Alcohol=Drink up! Smoking=Put that down!

[Étoile]

Yep, another thread about alcohol.

I find that many people's perceptions of the two drugs are quite different. While it's acceptable and encouraged for people of nearly all ages to drink, a smoker is heavily looked down upon. But why is that?

Both products can (and has) cause dependency, muck up your life, and lead to death. So why is alcohol glamorized while smoking's demonized?

[Black Cat]

They both used to be glamorized though, didn't they? For a while if you only did one or the other you were shunned. I know for decades the fancy people would do both constantly.

I think alcohol will eventually come into the "bad zone" like smoking did. It will just take longer because of how most of society perceives drinking.

[Tim]

To be honest, it may be because smoking causes indirect damage to the people around you as well.

Yes, behavior while drinking can, but anyone smoking does it just by doing it.

I will never be with someone who smokes, but I am ok with someone who drinks - but only occasionally.

[Étoile]

Originally Posted by Black Cat

They both used to be glamorized though, didn't they? For a while if you only did one or the other you were shunned. I know for decades the fancy people would do both constantly.

I think alcohol will eventually come into the "bad zone" like smoking did. It will just take longer because of how most of society perceives drinking.

Alcohol and cigarettes used to go hand-in-hand. Smoking used to be the "cool" thing to do. It was in movies, TV, ads, comic books (I read that X-Men writers had to stop portraying cigarettes as cool because of the anti-smoking push). You were able to smoke all around public but now that's drastically changing.

Myzou, I see what you're saying. Sipping on a martini won't cause anyone to cough or have an asthma attack. However, drunk driving can do loads more damage to others than any secondhand-smoke.

[Windmills]

I agree with Myzou:
To expand, I think it's that the negative effects on others are more psychologically available with smoking. Cigarrette smoke can destroy the lungs of both those smoking and those nearby. Alcohol only damages the liver of the person doing the drinking. The real damage done by alcohol is more indirect, and thus people can more easily blame it on the person rather than the alcohol. Peopl can justify that only stupid people drive while drunk, but you can't say that only stupid smokers give off second-hand smoke.

[Étoile]

Originally Posted by Windmills

Alcohol only damages the liver of the person doing the drinking.

Alcohol can also affect the brain of you and your unborn baby.

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm

People can justify that only stupid people drive while drunk...

Unfortunately, we have a lot of stupid people.

http://www.edgarsnyder.com/drunk-dri...tatistics.html

[Windmills]

I'm in no way trying to say that drinking isn't as/more harmful than smoking. I just meant that it's easier for people to ignore the dangers of drinking or pass the blame and that's why it's more socially acceptable.

Originally Posted by Étoile

Alcohol can also affect the brain of you and your unborn baby.

Once again, you can blame the mother for drinking while pregnant--"the baby wouldn't have FAS if only the mother were smart enough to abstain for 9 months".

[MusicIsLife]

I think the difference is that even if you smoke once in a while it is likely that you will become addicted, and smoking causes damage to those around you.

Alcohol on the other hand, if you drink it next to a straight-edge person the fumes do no harm to them.

I like alcohol, but I don't need it every day or week or whatever. If you smoke a few times a week for 20-30 years you're fairly likely to get lung cancer. if you have a few drinks once a week for 20-30 years I would estimate you won't get cancer from it, though depending on how much you drink, you may or may not get liver problems. My father, 2 uncles and grandfather were all alcoholics, and there were also a fair few on my moms side as well. Alcoholism is known to run in families, but I don't hate people for drinking and I do drink once in a while.

To sum things up, I think smoking is a disgusting habit, and I would fully support an outright ban on them. For alcohol? Why ban it? its only the gluttons who ruin it for the rest of us.

[Chip]

Part of it is, I think, smoking is far, far more addictive than alcohol is, at least for most people. The tobacco companies have spent billions of dollars over the years engineering and re-engineering and genetically altering their product to make it as addictive as it can possibly be. And it took years for that information to become public, and when it did, the perception, which was already shifting, moved into high-gear against smoking.

Additionally, there are social situations where one is expected to drink; wine with a fine dinner, "out for a beer" with friends, etc. There aren't as many situations where one is expected to smoke (except, maybe at an American Tobacco Association convention!)

I do agree that the perception of alcohol is slowly changing, however I doubt, sadly, that it will ever get the bad rap that it deserves, because people want their "fix" of intoxication, and because many people can go out and get plastered here and there and never have a problem with addiction, while occasional smoking almost always leads to addictive smoking according to nearly every study ever conducted.

[Corny]

I enjoy a good beer. The result of that is that I need to pee a bit more often.
You enjoy your good cigarettes. The result of that is that your clothes and you yourself stink. That is fine, but unless you want me to pee on your clothes, don't smoke around me and make my clothes stink

[Bryan90]

Originally Posted by Étoile

Alcohol and cigarettes used to go hand-in-hand. Smoking used to be the "cool" thing to do. It was in movies, TV, ads, comic books (I read that X-Men writers had to stop portraying cigarettes as cool because of the anti-smoking push). You were able to smoke all around public but now that's drastically changing.

Myzou, I see what you're saying. Sipping on a martini won't cause anyone to cough or have an asthma attack. However, drunk driving can do loads more damage to others than any secondhand-smoke.

Which is why drunk driving is more condemned than smoking.. lol...

[Chip]

Originally Posted by Corny

I enjoy a good beer. The result of that is that I need to pee a bit more often.
You enjoy your good cigarettes. The result of that is that your clothes and you yourself stink. That is fine, but unless you want me to pee on your clothes, don't smoke around me and make my clothes stink

omg!! Brilliant!!

[Étoile]

Originally Posted by Bryan90

Which is why drunk driving is more condemned than smoking.. lol...

But what causes the drunk driving?

[xequar]

Originally Posted by Corny

I enjoy a good beer. The result of that is that I need to pee a bit more often.
You enjoy your good cigarettes. The result of that is that your clothes and you yourself stink. That is fine, but unless you want me to pee on your clothes, don't smoke around me and make my clothes stink

A former boss had something very similar posted on the wall of his office.


"I understand that your pleasure is smoking. The residue of your pleasure is smoke, and that smoke stinks up the room and stinks up my clothes.

My pleasure is beer. The residue of my pleasure is urine. If you don't want me to piss on you, then please DO NOT SMOKE IN MY OFFICE!"

[Meropspusillus]

Originally Posted by Étoile

But what causes the drunk driving?

Alcohol. But you can also stab somebody with a letter opener, and we don't go around condemning the letter opener, just the stabbing.

[Étoile]

Originally Posted by Felismargarita

Alcohol. But you can also stab somebody with a letter opener, and we don't go around condemning the letter opener, just the stabbing.

Using letter openers don't cause you intoxication, acting crazy, doing something you'll regret, or health problems. Or at least they didn't when I last used them.