On Feb 18, 1:15*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:

OK, how about some personal experience.

I smoked almost a carton a week from the time I was 18 until almost 60. *
I did switch from unfiltered to filtered about the middle of that.

Just before my 60th birthday I had a heart attack - luckily not a massive
one. *When I got out of intensive care I went outside, pushing my IV
holder, and had my last cigarette. *I noticed no physical withdrawal
symptoms, just my hand having a reflex action of reaching for my shirt
pocket every now and then. *That went away in a week or two.

I did tell my cardiologist that I missed it and wondered if one cigar a
month was admissible. *He reluctantly agreed. *I adhered to that regimen
for 10 years. *When I reached 70 I unilaterally decided to let myself
have one a week. *Been doing that for 4 years. *Surely if smoking was
addictive to me I would have been rapidly increasing my cigar smoking
until it was a constant thing.

I don't know if smoking is addictive to other people or not. *But it does
not seem to be addictive to me.

I do sense an increasing trend - you've quadrupled your smoking in
only 4 years.

Check back in periodically so we can monitor your
addic...sorry...habi...oops...relaxation? Say every 5 years for the
next 30 year. That should give us enough data to draw some meaningful
answers.

Don't think of pulling out of the study early - this is a scientific
experiment and we need your cooperation.

R