What our your thoughts on smoking

[Willa]

I smoked for 3 years back in the 60s.  Now they blame that for causing my chronic bronchitis (COPD).  That means coughing so hard my head aches and I break out around my eyes with small red spots where the blood vessels have broken.   When the air outside is not as good I wear a mask with HEPA filters  p100.  If I get a cold it means being confined to the hospital.   Not fun.  My recommendation is to quit at all costs and as soon as possible.

[LuftWaffle]

8 hours ago, Sinbad said:

I'm a smoker myself however I have been trying to cut down its costly and obviously not good for my health are there any other smokers here? 

As an ex-smoker I have obviously earned the right to be totally smug and waive a finger at you from a very high horse  
Just kidding!

I don't think smoking is a sin. There's nothing morally wrong with smoking cigarettes, or cigars or whatever. The problem is that it's foolish on many levels.

As Christians we play a long term game. We are called to deny the cheap, fleeting instant gratification for the long term goal. Smoking does the exact opposite:

1. You sacrifice long term health to appease a short term pleasure, which isn't all that pleasurable to begin with. Lets face it, most smokes you don't even enjoy, you just smoke them out of habit and impulse. Maybe the first morning smoke with coffee is a delight, and maybe settling down with your guitar and a beer at the end of a long day, but the other 18 or 19 you smoke per day aren't a delight at all. Just a need that needs to be satisfied. In exchange for one or two pleasurable smokes per day you're doing severe damage to your lungs, narrowing your arteries and shortening your life. 

2. You're spending a lot of money on cigarettes, which if you invested that money at compound interest, especially with the stock market doing well, you'd end up with something useful one day. Cigarattes have a terrible return on investment, because you're literally burning money, but worse because if you just burnt money it wouldn't damage your health as well. And as I showed in point 1, you don't even enjoy most smokes.

3. The brain works like a muscle, i.e. it can be trained. If you give in to a bad temptation, like smoking, your brain becomes trained at giving in to temptation. Instead of fighting you teach yourself to give up and think about how you "deserve" that smoke, or how you're stressed at it'll ease the stress, or whatever. You're actually training weakness into your will.

4. Smoking makes you smell horrible to non-smokers. This means that unbeknownst to you, people, employers, potential partners, etc. have an instant bad impression about you, because of it. And eating mints doesn't help.

Hope that helps

Edited September 29, 2017 by LuftWaffle

[Guest Wanda01]

I cannot and will not judge. Is it bad for your health? Yes. I watch my husband struggle to breathe, sometimes when it is so bad, after taking only a few steps, before he needs to stop and catch his breath. He smoked for 37 years, has been quit for almost 7, and was diagnosed with severe COPD, only 2 years ago. His breathing got so bad, he had to retire on his 62 birthday, as his job could not accommodate his disability. When cold and flu season rolls around, he catches anything and it's a trip (or multiple trips) to the emergency room, followed by weeks of antibiotics, steroids, and breathing treatments. He's told he will be on oxygen soon. 

My hope for anyone who smokes is that they are able to quit, and be in good health.

But I will not point a judgmental finger.

[4LdKHVCzRDj2]

13 hours ago, Sinbad said:

What our your thoughts on smoking

Dead work. It is one of the useless desires of flesh which produces nothing good or desirable.

It damages our health, it damages our finances, it tries to slave us in the desire, it makes us feel to smoke and if you don't you get desperate.

Smoking is not good. And Jesus can set you free from smoking.

[other one]

10 hours ago, missmuffet said:

Coffee breath is bad as well

[missmuffet]

48 minutes ago, Davida said:

Ex- smoker here, and I will tell you quitting was the very hardest thing I have ever done & it took every ounce of willpower.  Something to consider, though caffeine is a drug it is nothing comparable to nicotine addiction.  What sets smoking apart also is  it is extremely hazardous to your health-so if we are a temple of the Holy Spirit....? An addiction like that makes you a slave. Bottom line is you won't be successful unless YOU give yourself good reasons to quit because if you are addicted as badly as I was it will test your metal-but after you have succeeded -- FREEDOM!

It is very, very hard to quit. A person can always pray for strength to quit smoking. I have been doing that for years. I have known people that have quit for 10 and 20 years and some huge stress comes along and they start smoking again. A drug is a drug. Alcohol, caffeine and nicotine are all the same.A drug.Except alcohol can alert the judgment in the brain. They can get into their car after a couple of drinks and wipe out a whole family.  Even been to Starbucks at 6 AM? Pretty scary. How can it test your metal?

[Sinbad]

Thank you all for your kind words and support this is something I will need to give up I know it's mind over matter I'm so glad I came across this wonderful group I'm the prodigal son trying to find my way home ? 

[missmuffet]

2 minutes ago, Davida said:

Then they never actually had freedom from cigarettes.  I had a friend who made a hobby of quitting every few yrs  - that was never freedom either. Intention is everything, if you tell yourself that you will permit it under some extreme stress then you will-Or you say I will break these chains completely and there is Never going back. It is possible and do-able if you set your mind to it and do not go back on your word.

A person can quit drinking coffee(I stopped all caffeine), quit drinking alcohol( I do not drink and have not for years) beverages and quit smoking. I would recommend it.

[missmuffet]

44 minutes ago, Davida said:

Giving up alcohol( unless you are an out of control alcoholic )  & caffeine are a walk in the park compared to quitting cigarettes.  

 

Even seen someone who has gone off caffeine cold turkey? It is not pretty. Horrible headaches and other symptoms. And no a person does not have to be an out of control alcoholic to show signs of DT's. If a person  chooses they may ask their doctor for a patch to stop smoking. But DO NOT wear the patch while you are sleeping or smoking.

[missmuffet]

3 minutes ago, Davida said:

Of course it is far worse and far harder.  

Stop smoking has been compared to and has been known to be worse than quitting a heroine addiction.