Smoking and drinking

[onesteptwostep]

What's worse? I'm sort of thinking intps have a preference. What do our older users think?

 

[INTPWolf]

Accidental dupe?
Smoking what? lol. in my opinion cigarettes are far worse than the occasional drink, but if you drank as often as smokers smoke, i could see that being a real problem.

 

[Rook]

They are both unhealthy if done habitually.

I am an addicted smoker trying to quit, and an occasional drinker who cant stop once I start.

It does not help comparing them though.
They are individual substances, and the only time when its helpful to compare drugs is if you consume them together.

So, in conclusion kiddo: dont drink or smoke.
Drugs are bad, hmmmkay?
Rather become an insomniac, sleeplessness is a very effective and freely attained drug which bombards the mind with the minutiae of reality.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

My answer is 'don't'.

 

[Yellow]

I smoked for 11 years. I quit almost 8 years ago and the urge still exists. If it wasn't deadly, smelly, expensive, and didn't make me ridiculously prone to upper respiratory infections, I'd still be smoking.

I've just begun to drink more than rarely, but that's risky too, and I've been thinking of giving it a rest for a while to be on the safe side. Alcohol addiction literally makes you lose your mind.

Anyway, if you are comparing addictions, alcohol is worse because it impairs you mentally in addition to poisoning your body and your priorities.

 

[StevenM]

Basing my answer on the withdrawals. Nicotine withdrawal leaves you irritated. Alcohol withdrawal has seizures, shakes, sweats, and delirium tremens.

 

[Pyropyro]

I do agree with the others that both are problems if they are consumed in excess.

However, I think smoking is much worse since at least alcohol has some medicinal properties if imbibed in moderation.

 

[Lot]

Alcohol and nicotine are poisonous. It takes less nicotine to kill you, but both will kill you. Smoking tobacco tends to take longer to kill you, seeing as it has a fairly low amount of nicotine, so in a sense it's less dangerous.

I smoked for about 2-3 years. I started are around 24-25 (I really don't remember). I quit nicotine, for the most part, in January. I also quit caffeine at the same time. It had it's benefits, but it was increasing my anxiety. Now I only smoke herbal blends from a tobacco pipe (rarely), and cannabis, which I'm cutting back on when my tolerance break is over.

I've just recently decided to give up on alcohol for the most part. It messes with my stomach/intestines, isn't really all that fun any more, and gives me heart palpitations the next day. The western world's love of this drug shows how fucked up our priorities are. I'm sure I'm going to miss it, though.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Alcohol is far more destructive to the mind and surroundings in the long run.
Cigarette is probably more toxic to the body.

Alcohol is probably worse since withdrawal and poor attempts at recovery may be lethal, also it seems much more difficult to return to normal life from it.

 

[INTPWolf]

Snip * Nicotine, this poor simple stimulant gets so much flack for being in cigarettes, that no one ever even thinks to consider that outside the realm of big tobacco and in moderation, it is only as harmful, and only as addicting as caffeine. But everyone touts about it like its meth or something, NO, that would be the other 3,999 chemicals in a cigarette. Did you know that a cigarette has chemicals in its smoke that makes you feel stressed and depressed only after 20 min after smoking, making you want to reach for another one? Nicotine is not the biggest badguy here, so stop saying it is!

Alcohol and nicotine both have a lethal level. But so does caffeine. Its a lot less likely to to die of a lethal dose of Nicotine or Caffeine because the amounts you would need to consume is near unrealistic, unlike alcohol. 6 people per day die from alcohol overdose.

 

[_whispers_]

I've read research on both, but I don't care. My view on the world is that everyone needs a poison. I was an on and off smoker for a few years, haven't smoked since last september. I do enjoy drinking. I picked smoking as worse only because of all those people smoking on crowded streets that ruin my mornings.

 

[INTPWolf]

"everyone needs a poison" i like that way of saying it.

 

[Brontosaurie]

it makes no sense to answer this question without comparing systemic prevalence and effects, and i think the alcohol norms are more pervasive and damaging at many levels, as mentioned: from the individual body up on to the psychosocial and cultural.

tobacco smoking is a filthy route of administration for a minor psychoactive/nootropic, but alcohol is a really bad drug that nevertheless sets the standard for recreational drug use, especially in public where it's also especially ill-suited. that warrants deeper concern.

 

[onesteptwostep]

I'm not a habitual smoker or drinker (I've never smoked for extended periods), but I've gone through phases where I've consumed a lot of alcohol but mostly due to its cultural pervasiveness.

Personally I think smoking is worse, because a casual smoker will smoke long term out of habit, whereas a casual drinker would be able to regulate what he or she would drink, depending on lifestyle/work one has. Like for example, I wouldn't drink on a weekday because I'd have work the next day, but maybe on a friday or a saturday if I don't have any plans. You can cut away drinking, it's mostly a social tool anyway. It's great for loosening up and chilling out (or 'drunkening out' if you will). Smoking on the other hand forces you to buy cigs just out of instinct/habit. A pack a day can compound immensely. 5 bucks x 7 days a week x 4 weeks per month = 140~+ US dollars a month. (I don't even know how much a pack costs anymore honestly. I've seen them go up to around 9 bucks or something, freaking crazy).

But I've also heard from a couple of friends and their family, and from my own extended family, that that's how they started as well too (drinking) but ended up having kidney or liver problems once they hit their 50s. So yeah, it sort of makes me rethink a bit. On smoking, I've seen upperclassmen in college actually buy cigs instead of food so that they can handle the stress they have, instead of using that money to actually buy something to eat. Real 'wtf' moment there. I honestly don't understand the psychology behind smoking. Anyway that's when I realized how messed up you can get with nicotine, while under pressure.

I don't drink now either, but I don't mind a beer or like a shot game with friends, especially if it's been a while or if we get too crazy about things.

 

[Sinny91]

I voted drink. I've seen manylives ruined and end via drink, none via smoking.

 

[Lot]

Snip * Nicotine, this poor simple stimulant gets so much flack for being in cigarettes, that no one ever even thinks to consider that outside the realm of big tobacco and in moderation, it is only as harmful, and only as addicting as caffeine. But everyone touts about it like its meth or something, NO, that would be the other 3,999 chemicals in a cigarette. Did you know that a cigarette has chemicals in its smoke that makes you feel stressed and depressed only after 20 min after smoking, making you want to reach for another one? Nicotine is not the biggest badguy here, so stop saying it is!

Alcohol and nicotine both have a lethal level. But so does caffeine. Its a lot less likely to to die of a lethal dose of Nicotine or Caffeine because the amounts you would need to consume is near unrealistic, unlike alcohol. 6 people per day die from alcohol overdose.

The LD50 of nicotine is about .5-1mg per kg. The LD50 of caffeine is about 150-200mg per kg. Not even close to as safe as each other.

It is easier to OD on alcohol in the form that it comes in. But nicotine is still more dangerous.

 

[INTPWolf]

While this is not by any means the most credible source, this includes everything i dont want to take the time to type out, im a lazy bastard.

Spoiler

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100108010841AACaLHS

"Short answer. No. Nicotine is almost completely harmless in most people, and in many ways it is very much like caffeine.

Long answer. It does not cause cancer but it has a few mildly negative effects in some people. It has some good effects, some bad effects, and some very bad effects, very much like caffeine, but overall, it's pretty safe in that it won't kill you. People might try to scare you by saying that nicotine is a natural pesticide, but so is caffeine. In the amounts they are taken, these drugs don't affect the human nervous system in such a way as to cause death, like they do in insects. The cardinal rule of toxicology is that the dose makes the poison. If you drink a glass of water in an hour, you will have no ill effects. If you drink a hundred glasses of water in an hour, you will probably die. One caffeine tablet might keep you awake. Twenty might land you in hospital. Fifty might kill you. Same applies for Tylenol, Pepsi and nicotine. 1 mg of nicotine is mostly harmless. 10 mg will make a person very sick. 100 mg will almost certainly kill.

THE BAD
Nicotine increases your heart rate by a few beats per minute, which does little more than give a slight energy boost, but in a small number of people with weak hearts it might be harmful, but on the same level as a cup of coffee might be harmful for them. There is some evidence that nicotine might also be slightly harmful to the circulatory system in other ways. It isn't very good for undeveloped brains, so it's particularly bad to smoke during pregnancy. In addition, short term effects of nicotine are unpredictable in people who are not used it and vary from person to person. These include a racing heart, dizziness, feeling faint, heaviness in the limbs and powerful tingling sensations and nausea. These can be both pleasant or quite unpleasant but they do not cause harm and subside as a person becomes tolerant. Some people experience pleasure instead of nausea and it is for them that nicotine is most addictive.

THE VERY BAD
Unlike caffeine, which is only slightly addictive, nicotine is extremely addictive when inhaled via smoking, and somewhat addictive, though much less so, when taken orally or via patches. The reason for this is that when it is inhaled, it gets to the brain very quickly and in high quantities, causing it to release significant amounts of dopamine, which the brain registers as pleasure, even as the novice smoker dizzily stumbles about feeling like they're going to throw up. When taken orally or via patches, the dose is usually much smaller and it reaches the brain far more gradually so the pleasure response is minimal, reducing addiction potential. That's why you don't see many people hooked on nicotine lozenges. Both caffeine and nicotine have very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. For nicotine, the withdrawal can involve impulsiveness and inability to control one's temper and emotions, blurred vision, headache, crawling sensations, extreme appetite, depression, tiredness and, of course, severe craving. Suddenly stopping using large amounts of caffeine can cause tiredness and give you very severe headaches that last for days, but because caffeine does not stimulate the brain's reward circuity and effect a release of dopamine, it does not cause severe cravings like nicotine does and it makes it much easier to taper it gently and avoid withdrawal altogether.

THE GOOD
Nicotine has a few mild effects some people might consider to be positive. We all know smokers put on weight when they quit, and that's because nicotine and a few other chemicals in cigarette smoke kept them thinner than they otherwise would be. Nicotine forces the body to release stored glucose into the bloodstream, boosting energy and preventing the sugar from being converted into fat. This also cheats the body into thinking you've eaten something sweet, which reduces appetite and craving for sugary foods, though all the reasons why appetite is reduced are not fully understood. It also acts directly on fat cells, increasing lipolysis (the breakdown of fat), and it increases metabolism by as much as 6000 calories a month. Caffeine has some, but not all, of the same effects, and to a much lesser degree, so people don't generally put on much weight if they give up coffee, or they may even lose some, given that many coffees nowadays have as many calories as a hamburger. Caffeine is just a stimulant, but nicotine is different. Nicotine has both stimulant and depressant effects, so it can both stimulate and calm, depending on the situation. Much like caffeine, nicotine also improves mood, memory and concentration, and just like caffeine, it also protects the brain from certain types damage (reduction in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's risk), but again, nicotine's effects are significantly more powerful than that of caffeine.

So, nicotine is a lot like caffeine, with a few other effects, though it doesn't keep you awake quite as much. Both drugs are mostly harmless, but nicotine is far, far more addictive"

 

[Seteleechete]

I voted smoking, only because I really dislike the smell of it.

 

[Ex-User (8886)]

cigarettes don't change your behaviour as alcohol

 

[Rook]

I never saw 2 people smoke 10 cigarettes and then commence to procreate because of the headrush.

More humans=less food=less food for me
Alcohol=more sex=more humans


Rooks logical triumph of the day: Alcohol is bad.

 

[INTPWolf]

I never saw 2 people smoke 10 cigarettes and then commence to procreate because of the headrush.

More humans=less food=less food for me
Alcohol=more sex=more humans


Rooks logical triumph of the day: Alcohol is bad.

This made me laugh.

 

[Alias]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9BwBPLmNVs

 

[ENTP lurker]

Passive smoking isn't as bad as passive drinking. You know those people who are drunk and won't stop bothering you.

 

[computerhxr]

I had many health problems from second hand smoking several packs a day for 18 years. I voted smoking.

 

[ENTP lurker]

Yes, I'm very sensitive smoking fumes. But they leave me alone. I can even say "Could you stop that" and they'll usually listen. Well, where I live the smoking is looked down upon. It is like witch hunt.

 

[Glider]

Both feed the big corporations, both cost health, both can kill you if used excessively. i have never seen the point in smoking, and only drink a few times a year for the taste. I allways abstain when social pressure is forcing me. Out of principle