Whether through intuition, sudden inspiration, or possibly some mental association from past observances, I immediately tore my attention from the unfortunate former creature and turned my vision upward. Sure enough the death of one thing had signaled for nature's meticulous undertaker to hasten to the scene; one life ends so another can continue.
Patiently waiting for me to move on . . .
Still waiting . . .
Becoming a bit restless . . .
Deciding, "Oh to Hell with it; I'll be back . . .
. . .
Addiction
After smoking cigarettes for almost thirty years, and having attained a three-packs-per-day habit, at the age of 45, I quit (cold-turkey.) That was at twelve o'clock noon, April 12, 1985, twenty-five years ago. And I have never smoked tobacco (or anything else) since that day. It was, I believe, the hardest thing I have ever done.
Now is the age of enlightenment as to the deadly effects of tobacco smoking. Many have set aside the noxious habit. People have wised up to the dangers in the insidious products of the greed-inspired, demonic, evil merchandisers of death -- the big tobacco companies.
So, I was dumbfounded after reading the following:
GN Development & Management, LLC wants to help maintain a smoke free environment by offering options for smokers to "smoke" nicotine without the fire, flame, tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide, ash, smell, and the variety of chemicals found in traditional tobacco cigarettes.
They intend to manufacture and market a socially-acceptable nicotine delivery system.
Here is one of their advertising photos
Is this an example of the"hard" sell?
Another advertising photo
Sex In Merchandising aside, how can any rational thinking person imagine this or any other delivery process as being an acceptable manner of absorbing or injecting nicotine into the body?
According to Wikipedia -- In low concentrations (an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine), the substance acts as a stimulant in mammals and is the main factor responsible for the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking.
According to the American Heart Association, nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break, while the pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
And further . . .
As nicotine enters the body, it is distributed quickly through the bloodstream and can cross the blood-brain barrier. On average it takes about seven seconds for the substance to reach the brain when inhaled. The half life of nicotine in the body is around two hours.
And . . .
By binding to ganglion type nicotinic receptors in the adrenal medulla nicotine increases flow of adrenaline (epinephrine), a stimulating hormone and neurotransmitter. By binding to the receptors, it causes cell depolarization and an influx of calcium through voltage-gated calcium channels. Calcium triggers the exocytosis of chromaffin granules and thus the release of epinephrine (and norepinephrine) into the bloodstream. The release of epinephrine (adrenaline) causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and respiration, as well as higher blood glucose levels.
Also . . .
Nicotine has very powerful effects on arteries throughout the body. Nicotine is a stimulant, it raises blood pressure, and is a vasoconstrictor, making it harder for the heart to pump through the constricted arteries. It causes the body to release its stores of fat and cholesterol into the blood. It has been speculated that nicotine increases the risk of blood clots by increasing plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, though this has not been proven.
The American Heart Association reports:
Nicotine is an addictive drug. It causes changes in the brain that make people want to use it more and more. In addition, addictive drugs cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. The good feelings that result when an addictive drug is present -- and the bad feelings when it's absent -- make breaking any addiction very difficult. Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.
How long, I wonder, will it take these GreenNicotine producers to begin injecting chemical enhancers to heighten the pleasurable effects of their products?
Beware is the operative word.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
--Unknown
Gene, I quit smoking cigarettes thirty years ago, like you, "cold pavito." Recently, I've quit another deadly habit. In both cases fear of impending death was my motivator, a constant visitor sitting beside me. With regard to cigs, I recall sitting on the couch inside a girlfriend's apartment -- she adored me, as does every woman in my life -- with a non-filter Camel oozing smoke up into the air from a pile of brown-stained butts, another type of "smoke" sucked deep into my lungs, and a double-shot of Chivas Regal -- always I had exquisite taste in poison -- straight-up waiting on the coffee table. The television set was turned on. A commercial treated me to the sight of the inside of a blackened lung; the narrator intoned doom. I looked first at the poisonous paraphernalia in front of me, and next into my lady friend's eyes. Fear wrapped itself around my innards, and I gave up the smoking habit (the Chivas Regal I danced off for years, until I grew too old for dancing). I have two brothers left living, and both of them smoke at least two packs a day. One of these men had quadruple bypass surgery two years ago, and still he cannot break the smoking habit. You are right and good to remind us of this danger. Cold turkey breaks seem impossible for most people; and I hate to sound like Nancy Reagan, but the only way to break a habit is to stop "doing it" and then to develop a different, healthy habit to take its place. Just stopping is not sufficient.
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