Joni Mitchell is addicted to smoking. Joni Mitchell knows this; it's
evident from remarks she's made when asked about it. perhaps she would like
to quit, maybe that's why she gets a little snappy when asked about it.
The truth is that smokers often wish to quit, others start and stop, and few
stop completely- that is a huge accomplishment.
but how can any of us, smokers or non-smokers, sit here and comment on
Joni's smoking or anyone elses? i mean, yes it's fair enough to think about
it and discuss, but we must refrain from passing judgement. you see we have
no possible way to measure her
attitude to her own
smoking behaviour. maybe she LIKES smoking. maybe she HATES smoking.
she must know the risk- bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease.
the list goes ever on. and she probably realises that the risk tends to be
exagerrated, but surely Joni knows that the risk increases with
exposure, the more she smokes the higher her risk. as long as she *does*
know the facts, then it is her *choice* to smoke, just like it is her choice
to paint, her choice to sing!
(ok, the rest is NJC and just me ranting about smoking in general)
smoking is a complex activity. i guess the basic premise is the rapid
delivery of a drug, nicotine, to the brain. and smoking does indeed allow
rapid delivery of nicotine. gum does not. smoking brings airborne
particles to the lining of the lungs. straight into the bloodstream, and of
course oxygenated blood goes straight to the brain.
nicotine from gum must be absorbed into the blood stream in the cheek or
stomach and then be transported to the brain, this is a huge delay. so
although you may indeed get the same amount of nicotine from gum, or from
the patch, the feeling of "ahhh, i've smoked, and theres taht feeling" does
not occur.
so, it could be argued that smoking is a learned behaviour. you smoke, and
straightaway you get taht buzz or whatever it is yo get.
to further this effect, the tobacco companies cause smokers to overlearn by
repetition. the closer the cigarette is packed the slower it will burn.
the slower it burns, the more puffs you can take from it. therefore you get
used to the repetitive *action* of using your hands, and of gettng many
puffs.
cigarettes are designed so that not every cigarette is so rewarding. there
is some inherent variation, as any smoker can tell you. i mean, if every
one was great you wouldnt need to do it as often. AND, this introduces a
reward for the smoker. "will it or wont it be effective?". this will
increase the persistence of the habit.
rewards strengthen habits. removal of unpleasantness has the same effect.if
you stop smoking you'll cough, get headaches etc. so if you *keep* smoking
you won't get this.
the chemical effect of nicotine acts as primary reinforcement for smoking.
but there are also secondary reinforcements. these are seemingly irrelevant
factors that become associated with the smoking behaviour. consider, for
example, the end of a meal. this actually has nothing to do with smoking
does it? but, if you get into the habit of having a smoke after dinner,
every dinner will then become a reason to smoke.
if you smoke while having a good long phone conversation, then every phone
conversation will become a reason to smoke. it's just like the cup of tea or
coffee that the nation enjoys at the end of Coronation Street! every episode
is a reason to have a cup. and how many smokers use a cup of tea or coffee
as an excuse to have a smoke?
# then of course there is the physiological/chemical aspect of smoking.
once nicotine is in your system your physiological state of arousal
increases, and this is a level that, apparently, you'd like to maintain.
when this level drops, you get those unpleasant symptoms- anxiety, decreased
blood pressure, and even disturbed sleep.
guys, i dont smoke. but my grandfather died of emphysema, so this is
something i have taken an interest in. i can "get" all of the above, to
those ends i dont question smoking behaviour.
people, in general, want to be healthy. smokers included. but their
smoking behaviour may threaten their lives. this is a conflict that
deserves thought.
GARRET
NP- Rufus Wainwright- Foolish Love
ps- paul castle posted the following link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1231000/1231741.stm
telling us that Eva Cassidys SOTR would be played on TOTP, and just above
the Eva articel there is an article about a smoking exhibition! its that
list synchronicity thing again isnt it?
