[Sobeyet]

Wrathblood, on 03 September 2010 - 03:28 PM, said:

Breaking addictions, even ones not generally considered serious can be rough on people.

Part of the reason why I randomly quit once a year, a lot of people say "I can quit when I want to" but can't necessarily follow up on it. But then again, people have different tolerances toward nicotine, so may just be easier for me on a chemical level and not necessarily related to willpower. I was smoking fairly heavily right before I stopped since I was drinking / going out a lot - about a pack a day, really my max - and I didn't feel any physical symptoms from stopping cold turkey.

I also do a 7-day water fast once a year, partly to break the mental addiction to food and partly to flush out the system. After 2-4 days you really begin to notice the nuances of your eating habits - what makes you hungry, what makes you get random cravings, etc.

Wrathblood, on 03 September 2010 - 03:28 PM, said:

Park Slope? Really? You may as well have stayed in Manhattan.

Well I was living on 50th and 1st in Manhattan, and it was by far the most boring neighborhood I've ever been in. The demographic was literally +99% WASPs, median per capita income around 100k, and there was nothing to do around there. There were more dogs in the neighborhood than minorities. Park Slope definitely has some of that ritzy Manhattan vibe, but it's a lot younger and there's at least some mix of people. Also close to prospect park and BAM which I like, and easier to get into Manhattan via subway than most other parts of Brooklyn. But I really only moved to Brooklyn since my friend just bought a place here, if it wasn't for that I probably would've just moved downtown.

[Wrathblood]

A pack a day counts as heavy smoking? Wow, I guess taxes really have cut into consumption levels after all.

Yeah, I was amazed to realize its easier to get to big chunks of downtown manhattan from parts of brooklyn than it is from most of actual manhattan. I'm curious to see how your omni-directional job search works out.

[Sobeyet]

Wrathblood, on 03 September 2010 - 07:04 PM, said:

A pack a day counts as heavy smoking? Wow, I guess taxes really have cut into consumption levels after all.

Not so much about the cost for me, though at the rate nyc is going it'll be cheaper to smoke weed soon enough. A pack a day is about all I can do under regular conditions, I start to feel gross if I have much more than that. All bets are off if I'm drinking, then I can knock out half a pack in an hour without noticing, but I don't really stay drunk for multiple days in a row nowadays (unless I'm on vacation) so it still comes out to around a pack a day.

I do miss it a bit from a social/habitual standpoint; a lot of times I catch myself thinking "oh I'd usually enjoy a smoke in this situation" and reminiscing.

[Wrathblood]

Oh, i meant more from a societal perspective. Nyc charges an amazingly high tax on cigarettes, and i was just wondering if it was biting hard enough to affect usage. I've never benn a smoker, but i know that, say 20 years ago, a pack a day would have been considered a light smoker.

I just have no perspective. Other than my brother who i see once/year, the heresiarch smokers are the only smokers i know that i know.

[Sobeyet]

Wrathblood, on 04 September 2010 - 09:00 AM, said:

Oh, i meant more from a societal perspective. Nyc charges an amazingly high tax on cigarettes, and i was just wondering if it was biting hard enough to affect usage. I've never benn a smoker, but i know that, say 20 years ago, a pack a day would have been considered a light smoker.

I just have no perspective. Other than my brother who i see once/year, the heresiarch smokers are the only smokers i know that i know.

I would think that overall the demand for cigarettes is inelastic because of the whole addiction thing. I'm sure some people quit every time there's a price hike though.

I'm not quite sure what the biggest deterrent is nowadays, the price, the health concerns, or the social stigma. I saw a study where college kids usually overstate the detrimental health effects of smoking but continue to do it anyway, so that may not be it. All the anti-smoking regulation is annoying, I had a layover in an airport in the Midwest last year (st. Louis maybe?) and they let me smoke at the bar, was fantastic. But it's also a good way to meet people in ny (offer a light, start a conversation, etc.) so it's not all bad.

[Guinthel]

Sobeyet, on 04 September 2010 - 03:58 PM, said:

Wrathblood, on 04 September 2010 - 09:00 AM, said:

Oh, i meant more from a societal perspective. Nyc charges an amazingly high tax on cigarettes, and i was just wondering if it was biting hard enough to affect usage. I've never benn a smoker, but i know that, say 20 years ago, a pack a day would have been considered a light smoker.

I just have no perspective. Other than my brother who i see once/year, the heresiarch smokers are the only smokers i know that i know.

I'm not quite sure what the biggest deterrent is nowadays, the price, the health concerns, or the social stigma.

Personally I will only smoke for social reasons.