5 ms·

I'm not. Smoking a little (e.g. 1 cigarette a day) is inexpensive, has very little harmful effects to your health but allows you to enjoy the cultural experienc

by nawitus 13y ago

I'm not. Smoking a little (e.g. 1 cigarette a day) is inexpensive, has very little harmful effects to your health but allows you to enjoy the cultural experience of that particular drug. For some reason people these days think that it's pretty much okay to drink a lot of alcohol which is very expensive and very unhealthy, but if someone smokes here and there it's "crazy", "stupid" and "very expensive". Nicotine itself has plenty of beneficial effects: http://www.gwern.net/Nicotine http://www.gwern.net/Nicotine

DanBC 13y ago
(I accidentally downvoted you. Sorry.) Buying cigarettes means giving money to tobacco companies. I firmly believe these are an example of corporations bein evil - which I understand is a controversial opinion on HN. The tactics (spread fear and misunderstanding; discredit your oponents) have been taken up by other campaign groups (eg, anti climate change groups) often using the same scientists for hire. "Vaping" avoids most of the social stigma of smoking and if you buy carefully you avoid giving money to tobacco companies.
- eli 13y ago
  I think there's still a pretty significant stigma against smoking an e-cig in public, but I guess YMMV.
  - DanBC 13y ago
    I agree. I like the fact that some people are careful about where and when they "vape" - not in feont of children, not around people eating etc etc.
- a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
  > Vaping Nicotine on its own is vasoconstrictive. The compounds in tobacco smoke altogether are dialative. Tobacco smoke has MOAB agonists and aromatase inhibitors. Tobacco smoke lowers serotonin sensitivity while I don't think pure nicotine does this. Vaping is really not a substitute for tobacco smoke as it is missing a bunch of chemicals.
mortov 13y ago
You sound like a 1950's Doctor paid by the tobacco industry. Are you serious or did I miss a <satire> tag ?
ggreer 13y ago
One can get nicotine through e-cigs, patches, or gum. There's no need to inhale a bunch of things that are bad for you. Even if tobacco was perfectly healthy, it has other issues. It ruins your sense of taste, making foods bland. Many people dislike the smell. And smoking just one cigarette a day requires near-superhuman willpower. It would likely become an expensive habit.
- nawitus 13y ago
  >One can get nicotine through e-cigs, patches, or gum. There's no need to inhale a bunch of things that are bad for you. Yes. I didn't argue for nicotine consumption through smoking. >It ruins your sense of taste, making foods bland. I don't think smoking one cigarette a day does this. Do you have a source for that claim? >Many people dislike the smell. And smoking just one cigarette a day requires near-superhuman willpower. It would likely become an expensive habit. I agree that smoking pack a day is pretty expensive and unhealthy. So if someone smokes a cigarette a day and doesn't start smoking more than that, then that person is smoking a cigarette per day. Some who smoke one cigarette per day will start smoke more, some will not.
deleted 13y ago
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tghw 13y ago
Actually, light smoking is almost as harmful as heavier smoking. Going from zero to one cigarettes is much worse than going from one to two.
- nawitus 13y ago
  Do you have a source for that?
  - iamjustin 13y ago
    http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/14/5/315.full http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/14/5/315.full http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mens_Health_Watch/2012/May/light-smoking-dangerous-in-any-dose http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mens_Healt... You can find more with a simple search on Google. I used, "light smoking, dangerous".
    - nawitus 13y ago
      1-4 cigarettes does not equal 1 cigarette per day.
      - iamjustin 13y ago
        I really don't care. If you want to believe that you're not hurting yourself by smoking a cigarette a day, that's your prerogative. Ask any doctor and they'll tell you different though.
iamjustin 13y ago
Even one cigarette a day is harmful to your health.

by nawitus 13y ago

DanBC 13y ago

(I accidentally downvoted you. Sorry.) Buying cigarettes means giving money to tobacco companies. I firmly believe these are an example of corporations bein evil - which I understand is a controversial opinion on HN. The tactics (spread fear and misunderstanding; discredit your oponents) have been taken up by other campaign groups (eg, anti climate change groups) often using the same scientists for hire. "Vaping" avoids most of the social stigma of smoking and if you buy carefully you avoid giving money to tobacco companies.

eli 13y ago
I think there's still a pretty significant stigma against smoking an e-cig in public, but I guess YMMV.
- DanBC 13y ago
  I agree. I like the fact that some people are careful about where and when they "vape" - not in feont of children, not around people eating etc etc.
a8da6b0c91d 13y ago
> Vaping Nicotine on its own is vasoconstrictive. The compounds in tobacco smoke altogether are dialative. Tobacco smoke has MOAB agonists and aromatase inhibitors. Tobacco smoke lowers serotonin sensitivity while I don't think pure nicotine does this. Vaping is really not a substitute for tobacco smoke as it is missing a bunch of chemicals.

mortov 13y ago

You sound like a 1950's Doctor paid by the tobacco industry. Are you serious or did I miss a <satire> tag ?

ggreer 13y ago

One can get nicotine through e-cigs, patches, or gum. There's no need to inhale a bunch of things that are bad for you. Even if tobacco was perfectly healthy, it has other issues. It ruins your sense of taste, making foods bland. Many people dislike the smell. And smoking just one cigarette a day requires near-superhuman willpower. It would likely become an expensive habit.

nawitus 13y ago
>One can get nicotine through e-cigs, patches, or gum. There's no need to inhale a bunch of things that are bad for you. Yes. I didn't argue for nicotine consumption through smoking. >It ruins your sense of taste, making foods bland. I don't think smoking one cigarette a day does this. Do you have a source for that claim? >Many people dislike the smell. And smoking just one cigarette a day requires near-superhuman willpower. It would likely become an expensive habit. I agree that smoking pack a day is pretty expensive and unhealthy. So if someone smokes a cigarette a day and doesn't start smoking more than that, then that person is smoking a cigarette per day. Some who smoke one cigarette per day will start smoke more, some will not.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

tghw 13y ago

Actually, light smoking is almost as harmful as heavier smoking. Going from zero to one cigarettes is much worse than going from one to two.

nawitus 13y ago
Do you have a source for that?
- iamjustin 13y ago
  http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/14/5/315.full http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/14/5/315.full http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mens_Health_Watch/2012/May/light-smoking-dangerous-in-any-dose http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mens_Healt... You can find more with a simple search on Google. I used, "light smoking, dangerous".
  - nawitus 13y ago
    1-4 cigarettes does not equal 1 cigarette per day.
    - iamjustin 13y ago
      I really don't care. If you want to believe that you're not hurting yourself by smoking a cigarette a day, that's your prerogative. Ask any doctor and they'll tell you different though.

iamjustin 13y ago

Even one cigarette a day is harmful to your health.