have one all it does is restore you to baseline. why would you want a drug like that? its the worst drug ever. i cant deny that i do enjoy the first cig of the day, or a cig when im stressin, or when im fucked up on something else. but in the long run, it is so not worth it - when youre going thru nicotine withdrawal you become a different person. you have no attention span, youre an asshole to everyone...the only thing on your mind is a pull of a fucking cigarette. do you want to be like this? does anyone? do i? no. so dont smoke if you havent started because the bad effects are a lot more than the good ones. I thought all the anti smoking people were full of shit too, but theyre really not, they just have the wrong approach.
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"Fuck World War Two, I am an Elephant!"
-Albert Hofmann, 1943.

 

[fairnymph]

EVERYTIME you smoke a cigarette (or are even in the presence of second hand smoke), you blacken your lungs irreversibly. Ask any med student or docter who has dissected cadavers and they will describe for you the lovely lungs of smokers...even mere "social" smokers.

 

[Ochlocrat]

I can't really confirm this, provide a citation, or anything, but I seem to recall that under ten cigarettes a day isn't particularly harmful.
A good point to make would be that since most tobacco associated risks return to that of a non-smoker after a given amount of time and most of the potential problems associated with smoking almost NEVER strike young people probably means that you don't have to quit until your late twenties or early thirties.

 

[AbraMontague]

"EVERYTIME you smoke a cigarette (or are even in the presence of second hand smoke), you blacken your lungs irreversibly."
This also applies to pot smoke but pot isn't as hazardous to your health as tobacco. It just doesn't seem like a factor that is going to permamently hurt you with short term or maybe even moderate use.

 

[Shuddr2Think]

^
^
^
but isn't smoking one joint like smoking 3 ciggarettes? as far as tar levels/toxins and such? or is that just D.A.R.E propaganda?

 

[*chaoscat*]

Marijuana does have more tar than cigarettes, but less other chemicals and carcinogens (sp?). People usually don't smoke as much weed as they do cigarettes, so that subject is debatable.
I used to smoke about 3-6 cigarettes a day and I did notice negative effects. If you get sick, it is always MUCH worse and hangs around a lot longer than if you don't smoke.
Of all the drugs I've tried, cigarettes do have that horrible addictive quality. I don't want to be controlled by any substance, so if you can help it, don't try to smoke!
I do smoke if I am on other drugs like mdma or speed, but that is about 6 times a year, so it doesn't feel often enough to get addicted again. I think when you are talking about bad effects from smoking, addiction is one of the worst aspects. To me I think that if you even smoke 1-2 cigarettes a day regularly this is enough to get you addicted. You'll notice because you get that craving for them (which only gets worse the longer you smoke). When I have a half a pack over one night, but only once every 2-3 months, I have no craving for them any other time.
Also, if you care about the way you look, don't smoke! My mother smoked and she was very wrinkly (I thought it was just 'coz she was old), but when she stopped smoking, 90% of her wrinkles disappeared! I thought it was unbelievable, and now totally think that cigarettes age you. Non-smokers almost always look healthier younger and fitter than smokers...
Have you seen those people with trechiotomies (SP?)? They aren't all as cool as ned from southpark

 

[zetaduke]

Wow! This is a great thread!!
I have been a regular smoker for about 5 years...I have smoked about a pack to a pack and a half daily for most of that time. You really do get addicted quickly, and it's not fun after a while(mostly). I still enjoy my smokes in some ways, but it mostly just makes me feel gross and dirty, and smelly, and it makes my mouth feel nasty, and I don't get a whole lot from ciggs these days, it just keeps me normal....I could go on and on, but what it boils down to, is DON"T START SMOKIN CIGGARETTES!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!
now if you'll excuse me........I need a ciggarette

 

[fairnymph]

Pot vs. Tobacco: Well, most joints aren't filtered the way most cigarettes are, so that makes them more tar-heavy, as someone mentioned. But they don't (usually) put all those additives and chemicals and shit in pot that they do in tobacco. And nicotine is more addictive than THC.
Pot smoked out of a bong is much better for you than cigarettes, however.

 

[AbraMontague]

I was just pointing out that tar on your lungs, while not good, is not a particularly good indication of how much damage you are doing to yourself. Because cigarette smokers who quit for 15 years will be back to baseline risk for most serious ailments that come from smoking, but they will always have tar on their lungs. And I am sure you could smoke a pound of weed one year and never smoke again and your lungs would be chargrilled with tar but chances are nothing ill would ever come of it after quitting.

 

[PhreeX]

You can't forget the coolness factor - sorry, a 14 y/o that smokes looks cooler then any of his non-smoking peers... this comming from a 22 y/o that was DAMN impressed when I asked a 14 y/o if I could have a smoke, to which he smoothly pulled out his pack and gave me one - sorry, that was fucking cool, no other way around it!
I only smoke for social reasons... I used to smoke a few times a day at work, but since I quit that job, I have not smoked for several weeks ... of course even when I worked I nefver smoked OUTSIDE of working hours - why? I wasn't addicited, I only smoked because it was a great way to pass time at work...
Of course if I go to a club or party I smoke - again, given that there is really NOTHING to do at a night club, smoking is an effective way to pass time... I always carry a lighter with me, because if I ever see a girl with an un-lit cig, well, *BAM* instant conversation! And of course I make it a point to find attractive girls for which I cabn ASK for a light - ANOTHER way to start conversation... TIP - when at a club, ALWAYS have a lit smoke in your hand, this way, you will be setting yourself up for girls to come ask you if they can "bum a smoke" (if guys ask, say it's your last one) ... you give them the smoke, get their number, and I think they will sometimes give you a blow job too...
I would say I smoke maybe a pack a month, often going a full week between smokes... cravings have never been an issue, and I always get one helluva buzz from that first cigerette ...
As for all the diatribe about how smokers live shorter lives and all that - fuck it, I know tons of old people that have smoked all their life.. if you lose a few years - so fucking what? Those last few years you're reverted back to a drooling, self-deficating piece of fruit - why even bother living a "reduced" live now to earn those few extra years?
So a "safe dose" - I dunna, not many, probably just a smoke here and there... say, maybe, a carton a year - and if you give into "cravings" you will get addicited, then you're fucked, because it's no fun once you're hooked!
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"I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them. I don't care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them do. The important question is: 'What are they in a position to do about it?'" (William S. Burroughs)

 

[TheTruth]

That's called manwho reasoning.

 

[Lauren9663]

I've been a heavy smoker (1 to 2 packs a day) for the past 5 years at least. I can tell you, it's not worth your time. First, a pack a day, probably 4-5 packs per weekend, that's a cool $30 a week, $120/month. I no longer get the cool nicotene high I did when I was 14. Instead, I'm 21 y/o, I wake myself up coughing in the morning, I never have any cash, I can't walk up a staircase without weezing and I always reek of smoke. Smoking a few a day won't kill you at first, but I defy you to find somone who has managed to keep the habit to a few a day for a long period of time. It gets to where you buy a pack to go out one night, then you still have that pack the next morning, pretty soon you end up smoking all the time. It's the habit that gets you as badly as any of the chemicals. Once you have smoked for awhile, it just doesn't feel right to have a beer or be rolling and not have a cigarette in your hand.
My advice is this: if you want to quit smoking, do it first. Give up cigarettes before you quit alcohol, weed or anything else. Keep on drinking and smoking out, but if you end up with cigarettes as your last vice, you will be a smoker forever.

 

[moonshadow]

I notice all these posts from cigarette smokers, and most people I have ever talked to said they don't get much of a buzz off a cigarette. So if it just going to be occasional, why not smoke a clove? They actually do give a buzz, and they taste good too. And the nice thing is, if you start to smoke enough to get addicted, you start coughing up blood. That is a pretty sure sign that you are having too many.
Now, if cloves are in some way frowned upon, please tell me. Perhaps I have committed a faux pas by mentioning them, they may be only for the smoker-lite and are thus frowned upon. I just thought of this possiblity. If it is so, will somebody inform me?
By the way, I believe this is my first post as a bluelighter. Just thought I'd add considering l
\l/
[This message has been edited by moonshadow (edited 08 October 2001).]