Smoking

The highlighted section was posted as a response to Alison's blog, which can be viwed at: www.badgirlbeingbad.blogspot.com

Smoking.
I think smoking really is a personal choice. We can debate about what starts it; peer pressure, social influences, sense of belonging, rebellion, fixation at anal stage, coping mechanism etc. etc. But whether we start, continue or give up, like you said, is down to making a choice and then having the will power to follow through with that choice. I am not going to jump on the band wagon and spout all the harmful effects of smoking as i think we all hear enough of that. I am an ex-smoker and like theresa, i gave up when i became pregnant, however i did start again later. When i finally gave up i did so following a chest infection that made me think about what i was doing to my body. I then took a visit to a hospital (Not necessarily recommended) After chatting with two cancer patients and seeing a few amputees, my mind was made up. The pleasure i got from smoking in the present was not worth the agony i may face later on; in my opinion. Having said that, we shouldn't make smoking a scapegoat, it isn't the only harmful crutch. Compulsive eating, binge drinking, taking drugs,making ourselves sick every time we've eaten too much aren't exactly brilliant for health either.If the rest of your lifestyle isn't healthy then just packing in the fags isn't going to make that much difference.
If you WANT to give up, arm yourself with ALL the information, weigh it up and then make a decision...you'll find it easier to do if it is your choice and you have clear reasons for making that choice. Good luck

My views on Smoking

In order to make a choice about smoking we have to know the pros and cons right?

What are the good points then? Well actually smoking has been linked to some beneficial effects, such as protection AGAINST Parkinson's Disease, Alziemer's , receding gums, Asthma, Eczema, Food allegies, Heart Attacks, Strokes and some forms of Cancer. In addition, for many, it relaxes them and relieves periods of worry and stress. It helps some people cope in ways that may otherwise see them suffering from anxiety, depression or worse. Wouldn't the costs of treating these illnesses work out just as expensive? So why don't we hear about these alleged good points about smoking? Could it be that smoking has just become the scapegoat? Can political points be scored and battles won with the upcoming smoking bans?? At the end of the day it should be a person's choice. There are risks involved in most things, a person should be able to weigh up the costs and benefits of smoking and make their own choice.

And the bad points? Well the main points against smoking are health, but can we isolate smoking as detrimental to health when we partake in so many other things that are bad for us? So non-smokers are the epitome of health are they? They never drink or indulge in fatty food, never get stressed or work long hours, never risk unprotected sex or indulge in other risky acts?? Young girls become fatal statistics every year from Anorexia and Bulimia; should we ban food? Many die each year from heart attacks and strokes bought on by stress from working too hard: will working get banned? We can but hope. What about the damage done by drinking...how come that isn't getting banned? What about the Trans fats and other crap in burgers and fast food, that lead to obesity, heart attacks and more? Why are these not banned?...because it is felt that we are all mature enough to be able to read the guidelines on managing stress, limiting drinking, eating healthily with our magic "5 portions a day" and so on blah, blah, blah. So surely people can look at the risks of smoking and manage their intake in the same way. I am not a smoker any more and haven't been for nearly 15 years but if i was i would like to be able to choose where, when and how many i smoked. You can not take away danger and risk, it is part of life. You have to let people manage it in their own way (within the law).

Follow the links in the smoking section for views on pro and anti smoking, thenyou can decide for yourself.