Smoking, cancer and who is in control

Do you have a vice? I am sure you have worried about the consequences of nicotine if you are a smoker.  So here is a view on smoking and cancer, and at at which point you ‘cross the line’.

I have quit smoking before, sometimes for two years at a time.  And at peak, I can smoke a pack every two days.  Not too bad, right?  Starting at 14 years old. So I have smoked let’s say 2 packs a month for 32 years. That’s 768 packs.

The number of packs you can smoke until you are at risk of getting cancer

Dr Glenn Herman’s calculation basically says that after 3,650 packs there are cancer problems.

Before we advertised the link between smoking and cancer, we advertised smoking as an inspirational habit
Although this advert seems ludicrous in today’s times, I was sold this joy of smoking growing up

I have 2,882 packs still to smoke 😊! Seriously, I am not drinking or smoking at the moment. Unfortunately I know this is unlikely to be permanent. But I do want to remind myself how less tethered I feel. Vices tend to give, and then take even more away.

Here is an another interesting discussion on the topic of smoking and cancer on Quora:  How many cigarettes a day cause cancer?

Why I would smoke again

I often feel I am just being human, with all my failures, and I am simply dealing with the highs and lows during my day.  There are so many other things I am trying to control – my moods, my drinking, my exercise, my food. Having a ciggie reminds me of my rebellious teenage phase, where I was far removed from ‘adulting’.

So I must please please remember that cigarettes are fun until they start controlling me.  And of course, I am working up to my threshold, where smoking and cancer risk becomes a real problem.

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