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FIRST ANNIVERSARY — 2 Comments

  1. An honest article, John, for which you are to be congratulated.
    One of the huge problems that we smokers (including vapers) face is the use of language. Have you ‘fallen for it’ yourself? I quote:

    “The life saving e-cig has been utterly undermined by the tobacco control industry and a cynic might suggest that it could be because the tobacco control industry makes no money from them, but of course, I could never suggest that”. [My bold]

    At best, the phrase ‘life saving’ should read ‘death postponing’, if indeed ecigs have any affect at all on mortality. But ‘death postponing’ actually sounds not nice at all! How long do you want to suffer pain and discomfort in the last days of your life? For how long do you want to postpone your death?

    So what can I say which defends my smoking? A little bit of pleasure every time I take a puff? The calming effect when I am thinking? Am I just lucky to have survived for 79 years and to have enjoyed tobacco for about 60 of those years? Am I just lucky to have survived drinking beer, spirits and wine during much the same period of time? Should I have forgone those years and years of pleasant experiences to postpone my death – possibly?

    I think that it is important to ‘give no quarter’ on the use of language. Just refuse to accept the language of the Zealots. Every word and phrase they use is carefully considered. EG, I would never ‘quit’ smoking although I suppose there will come a time when I shall be too decrepit to bother – in which case, I might as well be dead.

    • Thank you for your comment Junican.
      I personally loved smoking and that is why I miss them so much. At sixty-two, I am at peace with the idea of my own death sometime and if I could make a wish on how, it would occur some night after an excellent meal with wine and good company, only for me to pass away peacefully in my own bed fast asleep later. I see no benefit in longevity if through debilitating illness, (cancer etc), that I end up alive for a long time without actually being able to live a life.
      The clear x-ray I got was a strong indication that I too had been fortunate. I remember Billy Connelly, that well known drunken hell raiser, being asked later in life why he’d quit alcohol. “I’ve had lots to drink,” he answered, “Now I’ll try something different.”
      But a year on, I must admit to being disappointed that I feel exactly the same as when I smoked – there has been no obvious health benefit.
      As regards e-cigs, like you over the years, I have read the science of the alleged dangers of smoking and every credible paper on the topic cites the smoke and not the tobacco or the nicotine as the risk factor. Any natural substance in nature, e.g. tobacco, has its chemical properties altered by fire. A coal fire or barbecue presents the same risks. The only credible thing about e-cigs is that there is no smoke and so none of the claimed risks from smoking. However, as I pointed out, it is like grape juice instead of a good French wine. That said, it is better than nothing and I’ll run with for a while and then possibly phase out the e-cis as well.

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