Reading Saqqara's journal

That's my plea. Stop smoking before you seriously harm yourself, your children, your wife, your dog, or your co-workers.

I lived with my mother for 18 years. She smoked while she carried me, she smoked while I lived with her. Now, after 25 years of smoking, my mother has developed pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary Hypertension is basically high-blood pressure in your lungs. As the pressure forces blood through her lungs at a faster rate than normal, she is unable to get as much oxygen into her red blood cells as a normal person would. This causes her heart to work harder, trying to supply enough blood to get enough oxygen to her brain and other organs. The only cure is a heart/lung transplant, as her lungs have already ruined her current heart.

What is the cause of all this? Smoking. Since discovering smoking was at fault for her condition, my mother went cold turkey on the cancer sticks. She doesn't smoke anymore, which I applaud her for her ability to stop, although I am upset with her for letting her life hang in jeopardy before she decided to quit.

Reading the above may not effect you, if you are a smoker. You may think, "Well that happens to one in a few million, it probably won't happen to me." The sad thing is not reading about someone else's misfortune, it's reading about a result of smoking, and choosing not to save yourself from a similar fate. That stick can't be so good that you risk your life for "one more puff."

My mother is currently on oxygen in order to get enough blood rich oxygen to her organs. They recently upped her blood oxygen level from 2 to 3, which is a major change. Every day I see my mother, I am watching her slowly suffocate. What will she do when she reaches the 100% oxygen level, and it still isn't enough? She is on the heart/lung transplant list, but that means waiting at least 3 years for both. I don't think she'll be able to wait that long.

Smoking leads to no good. I understand addictions are hard to overcome, but think about the consequences. If you don't, you may be gambling your life away over time.

"It is much more comfortable to be mad and know it, than to be sane and have one's doubts."

This post was edited by Saqqara on Apr 25, 2005.

I have lost fourteen of my closest relatives to smoking in the past five years and the premise of your entry rings in my heart. I don't understand why people would choose make themselves suffer and inevitably kill themselves for a moment of "calmed nerves," or whatever they find beneficial about smoking. I know it is difficult to quit smoking, but it's certainly not impossible. My mother smoked as a teenager and she quit shortly after getting married. She hasn't touched a cigarette for over twenty years. It's all a matter of will, and I can't possibly imagine that the "joys" of smoking would be better than the joys of a happy, healthy life. Your situation pains me, and I wish I could help you.

For my next trick, I shall make you all disappear.

I keep on harrassing my folks to stop smoking, but it's all to no avail. God I hope things turn around for you, and that your mother finds a reason to quit. That's really what it takes, a reason. Most people can look past themselves and say, I don't care if it makes me sick, when I do it, it feels good. Why do you think those commercials came out about harming others, remember the one with the black chick and the guy smoking in shotgun? Yeah, she tried to kill that guy...

Anyway, point is, habbits and addictions are VERY hard to break, and require a reason. I hope your mother finds hers soon. My heart (as black as it may be) is with you...

Oops, missed the line about her quitting. That's a good thing...

Still, all you smokers, heed this. You know ut's serious when companies have started releasing commercials saying you SHOULDN'T use thier product. :(

I should be ashamed of myself.

This post was edited by Aynjell on Apr 25, 2005.

I keep on harrassing my folks to stop smoking, but it's all to no avail.

My dad quit smoking after 30 years, he did it cold turkey and just had that mindset that he was not going to smoke anymore.

My mom has tried numerous times and cannot. She stresses too much and can't get more than a day without a cig.

So the thing is even when confronted with their own morality, it's not enough to make some people quit. I can't stand that my mom smokes as much as she does because I know there is going to come a day in the future that I'll hear she has lung cancer or some other bullshit. However even the love of her own son cannot make her quit.

Maybe death is the best answer for these types of people because ultimately they will stop then!

As far as I can imagine myself currently, I expect to stop smoking sometime in the immediate vicinity of my death. I won't smoke around people if it bugs them, and if it actually comes to pass that I have something worth continuing life for past the age when life starts being a burden as well as a pleasure, I'll stop. Until then, though, I intend to continue enjoying my cigarettes, cigars, and pipes with gusto. Admittedly, there's little ambivalence in my saying this now; I'm a teenager. I choose to smoke because I enjoy it, and I have no intense desire to live past the age of 65. I live an otherwise healthy life; I get a lot of anti-oxidants, I exercise with some regularity, I'm heavy on the fruits and veggies while steering clear of a lot of other free radicals, I won't touch hard liquor except for specific circumstances (and I only drink beer and wine in moderation), et cetera, ad nauseam. I understand that it's dangerous, and I do think it's selfish to continue smoking if you intend to start and support a family and the like, but I don't want to do so. All indications for me are that I'll be spending the better part of my life teaching and/or doing manual labour for volunteer organizations, and in either case there's no point in me sticking around too long in those vocations.

I'll believe in anything if you'll just believe in anything

I expect to stop smoking sometime in the immediate vicinity of my death

I don't smoke, I mean there is no point really because it doesn't give you any high. I tried it a few times and it's not as good as a few shots of vodka. I admit I'd smoke if it actually altered your state of mind. For now I'll stick with plain ordinary alcohol for my mind altering trips!

For now I'll stick with plain ordinary alcohol for my mind altering trips!

Well, for me, it's caffiene. Seriously, I can get totally high off of a can of jolt or a two litre of dew. I get flush, grumpy, and totally ready to frag. Perfect mood for playing doom 3. :D

Anyway, I don't understand smoking either. I also don't understand things like beer. I mean, it smells so bad... It prolly tastes as bad. I could imagine drinking something that tastes good... But smoking and other things with nothing other than addiction offer nothing for me. :(

I should be ashamed of myself.

I also don't understand things like beer.

Beer is an acquired taste. It's something that you have to be willing to receive. I happen to love the taste of beer, I didn't used to but now I do!

Budweiser Select is my fav now!

Budweiser Select is my fav now!

Well everyone has the right to speak his mind here :D but I still think that after you try other beers (which are not American) you'll change your mind.
I still think that the best beers are traditionally German, Irish, and yes, there is some Italian ones which aren't so bad.

You want examples here? You should try the following:

Beck's ---> a little bitter (not for those who like sweet tastes) but so wonderful, 5% alcohol, and my all time favorite.

Guinnes extra stout ---> the good Irish beer.. only strange factor is that it's too light 4.3% alcohol.

Ceres strong ale ---> this is the danish 7.7% alcohol beer. It's always a good choice for me when I can't find Beck's or Moretti.

Moretti ---> the best Italian beer ever. I prefer the lager one, that has 7.7% of alcohol.

Peroni ---> another good Italian lager. Still Moretti is the best one though.

Biere du Demon ---> It's a French beer with 12% of alcohol. I tried it only once, and I remember it wasn't bad at all. Of course it's kind of heavy.

What to avoid ever:

Nastro Azzurro ---> another Italian one, but not comparable to Moretti or Peroni.

Adelscott ---> puah! I remember that day my best friend urged me to try it. It was something horrid, even worse than Bud! It's some whisky made beer: it smells awful and tastes awful.

Heineken ---> that's another awful beer in my opinion. It has some kind of metallic taste added to it, that I can't really understand. I am not even the only one to think that actually, because at first I thought it was just me.

So, after all this recap, you guys must have understood that I like beer :P and most of all I like those from 5% of alcohol onwards. This doesn't make me a person who is prone to getting drunk. I have drunk 4 liters of beer before without feeling sick in the least. Oh and my liver is fine: from the latest blood screens turns out that all my hepatic enzymes are perfect ;)

majic, I understand your "love" for Budweiser, but I am kind of sure that it is because you haven't tried any better. When I was 16 or so I was stuck on Kronenburg 1664; I must have drunk it for at least 4 or 5 years. My mom knew that it was my favorite brand, and she always got that one when she wanted to buy beer for me. But then one day we went at the store and they were out of it, so I was like "hmm what do I try now?" and I picked Beck's. It was love at first sip! Ok, enough talking about that, because I am beginning to crave a nice frozen Beck's... you know the way you take it out of the fridge, with all the little water drops wetting your hands as you hold the bottle in your hand ;)

I tried Bud too. And it's not that I don't like it because it's American. It's just too light for me, and doesn't have a good taste in my opinion. I like an American beer from South Carolina though. I have drunk it with Neil's brother, Gil, when we were together in Summer 2003. Hawkeye, do you remember the name of that beer? Probably it starts by S?

Italy no longer accepts illegal immigrants. Mr. B sink their boats!!!!!!!

I mean, it smells so bad...

Excuse me, Aynjell, but what kid of beer have you smelled? Budweiser maybe? LOL Sorry, but this joke was to make. I think that it is a matter of taste of course. I don't think that beer smells bad... of course it depends on the beers. Generally speaking, blonde beers might smell a little sour in respect to red beers.

I like both with no particular distinction actually, but I know that there is a difference in smell. And you're right, bad beers smell bad, but good beers have a very good smell that says "drink me". Maybe you just don't like the taste of beer though, and therefore you don't like its smell.

I've been like that until I was 13 or so. When we used to go to the beach, my parents were trying to make me have a sip of their beer, but I thought it was something awful. Then my taste changed suddenly, and I started loving beer. I was still 14 though, and I didn't want to drink alcoholic stuff, so I used to drink Tourtel, a non alcoholic beer, just for its taste.

When I was 15 I started drinking a particular thing called panache (I hope I spelled it right) when I was out with my friend for a pizza. It is beer + sprite. I wouldn't drink it now, but it was perfectly suitable to a little kid, because it preserved a little taste of beer and there was a lot of sprite, which neutralized the alcohol of the beer.

And strangely enough (because I know you guys probably think that I tend to get drunk and such, since I am here telling you about the beauty of beer) I got drunk only once, and not with beer. I was 18, at one of my best friends' party. We were in a basement with no water, only alcohol and lemonade. My friends kept serving gin tonic (gin + tonic water) and gin lemon (gin + lemonade) and some vodka too. In the end I got drunk, and I don't even know how. I think I mixed too much. I wasn't completely gone though. My dad came to pick me up, and he said "ok, how much did you drink?" and I was like "well I don't know, but I am fine".

We went home, and I got to bed, stumbling into the walls twice :P and when I got to bed I felt like I was in a washing machine for the noise and the idea that everything around me was spinning. I never threw up. The day after I was as fresh as a rose, and my dad was proud of me, because he thought I didn't drink but one or 2 drinks. When in fact I think I stopped counting after the 7th.

All these experiences I might have had though helped me realize my limit and build the right relationship with everything that is alcoholic. Now I know that after 2 beers I have no effects at all and after the third I should avoid driving. But I know this, because I could drink before I could even drive (here you can't drive if you're not 18), and this certainly helped me have a self consciousness about what to do with alcohol if I have the car.

I would lie if I said I don't drink when I drive. I do drink a beer with dinner (pizza) and I might drink another one after an hour or so if we go to a pub. Though, by the time I go out of the pub I am totally fine with driving. I am very careful to that in fact, and I think that Hawkeye can testify that, since he's been in the car with me before.

Anyway, enough talking about my experiences with beer and alcohol! Time for someone else to entertain us :)

Italy no longer accepts illegal immigrants. Mr. B sink their boats!!!!!!!