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Poll: Do you smoke?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#121

Post by nop »

scotth wrote: post #48
Zak wrote: post #11

I have never been able to figure out what would possess a person to put something that smells like cigarette smoke in their mouth. Beyond that, most people I know who have tried smoking found the initial experience physically unpleasant (smoke burns the throat and lungs). The only explanation I'm aware of for people continuing to smoke after the first time is social pressure. From what I've observed, hackers tend to…

It only tastes unpleasant at first, then it becomes normal. I actually have an interesting story that has to do with this. Last summer I was taking a newer smoking cessation drug named Champix. The drug works by binding with the same receptors that nicotine does, and prevents nicotine from having its effect. You take this drug while continuing to smoke, and about two weeks later, cigarettes lose their lustre. You sti…

I smoked for nine years and I never really liked the taste, it only got slightly better once you got used to it but was still quite vile. Although the whole experience was pleasant and enjoyable. I suppose I could be unique in that regard, I've never tried to investigate the matter.

Kicked it cold turkey almost a year ago. :)

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#122

Post by coffeeaddicted »

dsil wrote: post #72
coffeeaddicted wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That chance to just walk out for a few minutes (or simply just to walk...) was probably the main reason I didn't want to stop smoking when I still worked for companies. I just find it hard solving some problems while sitting at a desk - can't help it. Once I started working from home it was suddenly no longer such a problem to stop smoking. Now when I feel like it I just stand up and walk around the room. No more nee…

I feared the same thing when I stopped smoking, but I found, to my great surprise, it's actually possible to get up from your desk and go for a little walk WITHOUT smoking.

Probably it is - it just takes more confidence.

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#123

Post by sho »

lacker wrote: post #116
sho wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fuck off.

I don't support his spamming these threads but honestly, "quit smoking" is possibly the best advice you will ever get. Just because of the odds of lung cancer killing you. It's hard to argue with the logic that asks, is it really worth it? I admit, smoking is fun, feels good, enhances your social life, and makes you lose weight. But even so it's asking a lot to make that trade off against your health.

Do you really think I haven't heard that before? That I am not completely informed of the risks?

Even a pack-a-day smoker is more likely to die from prostate cancer. Basically, smoking raises your (already high) chance of dying from cancer by something like 50%. I know this. I choose to make the trade-off, since I believe I have a quality of life improvement from smoking. Who knows though, I may change my mind as I get older. I doubt it though, I have too much stress.

Anyway, just spamming "quit!" messages is obnoxious and fruitless. Sorry about my equally rude reply but IMO it's justified.

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#124

Post by randallsquared »

Zak wrote: post #65
jetako wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should consider that other people have different tastes from your own. Get off your high horse.

I have. There are a great many things others enjoy that I do not, but do understand. Among them are strawberries, onions, large luxury cars and programming in Perl. There are many things I enjoy that I fully understand why others do not. Among them are India pale ale, hot peppers, minimalist sports cars and programming in Lisp. There are certain things some people enjoy that I do not understand the appeal of. Among t…

There are certain things some people enjoy that I do not understand the appeal of. Among those are smoking cigarettes, drinking urine and self-flagellation.

Wow. One of these things is not like the others... I mean, drinking urine?!

:)

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#125

Post by sho »

menloparkbum wrote: post #106
sho wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alan Carr's "quit smoking the easy way." Read it, actually. Great book. But the problem is, I don't want to quit. I like smoking! It's part of me. I feel no need to justify it. Obviously I am concerned about the health effects but do try and mitigate where I can, plus have some faith that cures will emerge. Don't really know what else to say. Oh yes, do-gooders.. I hate those do-gooders too. However, I'm in Australia…

If I remember in the book he says his technique won't work unless you want to quit. How much are cigs in Australia these days? I just noticed the ones I used to smoke here in SF are up to 7 dollars a pack at my corner store. ($5.50 when I quit) I had the opposite experience in Japan. I smoked the most there. The smokes were cheap and you could smoke nearly anywhere. It was weird if you didn't smoke - and this wasn't…

A 20-pack is around AUD$10. The exchange rate varies but basically you can consider that equivalent to $10 USD to us. Very high. Still, not high enough to deter me : )

Yeah, Japan is fantastic, that's half the reason I moved there : ) Smoking section in McDonalds! Awesome! Prices there are 320Y for a 20-pack. I get my friends to send me cartons when they remember, but it's no big deal.

JP is beginning to succumb to westerner tastes, though, so looks like the next stop might be China.

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#126

Post by randallsquared »

staunch wrote: post #42
brianmckenzie wrote: post #16

I smoke on and off - tend to quit for awhile then start again. Back when I was doing full-time office-style programming gigs, I found it a good excuse to go outside and walk around if I was stuck on some particular problem, and it always worked wonders in that regard. That being said, It's a nasty/expensive habit and I don't recommend it to anyone. Anecdotal evidence: of the 600 or so people at the last startup schoo…

I was working at a well respected hacker company for a brief period. Out of something like 200 people in the office I was the only smoker as far as I could tell. Ever since I've considered it a reasonable way to judge a company. Maybe a good interview question: "So, how many of your programmers smoke?"

You smoke, and you consider having few smokers as a good metric of company worth? Hm.

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#127

Post by randallsquared »

tsally wrote: post #107
niels_olson wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should stop smoking. If you are ready to quit, http://www.smokefree.gov/

I understand you're passionate about this issue, but you've really got to stop flooding the conversation threads with your postings. I don't object to one or two, or even more than that. However you've posted a ton of similar one liners with no sign of slowing down.

If people go and look at their comment threads as often as I do (to see if there have been replies), this tactic is more likely to be effective here on HN, as opposed to sites that notify you when there's been a reply so that you only look then.

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#128

Post by randallsquared »

markessien wrote: post #55
zitterbewegung wrote: post #7

It would be very detrimental for me to smoke because of the fact that I have asthma.

Actually, if you smoked for 3 months steady, depending on the asthma type you have, your symptoms will get better. Coating your lungs in ash makes them less sensitive to the usual allergens.

Yeah, my roommate smokes, but used to have asthma. It seemed quite bizarre.

Re: Poll: Do you smoke?

#130

Post by asciilifeform »

edw519 wrote: post #25
vaksel wrote: post #4

Another thing you need to take into consideration is the person's age. The younger people grew up during the anti-smoking health scare, so they aren't as likely to be smoking

Warning messages have been on cigarette packs since 1966.

I think it might be more due to the younger generation(s) being the first to see a large number of older smokers live long enough en masse to get lung cancer.
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