> accept it when there > employees use alcohol or cocaine at work. Did not exactly boost my > popularity, to see the least. Understandable, of course, > because by drawing > those parallels you are essentially calling your smoking > co-workers drug > addicts...
They are...! Let them know so they can get help (i'm serious). Europe has it together much better than the US when it comes to understanding smoking and how to quit. Americans offer smokers alternatives to smoking, thereby opening new markets in Nicorette gum, patches, timers, herbal remedies, hypnotherapy, Acupuncture. Why smoke when you can get the nicotine transdermally! God damn bastards. We should be picketing the pharmaceutical companies for pushing their 'dope' on addicts. We think were are clever when we force the tobacco companies to sponsor ads that spew crap about how the tobacco companies are trying to kill everyone (see thetruth.com). Don't be silly, they want us alive to buy cigarrettes! They claim " The tobacco companies are brainwashing everyone." How dumb do you think you are? Is there anyone on this planet who has any misgivings about cigarettes being harmful to your health? ***** (Side note: thetruth.org is a commercial web site that "helps" you quit smoking by offering drugs at a low discounted price. Talk about mixed up values - where a .com tries to 'infect' your mind so you will hate the tobacco companies, and the .org is selling you the refined version of the same chemical you are trying to break away from!) Well let me tell you all... the brainwashers are you! It may of started with the tobacco industry, but they do not need help anymore to get their message out. Every non-smoker knows how difficult it is to quit. Every non-smoker knows ex-smokers are miserable for life. Every non-smoker knows that smokers smoke to relieve stress. Every chiding remark by a non-smoker that comments "Those things will kill ya!" only re-enforces the shame and stress caused by smoking. Every smoker says to him/herself "Duuuh!". If that was enough to quit, it would have worked long ago ... "hummm....cigarettes kill.. that stresses me out.. I think I'll go have a smoke!" We tell our teenagers ... don't smoke. Why... because it can kill you. Well I know that every teenager knows that one cigarette does not kill. 50 cigarettes do not kill. It takes thousands and thousands of cigarettes smoked over years to kill you. We should be truthful - that nicotine is a powerful poisonous addictive drug. That it is no different than crack cocaine or heroin, and should be treated as such. I went to visit the best psychotherapist in town specializing in addiction. It took 4 visits to see that he did not have the slightest clue on how to get people to quit, or rather specifically, how to treat nicotine addiction. He had a lot of treatments for heroin and cocaine. Perhaps we should tell our children that we would rather have them smoking crack that cigarettes, because there are treatments for cocaine (yes... I am being sarcastic). The real facts are: Every smoker wishes they never started. Every smoker thought they would never become addicted. Smokers are strong-willed. Getting over the fear of quitting is hard. Actually quitting smoking is easy. Ex-smokers do not have to miserable for the rest of their lives. Quitting smoking can be enjoyable. Smokers are not 'giving up' anything - they become 'free' of cigarettes. Smoking does not relieve stress, it causes it. People (smokers/non-smokers) are brainwashed into thinking the opposite of these statements. Think about that the next time you decide to be the 'smart' one and tell a smoker how stupid it is to smoke. On a similar topic/rant...... I am getting tired of hearing about all this talk about raising taxes on Cigarettes. The proponents of the tax hike states that they are raising taxes for the good of the smoker, as an incentive to quit, at the same time paying in advance for the all of the hospital care they encumber upon the state for their habit. I say this is total bullshit. If you take what they say to its logical conclusion, they want to decrease tax revenue by raising taxes, since so many smokers will quit, because it is such a great and glorious plan for the 'welfare' of the common smoker. They also are saying that smokers should "Smoke up, Jonny!" to do their part in subsidising the health care system. Do your patriotic duty and smoke one for Grandma - she needs a new hip. For once, I would like them to say.. "We are raising taxes because we know you smokin' fools out there will still continue to pay us 10-40 cents a day for the 'right' to smoke. We know you will attempt to 'preserve your right to smoke' and not quit lighting up those suckers! Please buy a lot of cigarettes, but die young and fast. It would really help the schools get new computers." Of course, I put my money where my mouth is and quit smoking days before the new tax hikes went into place. It still makes me mad though. If there is anyone who still smokes - please contact me offlist. The sooner you e-mail me, the sooner you will be able to quit (I know you want to....). Nerd From Hell
