boobsrgood: Still, most people would agree that, as addictions go, smoking is pretty much a cry for help and a constant reminder of self-hatred.

milk000: Re: '... stress... . Smoking is merely one of a million different ways to cope with that, and many other stressors.'

Sure, sometimes I feel like I need a drink. "Sometimes", meaning not all day, or every day.

Now - two packs per day, every day - what kind of "stress" are these people trying to cope with, exactly? You know the patterns, right? Woke up - get a smoke. Just had lunch/dinner - gotta have a smoke. Taking a break - need a cigarette. Just had sex - a cigarette would be nice. Difficult day at work - smoke. Bored - smoke.

No, I am not buying your "coping with stress" argument. We all deal with a lot of sh*t every day, and there are other ways to "cope" (or better yet - find the source of the problem causing the stress and fix it) without getting enslaved by addictions.

Re: 'It makes me sad that anyone would feel this way, as it shows you have limited experience getting to actually know people, and don't have much compassion. Depending on the circumstances of people's lives, the environment they were raised in, and of course someone's genetic makeup (some people are far more prone to addiction than others), who is anyone to judge another's decisions? You're quite fortunate to never have been addicted to anything. Why not use your superior "will" or whatever to help others overcome their deeper issues?'

What makes me sad is hearing stories from my wife (works at the hospital) about babies who are born addicted. The babies had no choice, the chemicals were being fed directly into their bloodstream by their addict mothers.

We adults, on the other hand, make a conscious decision to pick up that cigarette, drink, etc.