smoking

I can see that too.

Bodhisattva- neil said:

the devils work

I probably shouldn't laugh, that's how I feel about houndstooth patterns tbh.

The sparkley / glittery ones are the devils work. They’ve been developed for crafting. 
I was never able to come through terms with shiny coloured flakes of stuff, it offends me.

Bodhisattva- neil said:

my daughter who is 19 years of had a revelational moment when she realised that pipe cleaners had a purpose before crafting.

I knew they were a thing before they became popular with crafts, but did they always come in multiple colours though?

I smoke a pipe, I fully understand the health implications and I am prepared to accept the consequences. 
it’s not just the act of smoking it, there is a lot of preparation before hand, and maintenance afterwards, cleaning and polishing and the like. 
my daughter who is 19 years of had a revelational moment when she realised that pipe cleaners had a purpose before crafting.

Ah sorry - no idea how I missed that. Maybe there is something to it then!

rustyb said:

it may have been more of a convenient excuse to get out of a crowded/stressful environment than anything else. Even prior to smoking being banned in pubs, I would always go outside to smoke. 

I dunno if you already read my reply above, but that's exactly one of the factors of it that kept me smoking.
So if that was the case, you're definitely not alone in that.

I quit smoking 5 years ago and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’d been addicted to the things for well over 10 years by the time I kicked the habit. 

Since my diagnosis I’ve actually been looking back at the reasons why I smoked, and I’m starting to think it may have been more of a convenient excuse to get out of a crowded/stressful environment than anything else. Even prior to smoking being banned in pubs, I would always go outside to smoke. 

I might be talking a load of nonsense, but it’s just one of many things I’ve been looking back on differently since diagnosis. 

My advice is don't smoke or vape, it's a dangerous addiction.  And a lifelong financial drain.

My mother often talked about my grandfather, who I never met, he was addicted, rolled his own tobacco.  He didn't care if the house fell down, the family starved or walked around in rags, as long as he had his tobacco every day he was happy.

You really DO NOT need to try the stupid habit. I smoke (and have dipped my toe into vaping) and it's a no win scenario.  

You end up with a mindless need to do something harmful to yourself. 

NAS84324 said:

i can imagine that smoking is a relaxing behaviour and sometimes i wonder what it may feel like. 

I pressume the chemical addition is the same whether you are NT or not, but I can share with you from another thread what it's like to give up smoking as an autist after the chemical addiction is kicked.

🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs said:

One thing I never knew was covering for me until I gave it up was smoking, I thought I developed a load of tics when I gave up smoking but turns out it's just the mask slipping and the stimms coming out because without smoking I didn't have a go-to excuse to just take a 10 min break when I ws starting to feel overwhelmed. Now I just say I need a break and leave the room for a bit to re-regulate myself before I go back in.

(Re: Masking in a professional setting.) +

🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs said:

I also didn't realise the act of making a roll-up WAS my main fidget for many years, I spent like half a year after quitting just buying the stuff to make roll ups anyway just because it was fun to do, I'd roll whole batches of them and then just not smoke them, I ended up being a little rollie factory for my friends who still smoked at the time.

In the end I went and got addicted to physical puzzles to keep my hands busy instead hahaha! XD

I also vaped non-nicotine juices for a period of time (you can vape with no nicotine, so the chemical addiction isn't there) while I didn't know what to replace the action with my hands and mouth with.
I think because stimming is less socially acceptable with NTs there's a real push for a cover activity to hide it even amoung NT's, because really everyone at least stimms a little bit. And then there's the toxic hussle culture too:

🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs said:

I also blame the work culture tbh, we are led to believe that just needing a break isn't a good enough reason to take one, it has to be scheduled or some other NT socially acceptable reason. And that isn't actually a healthy thing at all for anyone.

And the fact that NT society has placed a social element on it too, see the episode of Friends where Rachel gets left out of work place decisions because she stopped smoking and wasn't party to her boss talking with colleagues outside the building. That was effectively written because it is a relatable situation.

I used to get angry at people smoking and vaping after I stopped but on reflection I now just feel sorry for them, they are damaging their health for so many nonsense reasons, when instead of "going out for some air" they could actually just go out for some actual fresh air and congregate anyway if they wanted.

So no, don't start, because of this and the reasons I gave prior in the thread.

In regards to my autism experience, I have a terrible track record of not being able to exhort people, I have gotten better as I become more competent, but have largely abandoned the practice. So I would think that an autistic individual, not skilled the charismatic arts and possibly Alexithymic, would be less likely to lure another out of addiction.

On the point of being around smokers, I find that I am badly affected by passive smoking, I can feel it in the back of my throat as a tingling sensation (even if I cannot smell it. 
My younger brother was smoking at one point, he went to extreme lengths to avoid being detected, but for all of his preparation he could not get a negative sensory input by me.

I would be happy if smoking was banned entirely; I find that smoking is anti social no matter how far away you put the smoking zone, the wind can change and fog all in its way.

I had my first smoke when I was 13. I eventually gave up when I was 24 after my Gran died of lung cancer. I noticed after my taste is better and so is my sense of smell. I also feel better, I never realised how rundown I felt when I was smoking.

I know how scary it can be to feel like your actions could negatively impact your health. But trust me, smoking or vaping isn't the answer to fitting in or feeling relaxed. In fact, it can have the opposite effect by impacting your ability to exercise and causing stress on your body. Plus, it's an expensive habit that you don't need in your life. It's okay to have conflicting thoughts and feelings about smoking and vaping, especially when it's all around you. But don't feel pressured to conform to what others are doing just to fit in. Remember, your health is important and you don't need to compromise it for anyone. Have you considered trying alternative methods like CBD or herbal remedies? Muha meds carts might not be the solution, but there are plenty of other options out there that might work for you.

You are entitled to your opinion regarding smoking, but I do think you should focus more on you, and not what other people do. Smoking is much like vaping in my opinion, yet it’s cheaper, once you’ve bought a decent vape. I would not recommend either. I have smoked here and there throughout my life, and mostly due to stress. I can stop as easily as I start, but that isn’t the case for most people. The last time I quit was august 2021. 
My daughter was like you regarding her thoughts in smoking, until she started doing it to fit in, then she started vaping, even though she knew the effects. She has quit now. My son always moaned at me for smoking in stressful periods, and said how bad it was, yet he still, smoked socially himself! 
It’s hugely expensive, and a waste of money in my opinion. I’ll never go back. And yes, it does affect your lung health. As a runner of 12 years, I can safely say my performance was slower while smoking, and I only smoked about 3 a day!

I grew up when smoking was just beginning to be recognised as damaging to the health, in the mainstream. Both my parents smoked when I was a child, but I put extreme moral pressure on them, and they both quit when I was nine. Some of my friends smoked at senior school and later, but I never even tried it once. The thought of choosing to inhale the smoke of burning leaves and paper was so bizarre and illogical to me, that it never entered my head to try.

Relative to autism, I tend to stim by fiddling with small objects, especially mechanical objects that click or rotate. On a holiday in Paris with my future wife, I was given a free cigarette lighter in a restaurant. On the way back to the hotel my fiddling ended up with me setting light to my jacket pocket, on which, my girlfriend confiscated the offending lighter.

I used to smoke but I gave up in 2019. It took a long time but I feel better for it now.

Sooo glamorous! You'd never find *me* doing something so laughable!

*trousers catch fire*

Damn.

When i first started work, 50yrs ago now. There was an old man in our office that had a pack of about 5cigs in his pocket. He'd had them there, for years and years. He  never called himself a non smoker 'cos he knew they were there, and didn't feel the pressure he would have, if he'd given up Another old man in the same office use to smoke a pipe.  I'm sure he used leaves dug up from his garden, the office use to stink.

It’s so hard to stop- I never smoked and never will but I grew up with my mum who was a heavy smoker. My dad too and my stepfather smoked cigars. I saw how hard it was to stop- my mum managed to but it wasn’t easy and i remember she was so anxious stressed and constantly eating tictacs or breadsticks instead... after 10 years she started again when my gran died... now she somehow managed to stop but is addicted to nicotine gum... Nicotine actually gives quite strong physical addiction too sadly. 
I hope you manage to stop with vaping eventually too but well done on stopping the cigarettes!!!