Smoking Cigarettes - Is It Worse to Smoke Half a Cigarette?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the health implications of smoking cigarettes, specifically the practice of smoking only half a cigarette and saving the other half for later. Participants explore various aspects of smoking, including addiction, health risks, and personal habits, while also touching on related topics such as nicotine's potential effects on diseases and comparisons with other substances like cigars and cannabis.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that smoking only half a cigarette may lead to increased levels of tar and toxins in the remaining portion, implying it might be better to discard it and light a new one.
  • Others argue that the amount of smoke inhaled is the primary concern, with some technical nuances regarding nicotine diffusion being mentioned but not deemed significant.
  • There are personal anecdotes about the struggles of addiction and the financial burden of smoking, with one participant noting that they smoke half a cigarette due to cost issues.
  • Some participants discuss the potential health effects of nicotine, with one referencing research suggesting it may have protective effects against diseases like Parkinson's, while another questions the validity of such claims.
  • Comparisons are made between smoking cigarettes and cigars, with some suggesting that cigars may be less harmful if not inhaled, while others note that both can cause health issues.
  • There is a discussion about cannabis smoking, with conflicting views on its dangers compared to tobacco, citing research that suggests it may be equally or more harmful.
  • Participants express their views on the social perceptions of smoking, with some questioning why people start smoking despite its known health risks.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views and remains unresolved on several points, particularly regarding the health implications of smoking half a cigarette, the effects of nicotine, and the comparisons with other substances. There is no consensus on whether smoking half a cigarette is better or worse than smoking a whole one.

Contextual Notes

Participants express various assumptions about health risks, addiction, and social perceptions of smoking, but these are not universally agreed upon. The discussion includes anecdotal evidence and references to research without definitive conclusions.

  • #31
Evo said:
If a person can't control themself and not smoke for the time it takes to eat a meal, they need to be shot. :smile:

:smile: :smile: That was priceless ! :smile: :smile:
 
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  • #32
I don't mind if people smoke, as long as they understand how they affect other people. In their home, I have no say. But if I am paying for food, I have a right to taste it and not their smoke. I know smokers who are extremely considerate and realize this and act accordingly.
 
  • #33
Evo said:
Ok, I'm not serious about shooting them. My point is, they have no right to destroy the environment for the people around them for a personal vice.


Evo; but what you say about car fumes, I think fumes are killing many more people than smoking ever does.
 
  • #34
Evo; but what you say about car fumes, I think fumes are killing many more people than smoking ever does.

Tobacco is the cause of 1 out of 5 deaths. I don't have the exact statistics, but I don't think car fumes kill more people than smoking.

Also, smoking is a needless and deadly habit. Though driving can be deadly, it is certainly needed.
 
  • #35
I agree we need automobles, but not those huge vans,pick -ups or suv's.
Regarding tobbaco,we can blame N.S American Indians for giving Europeans peace pipes to smoke.. :wink:
 
  • #36
Ivan Seeking said:
You should have been a Californian. I think you have to register with the local police as a PC offender if you smoke there. :biggrin:

And even after California did that, business owners in other states are still putting up a fuss about going smoke-free! Then again, I think those signs everywhere in CA telling you that something is cancer causing everywhere you go are way overboard. Anyway, businesses keep saying how they'll lose business if they have to go smoke-free. But, if it's just the law, then it's not like the smokers are going to go next door to a restaurant that does allow smoking. And, they seem to be forgetting us non-smokers who would start frequenting the place if we weren't subjected to the smoke. I really can't eat in a place where someone is smoking. Having to smell it for that long gives me a headache.
 
  • #37
I agree we need automobles, but not those huge vans,pick -ups or suv's.

Vans - I guess you don't have a family, so you won't understand the need of carrying children, relatives and friends.

Pick-ups - Oh, so you suggest they throw that collection of dirt and brick into that Honda Civic?

SUV - Would you like them to trek mountains and rough terrain with a Toyota Camry? Be sure to tell them that if you ever need rescuing.
 
  • #38
Dagenais said:
Tobacco is the cause of 1 out of 5 deaths. I don't have the exact statistics, but I don't think car fumes kill more people than smoking.

Also, smoking is a needless and deadly habit. Though driving can be deadly, it is certainly needed.

I have heard many reports stating that breathing in polluted cities is like smoking a pack a day. I remember that when I was a kid, a large percentage of children in the San Fernando Valley of California [North Los Angeles] were found to have black lung disease.
 
  • #39
tumor said:
Evo; but what you say about car fumes, I think fumes are killing many more people than smoking ever does.
I'm referring to "personal" environment as in trying to eat in a room full of cigarette smoke. Try eating lunch with your face next to the exhaust of a running car.
 
  • #40
tumor said:
You know, I have tried patches($$$) but still could not make it without real thing.
I have this far out theory, because nicotine stimulates nervous system and I have Epilepsy, maybe what I do is self medicating my self?
Just like animals in wild when sick, to get better they eat unconciously specific plants (herbs).

If it was just self-medicating your epilepsy, then shouldn't the patches have done just as good of a job as smoking? Is there any evidence of nicotine reducing epilepsy symptoms?

It doesn't sound like you're really ready to quit yet, you're still making excuses for why you're smoking. When you really want to quit, only then will you have a chance of it working. I think you need to find a reason why being a non-smoker would be good rather than reasons why smoking is bad for a person to be really motivated to quit.
 
  • #41
A buddy of mine hates cigarette smoke but sees no harn in breathing smoke from the BBQ grille. Tried to explain that just as WOOD alcohol is more dangerous than corn alcohol ...
 
  • #42
Moonbear said:
If it was just self-medicating your epilepsy, then shouldn't the patches have done just as good of a job as smoking? Is there any evidence of nicotine reducing epilepsy symptoms?
.

Dohh!
Anyway, maybe my body also needs little bit of tar,benzene,hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. :wink:
 
  • #43
tumor said:
Anyway, maybe my body also needs little bit of tar,benzene,hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. :wink:

Well it didn't originally need tar, benzene, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. If you want to stop, you need to avoid smoking. I was stuck in a foreign country a while ago with no flight to get home and I felt like smoking, and I have never smoked and promised myself I never would! And I am only 16. So the point is stay away from smoking areas as much as possible and try and stay relaxed.

I probably should have said this earlier but heck, here it is.

The Bob (2004 ©)

P.S. Benzene. I know what that is. You find it in crude oil and it is used in pesticides. Disgusting. Don't want to go to the carbon monoxide. YOu know what and where it come from.
 
  • #44
Allright,time for cigarette break :approve:
 
  • #45
I would recommend NRT as an alternative.
 
  • #46
Are there statistics on the rate of decline of the number of smokers in the US ? I've seen numbers for Europe/UK that say that the percentage has been halved (from nearly 50%, in 1972, to about 25%, now) over the last 3 decades. But Europe has stricter laws regulating tobacco companies than the US.

Anyone seen numbers for the US ?
 
  • #47
USA and Canadian number of smokers fell drastically,I know from personall experience but in Europe large number of people still like to puff from time to time.
 

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