Too old to smoke? I actually intend on starting smoking again once my health really takes a turn. Probably some time in my 80's I hope...

So many folks I know say this...cracks me up

Good for you.

Pot, loud music, and indiscriminate sex.

Cant believe I left your second off my list. Nothing like some death metal to get ya going in the morning

on my first race, i started behind a guy who had a pack of marlboros in his jersey pocket.

i finished before him.

Well yeah, those smokes weighed him down.

I suspect the answer has more to do with history than anything else. The language of "recovery" is very much tied to Alcoholics Anonymous and twelve step programs. The language around smoking is probably more influenced by the tobacco industry's need to characterize it as a "habit" that can be broken with will power.

Smoking might be worse health wise but I have yet to meet a smoker that lost his job because of his habbit or seen a "smoking driver" kill sombody because they were impaired from the niccotine.

Food for thought.

Cigarettes: filthy habit, glad I quit and I feel much better for it.
Alcohol: It's never been my thing. Drank when I partied but quickly realized the slippery slope and stopped drinking in excess. Now I have a beer or two at social gatherings and that's it.
Illegal Drugs: I enjoyed pot, felt great and had fun with my friends. I don't smoke that anymore either but mostly because I'm a parent and don't socialize with many people who still do. However if I'm at a party and someone passes a spliff then it's on.

:D

That feeds even more into the confusion.

True, all the language is just odd, given the characteristic of the two habits.

Tobacco use causes more deaths per year than those related to alcohol use, including accidents: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_14.pdf

Just sayin'...

Perhaps for you but not for me.
'Ex-smoker' acknowledges that cigarettes are/were a part of your life.
'Non-smoker' is another level of independence. I don't pine. I pity.

And anyone calling cigarettes a 'habit' is lucky. It's not a habit for many people. It's a serious addiction.

But, if you were a 'Non-drinker' everyone would assume you were an alcoholic at one time, or a Mormon.

Oh, and good work on quitting.

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. But from what I've seen and heard, alcoholics get very very into it. They drink like smokers smoke. But they're ingesting a lot of alcohol. Enough to be constantly mind altering in a significant way. Their hygene, diet, and ability to perform small motor tasks will suffer significantly: In other words they'll look "plastered." The effect that has on the body is huge.

By contrast a smoker is addicted, but their smoking mostly just makes them smell like cigarettes and maybe suffer from mildly higher blood pressure. They're not drowning their liver or brain in nicotine. They're drowning their lungs in tar, very slowly.

I would definitely say that smoking is more unhealthy than drinking. But being an alcoholic I would guess is worse. I'd certainly rather be married to a smoker than an alcoholic. Although my wife is neither and I appreciate that very much.

I'm not a medical professional.

Oh oh I know! It's: Stupid big number compared to the Earth's circumference which the average person has no concept of the size of.

I started cycling to quit smoking. Haven't quit yet, but I assume that I'm better of than if I just smoked and didn't exercise. Once my legs were in better shape than my lungs, I started having hernia and knee problems, so I'm still having trouble riding hard enough to really slay my lungs during rides, which really helps me in not wanting to smoke anymore.

I drink plenty, but good beer is one of my true loves, so there's no guilt there. Luckily, I'm not predisposed to alcoholism. If only quitting smoking was as easy.

^ nice name

Come on smokey - get with the program. I already answered that. 9,656,064 millimeters...otherwise known as 6 miles. I would be up to ~6.5 if I hadn't have quit. :)

I think the point is that cigarettes only kill the user (ignoring 2nd hand smoke issues), while alcoholism often kills innocent bystanders (and cyclists).

i drink too much.

Always worth re-posting

Down to about 4 a day, cigs not beer. Well okay, beer too.

Food in mass quantities... if it's there, I'm eating it...

But, genetics are on my side. Almost 30 and I at 6'1 I weight about 175 lbs. Very lean. What scares me is what's going on with my arteries... I guess it's a good thing I stay active. If my metabolism comes to a screeching halt as many tell me it will, I suppose I will have to calm my eating habits but I freakin love food...