# Do you think some people smoke as a slow way to commit suicide **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2018, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679 "2018-10-09T00:57:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![thechangeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@thechangeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thechangeman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/41 "2018-10-10T08:13:00Z")
Some people smoke because they think it’s cool and they eventually get addicted. Some smoke because it’s a way to destress and they are heavily reliant on it. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/42 "2018-10-10T13:13:03Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > See my post. You are merely getting to the nursing home 10 years sooner. Not judging by the people I’ve known. Those who have smoked, drank, driven fast, eaten well, and all the various other things that are bad for our health have had clean quick deaths. Not a bad thing at all especially compared to my mother (who never did any of that) and has been basically a home-bound/bed-bound lump for 15 years and some of the other health nuts I’ve known who have gone the same route. Everyone is welcome to their own choices; mine fit me pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/43 "2018-10-10T14:29:47Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Is it _the_ reason? No. But I will admit to continually doing several risky things from riding motorcycles too fast to eating more kielbasa than I should because living an extra 10 years in a nursing home having my diapers changed isn’t something that appeals to me. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Non-smokers are assholes. I’m 58, smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish, and probably look better than any of you. Pix on request. > > Plus, I hope to be dead sooner. See you in hell, suckers. I smoke weed, not tobacco (although an occasional cigar is nice) and drink like a fish. I am 60; never thought I’d live this long, and never really wanted to. I enjoy each day. When the negatives outweigh the positives, I’ll take a bow and exit, stage right. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/44 "2018-10-10T16:12:39Z")
Non-smokers have no idea how pernicious nicotine addiction is to a heavy smoker. The cravings come on fast and hard after just a few hours after the last cigarette. Relief comes on seconds after the first puff, and not much feels better than the first one in the morning. When you’re in this situation, you don’t ponder the way you will feel twenty years from now- now matters so much more. No, slow suicide isn’t in most smoker’s minds at all. On a side note, some say marijuana is a gateway drug to worse things. For many, the worse things are cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/45 "2018-10-10T17:03:26Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > On a side note, some say marijuana is a gateway drug to worse things. For many, the worse things are cigarettes. That’s what my Dad always said when I was a kid. Don’t smoke pot, because it’ll get you hooked on the really bad stuff, like tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/46 "2018-10-10T17:45:34Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Well done. > > This is total, utter bullshit. I wish this falsehood would fucking die. And I was a pack a day smoker for the better part of a decade (just to ward off those who might say I dont know what it’s like). ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/47 "2018-10-10T17:53:17Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Those who have smoked, drank, driven fast, eaten well, and all the various other things that are bad for our health have had clean quick deaths. I quoted this line to a couple of our E.R. docs (who see their share of COPD exacerbations and repeated heart failure episodes related to smoking) and they did indeed die quick clean deaths (the E.R. docs that is, from uncontrollable laughter). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/48 "2018-10-10T18:32:35Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Is it _the_ reason? No. But I will admit to continually doing several risky things from riding motorcycles too fast to eating more kielbasa than I should because living an extra 10 years in a nursing home having my diapers changed isn’t something that appeals to me. There is also the matter of taking “calculated risks” in order to actually enjoy life. [YOLO!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5Otla5157c) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/49 "2018-10-10T19:18:35Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > This is total, utter bullshit. I wish this falsehood would fucking die. May I ask what you find so strongly objectionable about it? Maybe in your case it wasn’t (and I’m not a smoker so I can’t claim any personal experience) but if many people say that nicotine was the toughest thing for them to kick, more so than any other drug, what do you object to about that statement? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/50 "2018-10-11T18:03:27Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I quoted this line to a couple of our E.R. docs (who see their share of COPD exacerbations and repeated heart failure episodes related to smoking) and they did indeed die quick clean deaths (the E.R. docs that is, from uncontrollable laughter). Luckily most of my family has died suddenly at home bypassing the ER; and bypasses for that matter. Again, to each their own but to be gone well before the ambulance arrives doesn’t sound bad at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/51 "2018-10-11T22:28:11Z")
\*"Smokers are four times more likely than non-smokers to become frequent visitors of emergency rooms. That is one of the findings uncovered by a preliminary study led by Jessica Castner, a University at Buffalo emergency room utilization researcher…“People aren’t replacing their doctor; they are sicker, have more chronic diseases and are using everything more.”\* > **[Smoking and drug abuse could more than triple annual ER visits](https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/05/034.html)** > > A new UB study has found that smokers are four times more likely than non-smokers to become frequent visitors of emergency rooms. Smokers far more often become chronically ill and repeat users of medical facilities (as opposed to suddenly dropping dead at home after a healthy life). ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/52 "2018-10-11T22:32:07Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > \*"Smokers are four times more likely than non-smokers to become frequent visitors of emergency rooms. > > That is one of the findings uncovered by a preliminary study led by Jessica Castner, a University at Buffalo emergency room utilization researcher…“People aren’t replacing their doctor; they are sicker, have more chronic diseases and are using everything more.”\* > > [Smoking and drug abuse could more than triple annual ER visits - University at Buffalo](http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/05/034.html) > > Smokers far more often become chronically ill and repeat users of medical facilities (as opposed to suddenly dropping dead at home after a healthy life). Thats true, but I wonder to what degree that is due to lower education. Meaning people who take up smoking tend to on average have lower human capital than people who do not smoke (as reflected in their lower education level). So it is more that people who are prone to making bad decisions are also more likely to smoke. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/53 "2018-10-11T23:07:26Z")
I’m sure that, in this era, nearly every smoker knows full well what smoking does to the body. It’s just that the urge is highly potent anyway. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/54 "2018-10-11T23:19:52Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I know a smoker. He is highly educated ([education](https://truthinitiative.org/sites/default/files/EducationLevelVsTobaccoUse_R3-04%5B1%5D.jpg) is negatively correlated with smoking, just FWIW) to the point where on paper, he should have a very low chance of smoking. > > But I know he is depressed and believe his smoking is just a way for him to shave 10 years off his life expectancy, so he can die at 72 instead of 82. > > Do other people smoke as a way to intentionally reduce their life expectancy? I wonder if this is a common thing. > > I’m not a smoker and am not sure why most people smoke (I’ve heard its relaxing, and its just a habit you get into and can’t get out of, plus some do for weight loss). But I wonder what % of people who smoke do so as a way to reduce their time on earth. > > Is trying to die early a common cause of wanting to smoke? Has it been studied as a potential motivator? Or, could be that people just like to smoke. While it’s true that tobacco companies have enhanced their product to make it more addictive, the thing is, we’ve been doing this for far longer than that has occurred. Also, unless the Chinese companies do the same thing (including the pirate Chinese companies), it’s hard for me to buy that this is the sole reason people still smoke. I smoke cigars. Afaik, Big Tobacco doesn’t generally adulterate them with extra addictive juju. And I’m not on some suicide kick. I just, you know, enjoy smoking. I enjoy cheese burgers too, and my WAG is that those are going to be what do me in at the end. But the irony of me living longer than some vegetarian runner type is what will put a last smile on my face as I shuffle off this mortal coil. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679/55 "2018-10-12T12:35:06Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Thats true, but I wonder to what degree that is due to lower education. > > Meaning people who take up smoking tend to on average have lower human capital than people who do not smoke (as reflected in their lower education level) I suspect the odds of developing emphysema, heart disease and other chronic smoking-related disorders correlate far better with pack-years than education level. The point was that smokers by and large do not live healthy nicotine-drenched lives and then drop dead suddenly, snickering at the health nuts wasting away in nursing homes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-some-people-smoke-as-a-slow-way-to-commit-suicide/822679.md?page=2)