Smoking v Drinking (alcohol)

Frank the tank

Which (if any) do you consider the greater social evil?

I've never smoked and I drink socially sometimes too socially but I think alcohol has a worse impact on society than smoking.

Yes, it's great to not have to wash your clothes everytime you've been to a social gathering thanks to the smoking ban. Yes smoking does cause thousands of deaths every year and has serious health implications.

Drinking though, in addition to the direct health risks to the drinker, when drink is abused it destroys others lives in all manner of ways be it death (drink driving) physical abuse of others, domestic violence. The list goes on.

I do accept there can be a healthy level of drinking but there is never a safe level of smoking.

synchronicity

After coming to Spain and seeing 50% of people smoke (and not keel over dead within 5 minutes), I've realised that yes the dangers of smoking are exaggerated... especially in countries like Australia. There they make out that just 1 cigarrette can do you damage. I used to fall for that, but what about breathing in smog from cars in the city then :?: :roll:

I think part of the reason for these sort of campaigns is that smoking is not as socially accepted now as drinking. The other thing is that if they manage to successfully convince the younger generation not to even try one cigarette with these scare-tactics, they won't ever get hooked. I think they'd be better off pointing out just how mentally & chemically addictive it is.

There's also this idea that smokers are unfit. But then I've cycled up Mt Teide with more than one smoker (and one of them was much faster than the non-smokers). Some non-smokers wouldn't dream of doing that, so that alone really changed my opinion of the idea that smoking automatically means you can't do any excersise because your lungs are full of crap. Of course, you could say that if they stopped smoking, they'd be even faster, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here.

From what I gather, the first few puffs are what cause the initial addiction. But smokers don't actually enjoy smoking. Many continue because are under the impression that they can give up any time they want... believing that it's such a horrible sensation. Trouble is, it's been ingrained in many cultures that smoking is relaxing. In my opinion that's probably a psychological connection & the reverse is probably true... in general smokers are more stressed out than non-smokers.

I hate smoking by the way. I hate the smell of it but I've had to become much more tolerant since moving here. My girfriend is an ex-smoker. She quit due to my persistent insistence - I think it's one of the most vile disgusting habits...

Just last week I found out that my cousin's ex-wife died at 43 due to liver failure. She was an alcoholic, so that was a timely reminder that drinking is not free of risks.

Crapaud

synchronicity wrote:

... There they make out that just 1 cigarrette can do you damage. I used to fall for that, but what about breathing in smog from cars in the city then :?: :roll: ...

A couple of years ago in the local rag it was reported that the pollution from vehicle exhausts in Hope St., in Glasgow, was the equivalent of smoking 15 cigs a day - and that was inside an office!

Frank the tank wrote:

... Drinking though, in addition to the direct health risks to the drinker, when drink is abused it destroys others lives in all manner of ways be it death (drink driving) physical abuse of others, domestic violence. The list goes on.
...

It's clearly drink. Smoking doesn't cause the carnage that drink does. Take a wander through any city centre on a Friday or Saturday night and see the drink fueled violence, see the results in A&E.

Drink changes people far more profoundly and has a far more profound effect on others lives, and society, than smoking ever could.

fast as fupp

id sooner have a couple of garys or a line- at least id go faster :twisted: