@Thraxas
Yeah, apologese. I was irritated a little by previous posts, and you stood in the line of fire.
The only thing I disliked about your statement was the generalisation of smokers. I, for one, always avoided smoking when I was with company that didn't like the smell, and would never smoke in a restaurant unless I was on a table with a load of people already puffin' away. In my own home, I would always smoke outside too.
I know quite a lot of people with the same mentality. There are a lot of considerate smokers who consider non-smokers, so it's a bit annoying when people generalise smokers. Every smoker and every non-smoker are individuals, and in the same way that a lot of non-smokers will put up with smoke, a lot of smokers will make an effort to not subject non-smokers to it.
As for the positives of smoking, as I said, they're quite minor, but I'll list a few I can remember:
-Traffic jams - Getting stuck in one on the way home from working would never bother me. I'd light up a smoke and relax. Now it's much more boring.
-After a meal - It's like another desert. Really satisfying to have a smoke after a meal. Just tops it all of perfectly.
-General break - If you just need to get out of somewhere for a few minutes, rather than just standing outside like a plumb, you can have a cigarette. It also means you're physically preoccupied to a degree, which is good for thinking. I've done my best thinking for game dev, music, problem solving etc. while having a cigarette.
-There is some evidence it helps prevent alzymers disease, although clearly the negative health benefits outweigh this positive.
-Extremely social - I've met more random friends through hanging around outside at work with smokers than I have anywhere else. It's an instant commonality, and because you're both standing there doing nothing, you start up a chat, when otherwise you'd walk right by each other. This is the best benefit, imo. In fact, I met one of my ex-girlfriends because we both smoked, otherwise I wouldn't have even spoken to her.
-Reduces your risk of colds and infections. There is some evidence for this, and personally I feel it's seems true. It apparently increases the saliva flow from your lungs as they try and kick out the tar, which reduces infection. It seemed to be accurate to me. Seemed to have less colds while smoking.
-Obviously the taste and slight stimulation you get from it, if you like that sort of thing.
There are probably a few more, but that's all I've got right now. Small, but tangible benefits I personally miss.
