chipcom 

Wrong. There is a big difference between something that 'increases your risk' if death or disease, and something that has an almost certain causal effect. Smoking increases your risk...putting a loaded gun to your head and pulling the trigger carries much more certainty. That you don't know the difference at your alleged old age is a pity.

Unknown Cyclist

Sorry to hear about your friend

Ed in GA

Quite Frankly, you remind me of a book that Ron White wrote. EOS

chipcom 

I get that a lot...it don't change the truth of what I said. Or can you show me one study that says with certainty that SMOKING WILL KILL YOU? You can't, and trying to dispute that smoking 'increases risk' or trying to equate increased risk with certainty only makes you look silly. So would you like to withdraw gracefully, or continue this silly charade?

As someone who smoked for 40 years, I can tell you this...the fear-mongering propaganda like yours prompted the rebel in me, it didn't make me want to quit. I quit because I wanted to...in spite of my tendency to rebel against brown-shirt pressure and scare tactics. You really wanna help people...tell the the truth and refrain from the fear-mongering rhetoric, you'll see better results.

Unknown Cyclist

Hi Chipcom,

I'm sure you are right about causal effects.

When you say " Smoking increases your risk", what does it increase your risk of - exactly ?

daredevil

OK, let's hear from all the ex-smokers then. Any of you pretty certain you wouldn't be hit with cancer or lung disease when you smoked because it just couldn't happen to you?

Unknown Cyclist

Maybe the ones who believe they are exempt from the repercussions are less likely to quit ?

Maybe the quitters are the ones who are bright enough to realise it will kill them ?

(don't worry nightshade, I'm not talking about you)

chipcom 

It increases your risk of heart disease, lung disease, cancer, etc. But again, increasing risk is not certainty. My risk as a smoker was what, roughly 20% higher than that of a non smoker? Putting a loaded gun to my head and pulling the trigger increases my risk of death by bullet 99% compared to someone who ain't so stoopid.

Ironically my lung capacity was 10% higher than the average non-smoker - should I use that to claim that smoking can increase one's lung capacity? I don't think so.

It's been pretty much a no-brainer since long before any studies were done that inhaling smoke of any kind probably ain't real good for you lungs. Smoker's know the risk...and like any addict, trying to bully them with inflated facts and overblown rhetoric isn't going to make them change their ways. Nobody changes until they want to change...until they hit bottom. All you can do is present them with truth and give them support when they finally hit bottom and want to quit. THAT is my entire point of blowing up here...you guys are being counter productive to your 'cause'.

chipcom 

Ain't no different than any addict...those that quit are those who finally decide they want to quit...many because they hit bottom.

Unknown Cyclist

You really think that is 'the list' ?

sknhgy 

Hey Cycloco,
You never did say how long you've been off cigarettes. I'm very curious because at one time I weaned off from a pack/day down to 3-4 cigs/day. I went like that for probably a couple of months. Then, one day, I just grabbed a pack and went back to my usual pack/day. I contend that once you are addicted to a substance, you must either abstain or "feed the monkey."

FWIW, the reason I finally quit was I spent a whole butt-load of money on periodontal treatments (to correct gum disease brought on by smoking) and the doc said the treatments likely would not work if I kept on smoking. So, it was fear of losing my choppers, not my lungs, that got me to quit.

PNYEXPS

I quit 3 months ago. I want to be around for my kids. I'm 38 and my youngest is 6 months. So even if I didn't end up with the big "C" my quality of life would be degraded.

My cycling has degraded. I've gained 15lbs. If I don't stop eating I'm going to need to trade the bicycle in for a tricycle. (With a side car for the twinkies.)

daredevil

I say to hell with worrying about the weight for a while. Once you get the smoking under control, you can deal with the weight. If you have the self discipline to quit smoking, the weight will be a piece of cake but one step at a time. That philosophy worked for me anyway.

bcarter6

an extra 15-20 pounds is nowhere near as bad for you as smoking. After a while, my appetite reset itself back to normal. I didn't gain too much weight, only about 10 pounds, and I was able to lose it again pretty quickly. But don't sweat the weight, the more your lungs heal, the more enjoyable biking will be which means it won't be that much of a pain to lose the weight. It all works out.

joe_5700

Are you a former smoker? Having smoked a few does not count...

chipcom 

Who cares? You can cloud the issue with all the lists in the world, it don't change the FACT that smoking merely increases your risk for whatever you want to put on your list. Everytime you post nonsense you increase your risk of getting my boot up your butt...yet you continue to post...what makes you different than a smoker?

chipcom 

Just eat that great stuff you'll be coughing up for a bit....it's kinda chewy, so you'll burn calories as you chew...so you got that going for you.

Seriously, quit eating junk and start eating good stuff like fruits and veggies...then try to scale back the volume over time as you overcome the urge to have something in your mouth and/or to use food as a sub for the feel of smoke filling your lungs.

flattie

I rarely post - more of a lurker but felt compelled to weigh in. I started smoking cigarettes for no good reason when I was 18 or 19. There were some half hearted attempts to quit and once I lasted almost a year before picking up the habit again. Working very close to the WTC and breathing in a ton of junk also made it easy to rationalize that if anything was going to make me sick it would be from breathing that stuff in not smoking - yeah stupid rationalization on my part.

In Jan of 2007 a friend and co-worker went to the hospital due to continual headaches - it turned out to be a tumor that had spread from cancer in his lungs. I visited him in Sloan Kettering a few days before his surgery - the look on his face was enough to cause me to quit cold turkey right there. Kevins surgery was successful but he ultimately lost his battle with cancer 2 days after Christmas in 2007. Go in peace Kevin you have been missed by many. Yes Kevin smoked but he also inhaled a lot of the dust from the WTC - we'll likely never know for sure what caused his illness - he was 44 yrs old.

So I'm smoke free for 2 years and a couple of months at this point. I gained about 25 lbs but I'm feeling much better about myself. I am exercising - mostly by biking - and as I approach my 40th birthday I've decided to attempt the Montauk Century in May after 20 years of smoking and no exercise. If anyone from BF participates I'll be the fat ******* on the black/grey Raleigh m20 MTB plodding along. I'm pretty sure I can make the distance - just not sure of how long it will take...

Kevins problems put a lot of things in perspective for me and everyone has to make their own decisions in life. My sister still smokes - but I don't give her any crap about it - she knows what happened to my friend and co-worker and she knows that her niece and nephew along with the rest of our family would like for her to quit but ultimately it's her decision. If you quit for someone else you'll likely fail - you need to quit for yourself.

So for me quitting has been tremendously positive in that I'm exercising again after a 20 year hiatus. Will I regain the shape I was in when I played football and rugby - not likely but that's not my goal. I'm 255 down from 275 on my way to 220 by this time next year.

Denny Koll

I'm an ex-smoker.

Chip is right that there is no certainty that you will suffer and die from smoking.

It has been proven, however, that not wearing a helmet leads to either death or permanent brain damage.

So smoking is the lesser of the two evils.

chipcom 

I guess I am in the permanent brain damage group for the last 40 years or so, eh?

Unknown Cyclist

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but it's readily apparent to everyone else.

chipcom 

Yet I've pwned you multiple times now...how embarrassed are you!

Unknown Cyclist

Yes, embarrassed for you.

It's not a competition., but thanks for showing your true colours.

You really think being rude and abusive 'proves' any point ?

Trying to 'win' an argument by force in an online forum is pathetic.

Sad, very sad.

chipcom 

Well considering that you have yet to effectively refute any of the points I have made, your pathetic seems to be staring back at you in the mirror. Yes it is a competition...you spout nonsense, others refute your nonsense, you fail to support your nonsense, you lose. Now perhaps, again, you'd like to try to support your nonsense with something factual, rather than silly rhetoric, deflecting the debate to things like my personality or meaningless lists. Can you salvage what is left of your credibility by citing one, just one, authoritative source that claims that smoking WILL cause health problems? This is like your third 'do-over', you won't get a fourth.

I see you didn't have much luck here (https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/520919-am-i-ignorant-i-am-rude.html) either.

daredevil

My vote fwiw, chip wins.