Originally Posted by chadglni

I knew you idiots would be out. If you like to smoke, fine! But don't come on here and try to tell intelligent people that it's not bad for you.

Idiot.

Originally Posted by MaskTVMaura

Hey Folks! How about a new approach?

People who want to self-destruct will find a vice and use it to self-destruct. It's not the vice's fault, it's the person who uses it. Most people who drink, use drugs, gamble, and fuck, can do so in moderation without ever becoming addicts - i.e. It isn't sex itself that turns people into raging sex addicts... it's the person and what they use sex for.

That said, it's time to stop villifying these vices and start talking about accountability. People who drink so much they turn into roaring arseholes do it because they CHOOSE TO, not because there is some magical evil ingredient in booze that indiscriminately turns everyday healthy, normal people into maniacs.

The common denominator is that people are fallible. People sabotage themselves with whatever means available to them. And sure, after a few years (or months) of sabotaging yourself using a particular behaviour, you may actually become physically, emotionally addicted to the behaviour. But that's because you deliberately mis-used that behaviour as a self-destruction tool -- so don't be surprised when it finally works.

Most healthy people can have a daily drink, toke, fuck, or lottery ticket without worrying about too many long-term effects. The fact that people choose to de-stress at the end of the day using whatever vice of their preference is IMO much more healthy than staying wound-up and stressed-out because you're fearful that enjoying a vice will turn you into an addict. Stress is much more dangerous.