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Do you consider yourself a smoker?
Londy3
Master
in The Lounge
No, really. I never smoked cigarettes. Never liked the smell or anything about them. I have had an occasional good ($10+) cigar in my days. But never think of myself as a smoker. I'm even listed as a non-smoker on my insurance. I have reignited my pipe after sixteen years, and only have a few bowls on the weekends and I still don't consider myself to be classified as a smoker. After all, they call this a hobby right? How about you? What do you think?
Comments
The problem here, is that there is no distinction between pipe/cigar smokers, and cigarette smokers in most peoples minds. The insurance companies and employers want to lump us all in with the cigarette smoker for monetary reasons. The reality to it is, that when we are asked "Do you smoke?" we are reluctant to answer honestly, because we are simply a box that gets checked. In reality, that box that gets checked, takes money out of our pockets, and opportunities from our lives.
There are a few insurance companies and doctors who are willing to acknowledge that pipe and cigar smoking is safer than cigarettes, but the consideration is minimal. In reality, pipe and cigar smoking in moderation actually relieves stress and anxiety, allowing pipe and cigar smokers to live longer.
This is a sore spot with me. When someone asks me if I smoke, I automatically assume they mean cigarettes, and lie like a dog. Pipes and cigars, as well as marijuana, do not affect the human body anywhere near the level that chemical laced cigarettes do. Don't ask me how I know.