[nursinghumor]

Originally Posted by nurse1stik

It is hard (for me) to say that and make a difference is what I should have said. Because it is legal and it is hard (for me) to believe something as addictive as that is legal. It is hard (for me) to understand why alcohol is legal.. Hope that helps!
:luck:

Just because something legal, doesn't make it safe.

Cocaine was once legal, till they learned how dangerous it was.

If you read up on nicotine, you'll learn quite a bit on how addictive it is.

Is nicotine addictive? National Institute on Drug Abuse:"Yes. Most smokers use tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health consequences. It is well documented that most smokers identify tobacco use as harmful and express a desire to reduce or stop using it, and nearly 35 million of them want to quit each year. Unfortunately, only about 6 percent of people who try to quit are successful for more than a month."
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institutes of Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 5213
Bethesda, MD 20892-9561
U.S.A
E-mail information@nida.nih.gov or call 301-443-1124
http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchrepo...html#addictive

You'll learn how cigarette companies have worked hard, to make them "extremely" addictive and difficult to quit.


Sincerely,

Andrew Lopez, RN
Nursefriendly, Inc. A New Jersey Corporation.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua New Jersey 08051
http://www.4nursing.com info@nursefriendly.com ICQ #6116137, AOL “nursefriendly”
856-415-9617, (fax) 415-9618

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[hsieh]

the man i'm speaking of is 41 years old. my boss said if he got pneumonia he would probably die. yeah cocain, lsd, marijuana used to be legal. not driving with a seatbelt used to be legal. i think humanity has to move on and ban nicotine. sure you can smoke a cigarette but it would be illegal to have nicotine in it. and if there's no nicotine in the cigarette people will eventually give it up. it's not the cigarette itself - it's the devil nicotine in it. the tabacco companies purposely put it in to get people to buy their products.

[MagRedC5]

The tobacco industry via lobbyist, etc. will never succumb to smoking becoming illegal. However, I'm all in favor of banning tobacco products. Yet, I can't see that ever happening D/T $$$ that would be lost. On the flip side, think of the reduction in health cost in the long term if tobacco was banned.

Yes, the nicotine in cigarettes are addictive... FACT! BTW, nobody [IMHO] is judging here. Does smoking make the individual a bad person? Of course not! Does contaminating my air with second hand smoke make that smoker a bad person? Of course not! However, does the non-smoker have a right to expect to be able to eat in smoke-free restaurant? YES!

I'm not one to compare apples to oranges, sports cars to muscle cars, American football to English football, etc. So, why does the issue of obesity & alcohol abuse/alcoholism seem to always creep into conversations about smoking? I seldom drink alcohol, but some benefits can be had such as from red wine. Plus, except for driving under the influence, alcohol does not harm others like cigarette smoking does with second hand smoke.

Yes, obesity can be considered an addiction. However, usually treat the underlying problem [depression, loneliness, etc.] along with changes in lifestyle regards to eating & exercise you can beat it. Yet, I don't know if obesity is an actual chemical addiction like nicotine.

Again, remember non-smokers don't hate the smoker... they hate the effects smoking has on EVERYBODY.

[Marie_LPN]

We can choose to eat the blizzard when we are already 100# overwieght, smoke the cigarette when already on O2, or drink when there are three DWI already under our belts.

I have to agree with this. For things like cigarettes and fattening foods, we know, we have proof what it causes and what it does to us. It is up to the individual on whether they say yes or no.

[MagRedC5]

Originally Posted by Marie_LPN

I have to agree with this. For things like cigarettes and fattening foods, we know, we have proof what it causes and what it does to us. It is up to the individual on whether they say yes or no.

Very true, no one can make another individual stop but the actual individual.

[hsieh]

ok go ahead and smoke but don't ask for my tax dollars to pay for your treatment or rehab or prescriptions for lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, copd, emphysema, oxygen, inhalers, etc. if you want to smoke then you and you alone pay the big bill that comes with it.

[hfergrn]

As long as I'm not asked to pay for the end stage liver pt's treatment, or the comatosed pt from drinking too much. There are so many ways to look at things and many reasons not to agree with each one. This forum has been great without people getting defensive or rude....says alot for us as a group.

Unfortunately, we are going to continue to pay for others choices. I see everyday the "vegetative" babies that are born to mothers that abused drugs while pregnant. These little ones will live until they are 50 because there is nothing wrong with their heart, but their brains are mush. Since the mom is not fit to handle the care, the baby goes into foster care where there are minimal number of qualified caregivers to care for a trach baby. The state will pay for the babies medical coverage for the rest of his life and the monthly cost of caring for him. This is only after the $1.5 million hospital bill at birth.

[MagRedC5]

Originally Posted by hfergrn

As long as I'm not asked to pay for the end stage liver pt's treatment, or the comatosed pt from drinking too much. There are so many ways to look at things and many reasons not to agree with each one. This forum has been great without people getting defensive or rude....says alot for us as a group.

Unfortunately, we are going to continue to pay for others choices. I see everyday the "vegetative" babies that are born to mothers that abused drugs while pregnant. These little ones will live until they are 50 because there is nothing wrong with their heart, but their brains are mush. Since the mom is not fit to handle the care, the baby goes into foster care where there are minimal number of qualified caregivers to care for a trach baby. The state will pay for the babies medical coverage for the rest of his life and the monthly cost of caring for him. This is only after the $1.5 million hospital bill at birth.

My main issue is the second hand smoke consequence suffered by non-smokers. However, you are correct in that we ALL $$$ for bad health choices made by some of our patients.

This forum has been great without people getting defensive or rude....says alot for us as a group.

:cheers:

[cassioo]

Originally Posted by MagRedC5

My main issue is the second hand smoke consequence suffered by non-smokers. However, you are correct in that we ALL $$$ for bad health choices made by some of our patients.

This forum has been great without people getting defensive or rude....says alot for us as a group.

:cheers:

and bad choices of our co-workers also. I work in KY which is land of cheap smokes and farmers still plant a tobacco base. They have a city law now for no smoking in resturants but we still have a smoking area for staff in a closed in gazebo in winter (the plastic comes off in summer). We have to walk up 60 steps from the parking lot to the building and if you follow a smoker in you get to breath it to or stand at the bottom of the steps when it's 20 degrees and wait for the smoke to clear. I think a CEO is going to get a letter soon about how much sense that makes.

[hfergrn]

As I am in KY, I know what you mean. It all comes down to responsibility. Take responsibility for your actions!!! My favorite is the asthma kid in the ICU who's parents keep going outside for a smoke.
Wasn't there something in the news about some states making it an offense to smoke in the presence of children. I know PA has something about that while in a car....