That I enjoy moderate smoking is no surprise to anyone that visits this blog. It is the reason I never thought about quitting but I must admit I was tempted to in the late 90s early 00s as I got more drawn into the propaganda. It was only when it started to become nasty that I dug my heels in and vowed never to quit.
Despite the marginalisation of smokers like me who won't give up, I'm glad I still smoke because research has told me that the issue isn't black and white - especially for people like me who have smoked over a lifetime.
And in risking the abuse from an anonymous poster on this blog, I will repeat that I simply don't see smokers dropping dead around me. Most of the people I have known in my life of my generation who smoked are still alive and if they died it was for other reasons. Sorry anon - but it is a fact.
With the issue bugging the hell out of me today, I was very interested to read THIS over at Smoking out the Truth.
I will just say that my own foray into research showed me the same thing and I completely agree with the blog post including the fact that on active smoking my jury is still also out. The rest I'll leave to Grandad.
Some years ago, for reasons now forgotten, I gave up smoking altogether. Within days I came down with a bad chest infection. That was followed by a very sore throat which in turn led to more chest infections. I though initially that it could be a reaction to quitting but the infections continued. One day I asked my doctor if it was coincidence that the deterioration in my health coincided with quitting the pipe. He shuffled uncomfortably and admitted that yes, it wasn’t a coincidence and that I wasn’t to tell a soul he said that. A while later, for other reasons I went back on the pipe and the illnesses immediately stopped. This was my first real insight into the possibility that they weren’t being strictly honest about the dangers.
My jury is still out on the dangers of smoking itself. I have discovered that it has many beneficial effects such as reducing obesity, protecting against colitis, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and, for some women, a lower incidence of breast cancer. I have discovered that all the initial research into tobacco vs cancer had gaping holes that would discredit any serious research. I have discovered that research has been driven not by a quest for truth but by a religious zeal to ban smoking altogether.
My investigations into second hand smoking are a slightly different kettle of fish. I have discovered that ALL the current ‘proof’ of the harm is derived from false analysis of figures, distortion of statistics and downright lies. I have not found a single piece of research anywhere that proves that second hand smoke is harmful. To the contrary, I have discovered that it may even have slight beneficial effects. The whole concept of second hand smoke was invented to divide society. Nothing more, nothing less.