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Entry: Nicotine and Me Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/nicotine_and_me#28380 Post contents: Perhaps people who have lost relatives to smoking-related diseases have a little different perspective on this. There seems to be a relevant distinction between tobacco and alcohol here -- a lot of people who drink are not alcoholics. I rather think that the majority of smokers are addicted to smoking. People talk about how difficult it is to stop smoking. Social drinkers tend not to have a problem putting alcohol aside. They do not go through withdrawal. Furthermore, plenty of people drink in moderation. I rather think that the average smoker smokes in excess of what would be moderate given the health risks of smoking. What would "moderate" be? One or two pipe-smoking sessions a week? Sounds okay to me. Maybe a cigar a week? Or a pack of cigarettes every two days? But what about smoking a pipe quite a bit each day? Like my grandfather, who suffered a collapsed lung. Does that seem immoderate to you? Well it cost him the use of his lung for awhile. So long as you define moderate as a level that won't harm your health, then I concur. Now, figure out for me how much that would be, please. Now, do most smokers smoke that much? Or rather a bit more? My father smoked about two packs a day I think, for about forty years. Does that sound immoderate to you? Well, it killed him when I was 18. Was his "moderate" habit worth it? Is any "moderate" habit worth that? Sent at: 2008 11 20