# Is Smoking all that great? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2000, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139 "2000-06-30T08:46:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lindsay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@lindsay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsay)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/1 "2000-06-30T08:46:18Z")
A couple of nights ago I watched this woman buy a carton of cigarettes. I asked the clerk how much they cost, she said around $40.00. Is smoking tobacco all that grand? I am not complaining, my family grows tobacco, so all the smokers make money for my relatives. As they would say, they just grow the s–t, they don’t use it. ---
**Author:** ![Bluemonchichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Bluemonchichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluemonchichi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/2 "2000-06-30T09:44:54Z")
It is very hard to answer the question because smoking may be grand for the lady and she may not care how much she has to spend on cigarettes. $40.00 is a lot of money to spend on cigarettes, but I think it is even more amazing to watch people at a bar spend $100.00 to $200.00 on a bar tab or pay a hooker X amount of dollars for sex. It is all about spending your money on what you think is important, or what makes you happy. Personally, I don’t think smoking is all that grand, but if you had asked me a month ago before I quit, I would have told you that I would pay any price for cigarettes. It is all about personal preference and happiness. ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/3 "2000-06-30T12:06:11Z")
nope I need to quit. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/4 "2000-06-30T15:17:28Z")
Forty bucks for a carton of smokes?!? Where the hell do you live?!? ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/5 "2000-06-30T15:57:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Forty bucks for a carton of smokes?!? Where the hell do you live?!? > \*\* I was kind of wondering that myself. A carton is in the $20-30 range here, and certainly \ they are \ worth every \ red cent! :picks lung up off the floor: ---
**Author:** ![And\_Salt\_to\_You](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@And\_Salt\_to\_You](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/And_Salt_to_You)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/6 "2000-06-30T16:14:36Z")
A pipe is a beautiful thing. If I find mine is too damp to smoke I buy another, and now have forty. My Pa died at an old age, and so did George Burns, so I’m not worried. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/7 "2000-06-30T20:31:20Z")
By my calculations smoking is a good financial deal. I pay about $2.50 for a pack, or 12 cents per cigarette. Now that cigarette lasts for 5-10 minutes on a smoke break + another 5 or so to go downstairs, and back up. So lets say a minumum of 10 minutes per smoke, making 6 smokes breaks worth an hour of my companies time. But I’m still payed as if I was working. But if I didn’t smoke I wouldn’t get this same break cause if you get a cup of coffee and walk out to the sidewalk to drink it, or just take a newspaper to the outside bench without a cigarette, your boss gets pissed off. Since I make far more than 72 cents an hour it is clearly in my advantage to smoke. ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2000, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/8 "2000-06-30T20:39:08Z")
Damn, Wolfman, I was considering quitting, but now that you bring it up, I don’t think I could afford to quit! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HomeSlice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9d8465/32.png) [@HomeSlice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeSlice)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/9 "2000-07-01T03:46:46Z")
I never thought that smoking was all that great. Definately not worth the $$$. Now dip on the other hand. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/10 "2000-07-01T06:10:01Z")
aside from all the negative things that come along with it, smoking is great. i miss it. but all the negative things are enough to keep me from going back. ---
**Author:** ![lindsay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@lindsay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsay)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/11 "2000-07-01T08:03:31Z")
What I wanted to know is does smoking make you feel better? This NOVA show that said nicotine is more addictive than heroin, and that it is a mood lifter, better than Prozac, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Bluemonchichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Bluemonchichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bluemonchichi)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/12 "2000-07-01T09:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > What I wanted to know is does smoking make you feel better? Lindsay to answer your question, yes smoking always made me feel better. Since I have quit I have gone through depression and insomnia and I knew that a cigarette would make me feel better. When I used to get stressed at work or home, a smoke always made me feel better, or if I was cranky having a cigarette put me in a good mood. The cigarettes were absolutly worth the money, but I finally decided they weren’t worth my overall health. Now that I haven’t been smoking for a month, I can say that smoking isn’t all that great, but if I were to start again I am not sure I would ever quit. Hope that answers your question. ---
**Author:** ![lindsay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@lindsay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsay)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/13 "2000-07-01T12:44:17Z")
You did and I thank you. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/14 "2000-07-01T14:27:52Z")
A carton of smokes does cost around $40 here (Alberta) and for me, yes, it is worth it. Hey, I gave up all of my other vices. I needed to keep one, okay? ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/15 "2000-07-01T18:46:56Z")
congratulations, Bluemonchichi. good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Initial\_Entry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e9a140/32.png) [@Initial\_Entry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Initial_Entry)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/16 "2000-07-01T19:27:14Z")
Wait, those were _Canadian_ dollars? I thought you meant real money… ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/17 "2000-07-01T21:56:16Z")
HomeSlice - Ew. Dip. Gross. Whatever makes one happy. But ew. Smoking is warm and cuddly in some ways, but like most toxins you need to get a tolerance built up. I have never smoked, but I was dating a guy who did for long enough to get addicted to second hand smoke. That was really odd. I’d only see him on the weekends so by Thursday I would be hanging outside with the other smokers for free lung cancer. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2000, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/18 "2000-07-02T15:37:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Wait, those were Canadian dollars? > > I thought you meant real money… /rolls up sleeves Dem’s fightin’ words, boy. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/19 "2000-07-03T03:46:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > But if I didn’t smoke I wouldn’t get this same break cause if you get a cup of coffee and walk out to the sidewalk to drink it, or just take a newspaper to the outside bench without a cigarette, your boss gets pissed off. Since I make far more than 72 cents an hour it is clearly in my advantage to smoke. > \*\* Whenever coworkers used to ask me if they could go smoke… I would ask if they minded that I took a twinkie break when they got back. They usually responded, “What are you talking about? I wanna twinkie.” I don’t think they ever got my point. Screeme ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2000, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139/20 "2000-07-03T08:28:21Z")
spooje shows his age… When I quit smoking, cigs were $1.25 a pack and I thought that was an outrageous price. When I was teen, I used to fill up my tank, buy a carton of butts, pay with a 20 and get back change! (god I’m old) I couldn’t afford to smoke today. (cigs are $3.50 a pack for the generics here!) And to Bluemonchichi… When I quit smoking, I was in hell for about nine months, suffering from the symptoms you descibed. After the 9, they went away. As did the headaches I always had, the constant wheeze in my chest, the frequent illness’s and the difficulty in sleeping I’ve had since I was a child. I still love the smell of a freshly lit Marlboro, but I’m glad as hell I don’t smoke! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-smoking-all-that-great/24139.md?page=2)