Question for high school students and/or smokers

1) I know that smoking is bad for me, and I have no rational answer for you in terms of pros and cons. All I can say is that addiction is innately irrational. The primal brain wins over the frontal cortex :D

2) I started because I was curious.

3) I doubt knowing more would make me stop although I don't feel particularly naive about the subject. In fact, being that my immediate family has no history of cancer, I suspect that real statistics (not TRUTH propoganda) may actually put my mind more at peace about the fact that perhaps the probability of me developing cancer is less likely than I am led to believe.

4) I would love to know some real statistics on second hand smoking because I think it's bullshit and not harmful

5) I would not want my kids to smoke

does smoking pot cause lung cancer theres carcinogens in weed right

1. pleasure of immediate satiation overrides knowledge of longterm hazards
2. horrible choice of friends
3. probably not
4. i dont smoke around non smokers
5. no

Maybe you can expand on the reasons I don't smoke to the high school students:

1. It's a waste of money, especially if you're in New York where it's $8+ a pack. (if someone smokes a pack a day or every other day, it adds up.)

2. It discolors your teeth. (show examples of smokers teeth)

3. The smell is fucking gross, especially if you meet a girl and you're interested in her. (attempting to kiss a girl who gives off a cigarette smell when she opens her mouth is unattractive.) & (smoke easily attaches onto clothing and wont come out until you wash everything you wore while smoking. This is also bad if you're attempting to talk to the opposite sex and they don't smoke and can smell smoke on you. A lot of times you have to send your clothes to a dry cleaner to get the smell out, washing it by yourself in a machine doesn't always work.)

4. Second hand smoke is widely known, and I wouldn't want to be a smoker and give any type of cough, sickness, or cancer to my family members, especially my nephews and niece. (expand on how easily it can affect little kids lungs and stuff so that they get the point, showing affects on adults wont work.)

5. Sheer awkwardness. (A lot of businesses and places in USA are banning smoking, like bars/clubs/restaurants and even city parks. Yeah, a lot of people in the world smoke, but there are even more people who don't smoke and that's why you're confined to a small space or expected to not be around people when you smoke, because its a proven fact that its not a good nor healthy thing to do.)

I don't think you'll have much luck finding high-schoolers in LP, probably a lot more of them at Teamliquid.

I also highly doubt presentations from uni students would make any difference in high schoolers decision on whether to smoke or not.

I go to UCD btw, I went to high school in Downey and bunch of people I know go to UCSD haha.

Thanks for everyone posting your replies! I appreciate it =].
I want the presentations to actually have an effect on the high schoolers instead of just going in one ear and out the other. And I actually want them to apply what they learn and pass it along to their friends.

Haha I was planning on posting on TL.net too but I forgot my password and had to make an account so I have to wait 3 days before I can create a blog.

I didn't think uni students talking to high schoolers would make much of a difference either but do you have any other ideas?

I'm thinking of possibly trying to reach out to a group of students so they start a branch of the cancer outreach team on campus and possibly train those students to give presentations to their classmates but I don't know how to get that started at the moment.

kids nowadays are stupid. I think you should scare them with "see what happens when you smoke" and show them some gross pictures of internal organs and how they remove the shit out of the arteries. You won't have much effect if you just go like "so many ppl die from cigarettes" they won't compute it. You gotta show the horror of the last hours, that should educate them to get rid of smoking. Maybe propose that they should smoke marijuana, would def work

On July 13 2011 23:50 nerdonpoker wrote: does smoking pot cause lung cancer theres carcinogens in weed right

there are carcinogens in every smoke but you can't get enough cause you can't smoke too much weed like tobacco, haven't heard of someone smoking 20 joints a day :D. So no, you can't get lung cancer from weed, especially if you don't smoke joints or blunts but something more filtering.

1) Do you know smoking is bad for you, if so, why do you keep smoking?

Yes. It's nasty and really bad. But it tastes so damn good. The only reason for me not quitting, is that I haven't reached the point where I feel that I really want to. I do expect to reach it sometime though.

2) Why did you start?

I started pretty late, when I was 19. This is pretty silly when I look back, given the fact that I actually understood the negatives. But I started travelling and it was an awesome way of relaxing in a busy and stressful city. I told myself I would quit when I got back but I was pretty much hooked by then. Now I smoke whenever I'm bored - meaning some days I don't smoke at all and some days I smoke an entire pack.

3) Would knowing more about smoking and lung disease make you stop?

I hardly know everything there is to know about smoking and lung disease, but if I'm being brutally honest I don't think I care.

4) Would knowing statistics of second hand smoke make you stop smoking around your family?

I only smoke when I'm alone or around people who are smokers themselves or people who think it's ok. I never smoke around my family (they don't think it's ok) and never around children.

5) Would you want your kids to smoke?

No.

On July 14 2011 04:49 D_smart_S wrote: Show nested quote + On July 13 2011 23:50 nerdonpoker wrote: does smoking pot cause lung cancer theres carcinogens in weed right there are carcinogens in every smoke but you can't get enough cause you can't smoke too much weed like tobacco, haven't heard of someone smoking 20 joints a day :D. So no, you can't get lung cancer from weed, especially if you don't smoke joints or blunts but something more filtering.

u can get lung cancer from weed smoking for sure. not as likely as from tobacco but to say "no u cant" is just wrong.

its also not just lung disease/cancer that you develop from smoking.

head/neck cancers are IMO the worst ones to getand those are all triggered by smoking as well. only thing worse than smoking is chewing tobacco.

Do you know smoking is bad for you, if so, why do you keep smoking?

I think everyone knows that smoking is a bad idea. However being able to quit requires a many free days. You get very annoyed with everything because you have this constant pressure in your temples pushing inwards that doesn't let up for a few days. So all you can think about is this pressure that you want to get rid of. You know you can stop this pressure by just smoking a cigarette.

If you make it past this pressure feeling, it takes months to not want a cigarette emotionally as it is a habit. When you're bored, driving your car, waiting around, whatever, you're used to just lighting a cigarette. But when you don't you are constantly thinking about it saying "oh yeah, i quit..." It would be very easy to quit if you got past the intense cravings, but those are the easiest days. If you could somehow completely forget cigarettes existed or that you ever smoked after a few days, it would be soooo easy to quit. T_T I've tried quitting about 4-5 times each one lasting between 1-5 months. But somehow i keep coming back to these stupid things.

Why did you start?

I was a stupid little kid. I wanted to know what it was like to smoke. I puffed on a flavored cigar a few times and it was decent. Not really addicting. Then i tried one puff from a friends cigarette, and then a few more, then i wanted to smoke an entire cigarette, then a pack, never thinking i was going to get addicted. Shit was I wrong.

Would knowing more about smoking and lung disease make you stop?

not really, it is already plastered around everyone that smoking is bad for you. Although I don't think stop telling people is a good idea. I suppose a different approach would be better.

Would knowing statistics of second hand smoke make you stop smoking around your family?

I dont smoke around my family.

Would you want your kids to smoke?

Of course not. It's the worst habit I ever started.