Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

Filed under "Scientists discover water is wet." Well, yes, not surprisingly, most people probably do not begin smoking cigarettes by beginning the first day with four packs. They begin by doing so occasionally, and perhaps as kids they could only snatch the occasional smoke.

[nukeday]

Big difference between physical addiction and a mental addiction (better known as a habit).

Obviously a cigarette a month will not get you physically addicted to nicotine (I've heard it takes about 13 a day). Like cocaine or heroin (you'd need multiple daily uses), it actually takes quite a bit to start a physical addiction. much less to get "hooked" in the sense of a habit, which eventually leads to the physical addiction.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

For about ten years, I would have one or two cigarettes a week. I would enjoy a cigarette with a beer and that would be it; if I tried a second smoke, I would feel a little sick. People would tell me to fight past it and after a while I could smoke as much as I liked in a night---um, why?

It is possible to be a very occasional smoker and not become addicted. Certainly, the odds are against this, but to me the study is misleading. It's like the study that found 2/5 of workplace accidents happen on Monday and Friday-- which is 2/5 of the workweek.

[Mariella713]

I started smoking at 15 (yes yes...it was stupid) and had about 1 a month. After several months I was on about 10 a day, then I noticed my teeth were turning yellow so I only had 2 per week. By the time I was 17 I wasn't really smoking at all, maybe once every couple of months socially. A lot of young kids say "I'M ADDICTED" but majority of the time it's a mental, not physical addiction for most of them at that age in my opinion.

[DM24]

there are a few friends of mine who smoke socially (ie when they're at a party or bar) and that's it and they're not addicted. i kinda agree that a lot of smoking can be mental. in the beginning stages sometimes it's more of a habit than an addiction

[Koveras]

Tobacco is like many other drugs - used properly, the good can outweigh the bad. Mind you I said tobacco, not cigarettes.