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I've been a social and occasional smoker of cigarettes and other things for the last 2-3 years, never really becoming dependent on anything to the point of getting cravings. Lately however, due to increasing personal stress levels I find myself craving smoking; sometimes I really want the relief from a hit or a cigarette. However, being health conscious I read as much information as I could regarding smoking, and although I currently smoke relatively very little (last pack almost lasted 2 months), the craving is there and I don't want to head down that path.
On the flip side, I also don't want to stop smoking completely. I fully realize the risks having read dozens of articles on smoking and seen hundreds of shocking pictures of lung diseases, but I'm also a believer of the saying, "I'm here for a good time, not a long time" which is why I would like to smoke sustainably.
If you aren't familiar with the mechanism in which smoking eventually kills you, look here for a quick read:
http://forum3.aimoo.com/AskJoel/Possible-Physical-Changes/Coughing-more-after-quitting-smoking-1-73191.html
Basically, the conclusion is that smoking will eventually kill you, but as long as you stop in time your body has the ability to repair itself; even if the abnormal amounts of precancerous basal cells are present in the lungs and the cilia cells are totally destroyed, your lungs will eventually start to regenerate as long as a certain point of no return is not reached.
This leads to me ponder: if the lungs can start to regenerate (cilia cells start recovering days after smoking cessation) even after decades of heavy daily smoking, then can infrequent (albeit regular) smoking be sustainable? I believe the answer to be a firm YES, as smoking 1 cigarette per year will most likely have negligible effects on one's health however the question still remains: how frequently can one smoke without significantly raising the risks of developing health problems related to chronic smoking? Of course, even ex-smokers clean for 5 years still have elevated risks of lung cancer and other diseases (most risks are reduced to near pre-smoking levels only after 10-15+ years), I'm merely questioning how much smoking can the average set of lungs tolerate In terms of keeping abnormal basal cell growth in control, keeping your cilia cells relatively intact so they can remove carbon deposits and toxins from your lungs, etc.? Please keep in mind that this is strictly limited to lung diseases; smoking related kidney, heart, etc. diseases are not as significant and introduce too many factors to consider. Therefore I'll ask the question a different way; how often can one smoke for 20+ years while not destined of having lungs looking like this?
![[image loading]](http://sdfs.ucps.k12.nc.us/images/Smokers%20Lung.JPG)
Search engines are of no help; in fact I found not a single link on this concept, which is why I am turning to TL.
We have to start somewhere: from personal experiences, I know someone who has smoked on average half a pack (~10) cigarettes daily for 30+ years suffering from emphysema, with his lungs beyond salvation and his life expectancy at only ~5 more years even if he quits cold turkey. So ~10 cigarettes / day is not sustainable, and although I can't back this claim with anything else other than my own anecdotal knowledge, I don't even think that smoking ONE cigarette per day is sustainable over long periods of time because I personally find myself coughing more and having mucous problems smoking about 1 cigarette / day for ~5 months last year.
Anyone else with experiences/knowledge/an opinion regarding this? Thanks in advance.
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Depends on genetics and other factors of general health (fitness, sleep, nutrition,etc)
Just don't do it.
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How about your teeth looking like shit?
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On March 03 2012 10:24 eshlow wrote:
Depends on genetics and other factors of general health (fitness, sleep, nutrition,etc)
Just don't do it.
That's obviously the most sensible thing to do, but I, along with millions of others, choose to sacrifice just a bit (for me anyway) of health for some sanity. If I can smoke even just 1 cig. or the equivalent of it every week without significantly compromising my health, then I want to do it. Just trying to find the average here so I can have the peace of mind.
On March 03 2012 11:14 GoTuNk! wrote:
How about your teeth looking like shit? 1
You obviously didn't read the OP, that's the least of the concern here as it's even preventable for 2-pack-a-day smokers.
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I enjoy smoking too, it would be interesting thing to know if can be "sustainable". I'd say I smoke around 6-10 cigs a year, and every single one of them is very pleasant.
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i find this thread amusing since it is in the health and fitness group. dont they say that each cigarette reduces your lifespan by like 20 minutes or something like that? not sure how that can be sustainable.
edit: 11 according to this article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/583722.stm
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On March 03 2012 18:29 dAPhREAk wrote:
i find this thread amusing since it is in the health and fitness group. dont they say that each cigarette reduces your lifespan by like 20 minutes or something like that?
Sure, on average; the difference between life expectancies divided by average number of sigarettes smoked is 11 minutes. It's never mentioned that this would be the same for heavy, long-time smokers or casual smokers.
I don't know of any research on the subject but I would be interested to know the answer as well
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This question is actually not so uncommon.
But it seems that there is no real data for less than one a day smokers.
I would imagine that second hand smoke, pollution, lifestile, etc. would influence the results far to much.
But remember a quote from a doctor Bach I found(although he was not specifically talking about very light smokers):
"There is no safe level of exposure to the carcinogens in tobacco smoke, [...]Quitting is absolutely the No. 1 thing an individual can do to reduce their risk of ever developing cancer."
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On March 03 2012 21:43 Garbels wrote:
This question is actually not so uncommon.
But it seems that there is no real data for less than one a day smokers.
I would imagine that second hand smoke, pollution, lifestile, etc. would influence the results far to much.
But remember a quote from a doctor Bach I found(although he was not specifically talking about very light smokers):
"There is no safe level of exposure to the carcinogens in tobacco smoke, [...]Quitting is absolutely the No. 1 thing an individual can do to reduce their risk of ever developing cancer."
Yah I give up trying to find articles and research on this subject; after a 3 day search even checking out my university's library network I still found absolutely nothing.
Looks like I'll stick to 2-3 ciggs per week for a few months supplemented by a good diet and exercise, I'll let TL know how things turn out.
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I find myself kind of in the same position except i have no cravings whatsoever, I smoke like 2 packs a months or something, mostly on the weekends. I like smoking and I dont see myself quitting (obviously I wont/dont smoke if im sick) because I like it and I believe it can be done responsibly. Ive been a smoker for the past.. 8 years or so and ive never consumed more than a pack a week. Its funny because when I fill forms or surveys regarding tobacco the minimum option is ike twice what I do.
In any case OP, doubt theres a clear way to answer your question specially when theres a lot of genetic variables.
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How can you ever smoke responsibly? This doesn't make sense at all. Smoking cigarettes no matter how little you do it, is always bad, so how is it responsible?
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On March 04 2012 06:39 solidbebe wrote:
How can you ever smoke responsibly? This doesn't make sense at all. Smoking cigarettes no matter how little you do it, is always bad, so how is it responsible?
Don't be obtuse. Same way you can drink responsibly.
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nice pic man, not fucking gross at all or anything
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yeah, as a University student I feel as though I know a lot of people who smoke on an regular but light basis. It seems very possible to do in a way that will be as minimally detrimental to one's health as drinking on weekends is.
There will almost never be a time smoking is good for you but it has to be possible to do it without affecting your health to a large degree. Air pollution is great enough in developed countries that I believe the there is some level of smoking under which the affect is totally negligible.
And, as to my point that there will almost never be a time that smoking is good for you when I was attending college in 2009 I was in a class with a guy who, when he came down with pneumonia, was told by his doctor "I'm not telling you to start smoking but if you do keep at it, the hot dry smoke will help to minimize the fluids in your lungs" (I paraphrase, obviously). There are times when, even according to a doctor, smoking is not only not a bad idea but a good one.
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do we got a docta in tha house? an answer from a non 14 year old kid with opinions influenced by his/her christian parents would be cool
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On March 04 2012 07:07 Barrin wrote:
Lots of cardio.
LOTS. OF. CARDIO.
Run a lot.
From what I know of the physiology this won't make that big a difference to what cigarette smoke does to your lungs. It will just make your cardiovascular system more efficient. Certainly I would say it makes no difference to your chances with lung cancer
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On March 04 2012 07:07 Barrin wrote:
Lots of cardio.
LOTS. OF. CARDIO.
Run a lot.
source? of course it helps with being fit/not being short of breath but does it help with lung health...? would be cool if true for sure haha.
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The better question is how long will you be able to smoke casually before you're just addicted? Find a better stress reliever.
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EPT
