It is truly sad that the men in a family are no longer living. Though in today's world it is always someone else's fault. At some point a person is responsible for their own choices. It is interesting that we take pity on a cigarette smoker as if it was forced on them, but we look at the alcoholic or the illegal drug user with disgust. In all three cases the user had a choice.

How could smoking be peoples fault? Let's not forget people were not aware of the health effects until later on in the century. In addition, back in the day, cigs were never promoted as a dangerous product. In fact, cigs had the appearance of being a safe norm ex.movies,billboards,smoking permitted at work and etc. Let's not forget how much money these tobacco companies spent on making cigs appear to be safe. Furthermore, the government even permitted the sale of cigs so it gives the public the appearance that cigs must not be that dangerous.
Whereas, doing drugs has been a taboo in the western society, which happens to give the end user a different logical decision. All in all, you can’t fully blame the men on their choices. Therefore, only compare a relationship with cig users vs. drug users when the government bans the sale of cigs; take cigs out of media, and make cigs a taboo to society.
My two cents

A viewer recently posted a comment on this message board and it said, "How could smoking be peoples fault? Let's not forget people were not aware of the health effects until later on in the century." This is wrong! My grandmother is 96 years old and I have asked her about smoking in the past. She said that people didn't have detailed medical evidence 70 years ago, but everyone still knew that smoking was unhealthy. When my dad was caught smoking as a kid, he was punished because smoking was "bad". I'm tired of people always blaming the "evil" corporations for their problems. Sure, the tobacco companies knew about the health risks, but so did the smokers.

To the other poster who said:

"It is truly sad that the men in a family are no longer living. Though in today's world it is always someone else's fault. At some point a person is responsible for their own choices. It is interesting that we take pity on a cigarette smoker as if it was forced on them"

Hello! I work on an oncology unit at a Seattle hospital and half of the people I see dying of lung cancer are A) Younger than 40 and B) Never smoked a day in their lives! This is a horrible disease and one in which the patient suffers horribly for. I can't think of a worse way to die than to die of lung cancer. These people deserve compassion and hope just as much as those dying from other diseases, regardless of whether or not they smoked or just breathed in our polluted air.

To UW student:
Im sorry, but you’re missing the whole point. It is more complicated than blaming smokers for their bad choices. Accordingly, you have to look at the social structure that encourages smokers to make this bad choice. First, many smokers begin smoking at adolescent ages, which is a major human development learning stage. This is when adolescents imitate older generation’s characteristics and also when adolescents try to become independent. To illustrate, a young person may fight with their parents because the parents tell the child what to do all the time, in which the teen may feel like the parents treat the teen as a little kid. This conflict may cause the teen to leave the house. The teen is under great stress and feels worthless due to the conflict aroused with the parents, so the teen decides to smoke. The reason the teen decides to smoke is since the media such as movies portrays a social norm that when people are stressed they handle the problem by smoking cigarettes. In addition, the teen doesn’t see smoking that bad because the government allows the sell cigarettes (were talking kids rational).Unfortunately some of these teens begin their smoking bad habit and further realize that they cannot kick the bad habit. Likewise, this same rational goes on with Jean brothers. The social structures that her brothers were in were in an environment where smoking was a way to deal with war stress. Accordingly, the tobacco companies gave millions of dollars to film companies for return of having smoking scenes. The tobacco industry pushed so hard to make smoking part of society. If this whole idea of tobacco companies is not true then you’re saying there is no such thing as marketing? So it must be a waste to companies spending millions of dollars to their marketing department? When casinos spray perfume and use bright lights around the slot machines it has no effect on making people stay and gabble? You are in complete denial if you don’t think people manipulate human rational processes.

I am watching my husband day after day smoking his life away, we have a beautiful grandaughter, money is not a problem and looking forward to traveling. It is heartbreaking to me as a non smoker to stand by and see the toll it is taking on his health. He has tried every thing he can to quit but as a 35 year smoker he just cannot stop. It is affecting our marriage, I listen to the cough and I just am so worried. Is there support for the spouse of the smoker what do I do to not be angry at him?

I am watching my husband day after day smoking his life away, we have a beautiful grandaughter, money is not a problem and looking forward to traveling. It is heartbreaking to me as a non smoker to stand by and see the toll it is taking on his health. He has tried every thing he can to quit but as a 35 year smoker he just cannot stop. It is affecting our marriage, I listen to the cough and I just am so worried. Is there support for the spouse of the smoker what do I do to not be angry at him?

I smoked for many years and was confident that I would not get lung cancer until it happened to me. In 2000 the surgeon took two lobes in my right lung. I was able to quit until 2004 when I found a pack of cigarettes in a resturant. A year later I had abdominal surgery and they found cancer again at which time I almost died. Two months in the hospital and 8 months in a rest home cured me of smoking. It has been two years and seven months since I have picked up a cigarette. I was a smoker for almost 40 years. If you are a smoker quit as soon as possible. Without good health you have nothing.

I remember back in the 1970's, that all cigarette advertising was removed from television commercials. Their reasoning was because the advertisements made it difficult for people quitting and because it caused a subliminal response to light up. Which is quite true. That didn't stop me. I smoked for 35 years and all but ruined my health.

My wife and I quit 3 years ago last July. Doing well now. But 4 out of 5 of my kids smoke and that makes me ill. The kids these days just flat refuse to listen to any reasoning about smoking. "Business Law Student" is absolutely right. It makes them kids feel like grown-ups. I wish I had never smoked around them and made them stink like me. They literally watched my dad and my mother-in-law die with oxygen tubes up their noses. Yet they won't listen.

Smoking is really nobody's fault. It is a choice. I know from experience.

Now, if they would only remove the temptations of beer and alcohol tv commercials away from my children, I would feel a whole lot better. They all do that too, just like I did. Walk into any convenience store and count how many beer coolers (or walk-ins) there are compared to how many soft drinks coolers. Does that tell you anything about our society??? They have the whole country covinced that one cannot enjoy a football or baseball game without getting drunk. SUBLIMINAL RESPONSE??? ALCOHOLICS??? People get pissed off when their 11 year old kids get busted for drinking booze. It's no wonder. Drinking beer is glorius on TV.

In the end, I hope these treatments and detections keep coming. What we really need is an absolute cure. My big question??? If they can break a blood cell clear down to a DNA level, why can't they do the same with a cancer cell and find it's root and destroy it??? Think about that.

Dale

I found out that I was allergic to tobacco over thirty years ago. I became asthmatic and the Allergist, MD, cautioned me to avoid tobacco smoke. My wife has been a smoker since I have known her. At that time I did not know that I was allergic to tobacco and the smoke. I did know, that I could not use tobacco, because I would experience severe headaches. I am a dentist, my office is in my residence. How dumb is that? I have no escape. That is until now. When I retired in 2000, I moved to Florida. I felt great. Have recently sold that house and am now preparing a second residence for myself closer to "home"., so that I can be close to family, but be free of the smoke environment. No divorce, just more freedom for health reasons. I love my wife but regret that I am some distant place, down her "desired list", being bested by bad habits and other desires. If you feel that smoke may be bothering your health, don't wait like I did. If you have the freedom to get out, do so ASAP.