Unpacking the Societal Impact and Personal Reflections on Alcohol and Tobacco Use

I mean, I’m going to be fair, alcohol has got huge societal consequences. It really does. You know, if you’re at the back end of a fight because of somebody drunk, and it increases domestic violent rates. But to my mind, the difference is, yeah, there is a second hand, there is a greater second hand effect from smoke because it travels further. But the other thing is that you can enjoy a drink without becoming an alcoholic. You can enjoy a drink without becoming dependent on it. The first cigarette anyone ever has, it makes you lightheaded, it makes you feel sick, and it makes you feel like you want to throw up or shit yourself. After that, you don’t get anything. People say, oh, I love a cigarette. Yeah, I remember it well, I can still. But that was only that background low level craving, being satisfied. When they say satisfaction, what you satisfying is your brain’s desire for a shot of nicotine. Um, very few people. I mean, I know a few people who do socially smoke, but that’s because they combine the nicotine with the alcohol. Anything else you get, you know, you drink, you have a glass of wine, you become a little merry. It’s quite pleasant. Until you get drunk. Drunk, um, you know, you smoke other stuff and you get. You get stoned. You know, there is an immediate reward, tobacco doesn’t. You have to be an addict to get the reward. And The reward is like a lot of drugs that are not necessarily pleasant. A lot of the reward is the satisfaction of your craving. Um, I don’t crave cigarettes anymore because I’ve given up for so long. Occasionally I look at somebody lighting up and I think, oh, I remember that feeling. That would be nice, but I don’t want to do it because I know if I had a cigarette, I would get really bad stomachache, I’d be really lightheaded, and I’d feel sick, and within a week, I’d be smoking again. It. Yeah, that’s my issue with it, is to enjoy smoking, you have to be addicted to nicotine. Sorry.