6 ms·

As an anecdotal tidbit: The reason I smoke is completely the opposite of what this article says. I do think about the long term effects, smoking increases my a

As an anecdotal tidbit: The reason I smoke is completely the opposite of what this article says. I do think about the long term effects, smoking increases my ability to focus and when smoking my product is of higher quality and my marks are higher. I'm trading my health later on for benefits now. Personally, I feel smoking carries less risk than cognitive enhancement drugs (I.e provigil) and causes less long term damage. I can deal with COPD and take immune boosters, eat healthy, and ensure I have an adequate intake of antioxidants to lower the risk of cancer. I also don't have a defective p53 gene.

bnejad 13y ago
I don't personally care if you smoke, but I think you are doing yourself a disservice by attempting to rationalize your choice to continue smoking and down playing the harm you are doing to your body. If its just the nicotine you crave perhaps using an E-Cig could be helpful.. although nicotine is still harmful I think cutting out the smoking would probably help a lot.
- edtechdev 13y ago
  I second that. Try e-cigarettes, etc. to replace the cigarettes. Exercise also gives a cognitive boost. Get an exercise bike (or real bike) and do 5-15 minutes of interval training on it. Cut down on the sugar - coffee instead of soda, nuts instead of candy bars or donuts, etc.
  - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
    e-cigarettes don't really work well because its not about the nicotine. They do give you something to hold and put in your mouth, but the experience is extremely unsatisfying to a smoker. If you go the e-cigarette route, I suggest quitting cold turkey for a couple of weeks or even a month then trying the e-cigs with the idea being that you would have forgotten some of feeling of real cigarettes. It is also incredibly easy to quit for short periods of time, e-cigs can help you avoid relapses. Exercise is quite useful, especially in eliminating white spaces in your routine; i.e. avoid walking and bike instead. It is almost impossible to hold a cigarette and so you won't think about it while biking. Also, smoking is not very effective after exercise, your white space is used for muscle healing and the addiction pangs are muted. The rest of your advice is not as useful: they are simply other bad habits that you should probably quit anyways and not related to smoking. If you have limited willpower, focus on killing one bad habit at a time. There is a reason people often get fatter while quitting smoking; they try to fill the gap with other bad ones. But to each their own. Not-ever-smokers obviously can't give good advice about stopping because they don't understand the habit anyways; while smokers and ex-smokers are a bit diverse in what works for them.
    - mullingitover 13y ago
      >e-cigarettes don't really work well because its not about the nicotine. They do give you something to hold and put in your mouth, but the experience is extremely unsatisfying to a smoker. Former smoker here, the experience is totally satisfying. I smoked for a good ten years, and quit immediately the day I got my first e-cigarette. That was almost three years ago, and I haven't wanted to smoke real cigarettes for a second. I do have friends who've gone back to regular cigarettes, but (based strictly on casual observation) it's about a 50% rate of recidivism. And I see more and more people using them lately. Three years ago nobody knew what the hell they were, and lately I run into a surprising number of people who not only know what they are, but are excited to talk about their new battery mod.
      - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
        Good to know. I couldn't really get into them, they didn't replace the reason I was smoking in the first place. All they could do was make nicotine craves go away, which I didn't really have a problem with anyways. People are diverse I guess.
- pstuart 13y ago
  http://examine.com/supplements/Nicotine/ http://examine.com/supplements/Nicotine/
nwh 13y ago
I wouldn't hire you just based on the fact that you smell like shit.
- mavroprovato 13y ago
  Well he did not ask you to hire him, did he? Why you felt the need to say this?
- Buzaga 13y ago
  If so then, would you hire a 'fat fuck'? I think the deal on judging others like this is that everyone will want the right to policy on each others vices, too, some eat, some drink, some smoke cigarretes, some pot, some fuck, some masturbate, some pray, some addict to games, some addict to sports.. then need more day-offs because of injuries(so no hire too, right?)... I mean, who has long term thinking? Nobody, that's who, it's not in our nature, to me the biggest reason less people smoke now is that less people try it now, because if they did they would eventually become smokers, it's not because they've got more self-control. I imagine everyone has got a non-virtuous habit, that's just human. I'd rather not mind anyone's business.
- ereckers 13y ago
  That escalated quickly. You can't tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't hire Don Draper on the spot.
- rcfox 13y ago
  Well, I hope you're not involved with hiring at all because you might have just opened yourself up to discrimination lawsuits.
  - nwh 13y ago
    It doesn't matter. Even if the interviewer doesn't state that as a reason, it still has influence. There's nothing really stopping that.
  - nknighthb 13y ago
    The states that have the ironically-named "smoker protection" laws prohibit discrimination based on the fact that someone smokes, not based on the fact that they stink to high heaven. Figure out how to make those around you not want to vomit all day and you're fine. Otherwise, you're SOL.
300bps 13y ago
You possess the most dangerous form of ignorance. You think you have it all figured out. You're little better than the heroin addict that thinks, "it won't happen to them."
- obstacle1 13y ago
  He's not saying it won't happen to him. In fact he's explicitly saying he expects it to happen to him, but he's willing to forgo long-term health for immediate pleasure. It may still be flawed logic, and also ignorant based on he may be underestimating how shitty stuff like COPD is to deal with, but not in the way you're describing.
  - haldujai 13y ago
    That's exactly right. I know it WILL most definitely happen to me, it's just a trade I'm willing to make. An applicable analogy is athletes and steroid use, they know what will happen but triumph and success in their 20's is worth it to them.
    - 300bps 13y ago
      An applicable analogy is athletes and steroid use, they know what will happen but triumph and success in their 20's is worth it to them. You're right. They're trading their long term health for multi-million dollar contracts. Let's examine what you're doing: when smoking my product is of higher quality and my marks are higher I'm reading this as you are a student and smoking gives you higher grades. You're an idiot. Plain and simple. I don't say this lightly and have never insulted anyone on Hacker News - ever. But you are a colossal idiot that is just kidding yourself. It's one thing to trade years of life to make millions of dollars per year. I still think it's dumb, but I can see the attraction. But to do it for higher grades is just plain idiotic. And let's add that you are just rationalizing that it gives you higher grades. You have no proof that it does that. Really reconsider what you're doing to yourself.
revelation 13y ago
So just buy pure nicotine, as gum or patches, or liquid? The smoking part is completely unnecessary to get the effects you want.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  That's just it, its not the nicotine. It is the habit and the association (deserved or not) with relaxation and meditation. Non smokers don't really get that, and that is quite understandable. Nicotine is also not the major danger in a cigarette (this is debated), but the tars and crap that burn and will really kill you. The problem is...the stuff that will kill you is part of the texture that makes the experience addictive.
psbp 13y ago
Why not just use an electronic cigarette to get your nicotine fix? I've been considering doing this recently as a mild stimulant.
cgio 13y ago
As a smoker. Whatever the boost you get, you do not need it. In fact, when trying to quit you can get more productive just by trying to substitute chemical boost by intellectual boost (e.g. reading.) I smoke and appreciate the satisfaction of nicotine, but let's not rationalize out irrational behaviour. On the other hand, it is annoying when people insist that we quit or want to imply it is an indicator of irrationality in general. If it is not illegal, let us do it. Whatever additional health cost for society, we are bearing it. Either directly, via increased insurance rates or indirectly via the exorbitant taxes we are paying. So why do you care? We do not need no nannies.

bnejad 13y ago

I don't personally care if you smoke, but I think you are doing yourself a disservice by attempting to rationalize your choice to continue smoking and down playing the harm you are doing to your body. If its just the nicotine you crave perhaps using an E-Cig could be helpful.. although nicotine is still harmful I think cutting out the smoking would probably help a lot.

edtechdev 13y ago
I second that. Try e-cigarettes, etc. to replace the cigarettes. Exercise also gives a cognitive boost. Get an exercise bike (or real bike) and do 5-15 minutes of interval training on it. Cut down on the sugar - coffee instead of soda, nuts instead of candy bars or donuts, etc.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  e-cigarettes don't really work well because its not about the nicotine. They do give you something to hold and put in your mouth, but the experience is extremely unsatisfying to a smoker. If you go the e-cigarette route, I suggest quitting cold turkey for a couple of weeks or even a month then trying the e-cigs with the idea being that you would have forgotten some of feeling of real cigarettes. It is also incredibly easy to quit for short periods of time, e-cigs can help you avoid relapses. Exercise is quite useful, especially in eliminating white spaces in your routine; i.e. avoid walking and bike instead. It is almost impossible to hold a cigarette and so you won't think about it while biking. Also, smoking is not very effective after exercise, your white space is used for muscle healing and the addiction pangs are muted. The rest of your advice is not as useful: they are simply other bad habits that you should probably quit anyways and not related to smoking. If you have limited willpower, focus on killing one bad habit at a time. There is a reason people often get fatter while quitting smoking; they try to fill the gap with other bad ones. But to each their own. Not-ever-smokers obviously can't give good advice about stopping because they don't understand the habit anyways; while smokers and ex-smokers are a bit diverse in what works for them.
  - mullingitover 13y ago
    >e-cigarettes don't really work well because its not about the nicotine. They do give you something to hold and put in your mouth, but the experience is extremely unsatisfying to a smoker. Former smoker here, the experience is totally satisfying. I smoked for a good ten years, and quit immediately the day I got my first e-cigarette. That was almost three years ago, and I haven't wanted to smoke real cigarettes for a second. I do have friends who've gone back to regular cigarettes, but (based strictly on casual observation) it's about a 50% rate of recidivism. And I see more and more people using them lately. Three years ago nobody knew what the hell they were, and lately I run into a surprising number of people who not only know what they are, but are excited to talk about their new battery mod.
    - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
      Good to know. I couldn't really get into them, they didn't replace the reason I was smoking in the first place. All they could do was make nicotine craves go away, which I didn't really have a problem with anyways. People are diverse I guess.
pstuart 13y ago
http://examine.com/supplements/Nicotine/ http://examine.com/supplements/Nicotine/

nwh 13y ago

I wouldn't hire you just based on the fact that you smell like shit.

mavroprovato 13y ago
Well he did not ask you to hire him, did he? Why you felt the need to say this?
Buzaga 13y ago
If so then, would you hire a 'fat fuck'? I think the deal on judging others like this is that everyone will want the right to policy on each others vices, too, some eat, some drink, some smoke cigarretes, some pot, some fuck, some masturbate, some pray, some addict to games, some addict to sports.. then need more day-offs because of injuries(so no hire too, right?)... I mean, who has long term thinking? Nobody, that's who, it's not in our nature, to me the biggest reason less people smoke now is that less people try it now, because if they did they would eventually become smokers, it's not because they've got more self-control. I imagine everyone has got a non-virtuous habit, that's just human. I'd rather not mind anyone's business.
ereckers 13y ago
That escalated quickly. You can't tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't hire Don Draper on the spot.
rcfox 13y ago
Well, I hope you're not involved with hiring at all because you might have just opened yourself up to discrimination lawsuits.
- nwh 13y ago
  It doesn't matter. Even if the interviewer doesn't state that as a reason, it still has influence. There's nothing really stopping that.
- nknighthb 13y ago
  The states that have the ironically-named "smoker protection" laws prohibit discrimination based on the fact that someone smokes, not based on the fact that they stink to high heaven. Figure out how to make those around you not want to vomit all day and you're fine. Otherwise, you're SOL.

300bps 13y ago

You possess the most dangerous form of ignorance. You think you have it all figured out. You're little better than the heroin addict that thinks, "it won't happen to them."

obstacle1 13y ago
He's not saying it won't happen to him. In fact he's explicitly saying he expects it to happen to him, but he's willing to forgo long-term health for immediate pleasure. It may still be flawed logic, and also ignorant based on he may be underestimating how shitty stuff like COPD is to deal with, but not in the way you're describing.
- haldujai 13y ago
  That's exactly right. I know it WILL most definitely happen to me, it's just a trade I'm willing to make. An applicable analogy is athletes and steroid use, they know what will happen but triumph and success in their 20's is worth it to them.
  - 300bps 13y ago
    An applicable analogy is athletes and steroid use, they know what will happen but triumph and success in their 20's is worth it to them. You're right. They're trading their long term health for multi-million dollar contracts. Let's examine what you're doing: when smoking my product is of higher quality and my marks are higher I'm reading this as you are a student and smoking gives you higher grades. You're an idiot. Plain and simple. I don't say this lightly and have never insulted anyone on Hacker News - ever. But you are a colossal idiot that is just kidding yourself. It's one thing to trade years of life to make millions of dollars per year. I still think it's dumb, but I can see the attraction. But to do it for higher grades is just plain idiotic. And let's add that you are just rationalizing that it gives you higher grades. You have no proof that it does that. Really reconsider what you're doing to yourself.

revelation 13y ago

So just buy pure nicotine, as gum or patches, or liquid? The smoking part is completely unnecessary to get the effects you want.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
That's just it, its not the nicotine. It is the habit and the association (deserved or not) with relaxation and meditation. Non smokers don't really get that, and that is quite understandable. Nicotine is also not the major danger in a cigarette (this is debated), but the tars and crap that burn and will really kill you. The problem is...the stuff that will kill you is part of the texture that makes the experience addictive.

psbp 13y ago

Why not just use an electronic cigarette to get your nicotine fix? I've been considering doing this recently as a mild stimulant.

cgio 13y ago

As a smoker. Whatever the boost you get, you do not need it. In fact, when trying to quit you can get more productive just by trying to substitute chemical boost by intellectual boost (e.g. reading.) I smoke and appreciate the satisfaction of nicotine, but let's not rationalize out irrational behaviour. On the other hand, it is annoying when people insist that we quit or want to imply it is an indicator of irrationality in general. If it is not illegal, let us do it. Whatever additional health cost for society, we are bearing it. Either directly, via increased insurance rates or indirectly via the exorbitant taxes we are paying. So why do you care? We do not need no nannies.