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Let’s start out by saying that I know smoking is an unhealthy thing to do. I accept that.
I happened to be in the eye department of the local hospital recently. Stuck to the wall of the waiting area was a poster that simply said in large letters ‘Smoking Causes Blindness’.
The cigarette packet in the photo, in common with all packs sold in the UK, states quite clearly that ‘Smoking Kills’. As a smoker I am told that I have a high risk of a heart attack, a stroke and lung cancer. Because smoking causes heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer. I have also been told that the pain I sometimes get in my knees and the fact that my feet and hands are often cold are due to impaired blood circulation caused by smoking.
These days, no matter what eventually sends me to my grave, I bet someone will put it down to me being a lifelong smoker. Just about every ailment, it sometimes feels like – is caused by or made considerably worse by smoking.
And then there are all those other people around whom I have smoked at one time or another whose death I have quite clearly contributed to. Because, according to other notices, posters, leaflets, government health warnings and the anti-smoking brigade – so-called ‘passive smoking’ also kills.
It’s black and white. Smoking kills. Passive smoking kills.
In the first, say, 70 odd years of the 20th century, the vast majority of people smoked. And those that didn’t were constantly living in a thick, smoke-laden atmosphere. In buses, trains, restaurants, clubs, pubs, cinemas, theatres, offices, factories, shops – smokers lit up anywhere and everywhere. And at home, if your Mum didn’t smoke then your Dad probably did. And your brothers and sisters and the Uncle that dropped in every now and then… Smoke and smokers were everywhere and it was virtually impossible to escape from them.
So here’s what I want to know. How did the human race survive the age of tobacco? Why didn’t we all die out?
I guess it depends on how long people have been exposed to smokers and of course many may not have been exposed at all. Then it could be argued that plenty of people affected by smoking and smokers may still be alive today only thanks to modern medicines and medical developments.
With the number of smokers declining and those that remain being basically forced to only smoke in private, I’d have to hope that the peak has been reached for smoke related deaths although nature has a way of dealing with this by ‘creating’ more ways to see us off. And of course we continue to help out by killing each other in huge numbers.
Oh get me ! Gone all serious and political !
Silverbacks last blog post..Spot The Music Site
I would expect that, back in the day, folks used to smoke real tobacco…not this processed chemical-laden “tobacco dust” that is sold in cigarettes today. Mayhaps that has something to do with increased illness. Just my .02
way to go Andy – you gotta just keep being you – never ever compromise that. And if that means smoking, go for it. My nephew has written a brilliantly funny book called how to start smoking: http://www.startsmoking.org/index.htm (gratuitous plug)
xJ
I myself, I am ashamed to say, have given into pressure and it’s been 7 weeks since I had a cigarette, but now I am hooked on the patches. Now here’s an interesting conundrum: the packaging for the patches states they contain “therapeutic nicotine” does that mean that SOME nicotine is good for you? If so, why don’t they put that kind in the fags and leave everyone the fuck alone for God’s sake? YES I can smell things I couldn’t smell before, and yes I don’t cough any more (hang on, I didn’t cough before) yes, I am saving money and will be healthier blah blah blah but know what? I have turned into a real grumpy old woman and I think I’d rather be happy than grumpy! I don’t know why or how we’re still here, that’s probably a DNA question (Do Not Analyse) Light one up for me
Well Andy, it’s quite simple. All the package says is ’smoking kills’. It doesn’t say ’smoking kills everybody’. If 5 people of every 20 smokers gets killed by smoking then smoking kills, and that you are probably among the 15 survivors doesn’t make smoking suddenly a got thing to do.
As you can read in this article on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulović you can see that Vesna survived a drop from an airplane from 33.333 feet. Well simple conclusion would be then: Droping from the sky at 33.333 feet isn’t lethal and we now can all safely leave aircrafts at that height.
Good luck next time you travel by plane.
Oh Jan… don’t tell me even Australia has fallen victim to the Nanny State….
*lol* was it NEVER a victim? However, I have been telling those around me that I was going to quit on Friday – just never stated which Friday, so as everyone started to give the impression that they didn’t actually believe me, I thought I’d give it a go just so that I could feel superior and use that wonderful phrase *I told you so* which, incidentally, is VERY satisfying – for now – if I get bored I’ll probably start up again……
Jans last blog post..An insight