It's kinda surprising how many non-smoking Monks there are out there. I chose the "Never Will..." option.
I was amazed at how many smoke or have smoked. The
number for "Never Will" is only running around 40%.
That means _more than half_ smoke or have smoked.
In the circles I run in, the "never have never will"
number would be more like 85%. Now, I know 85% is
artificially high (for _never_), but by the same
token 39% seems very very low; I am almost certain
the number for "never" would be higher than that my
geographical area (Midwestern US).
I'm also surprised at how many people claim to
have quit. I have AFAIK never personally known anyone
who quit during my lifetime -- though I have known
several older people who quit decades ago, usually
as a direct result of a major life-altering religious
decision. Both of my grandfathers are in this
category. My maternal grandfather quit smoking
when my mom's oldest brother was very young, and my
paternal grandfather quit when my dad was in
elementary school. Neither of them had ever smoked
in the house, though, and like I said, quitting
smoking in both cases was the direct result of a
major life-altering religious decision that also
had a wide variety of other implications.
I've known plenty of people who tried to quit, and
in a number of cases they were very serious about it.
From observing people who use it, I have rated
nicotine as the fourth-most-addictive thing in
widespread use, after oxygen and caffein and water
(in roughly that order). Then there's a wide and
expansive gulf between those things and whatever
comes out to number five, probably television
(which I'm happy to say I have quit completely).
"In adjectives, with the addition of inflectional endings, a changeable long vowel (Qamets or Tsere) in an open, propretonic syllable will reduce to Vocal Shewa. This type of change occurs when the open, pretonic syllable of the masculine singular adjective becomes propretonic with the addition of inflectional endings."
— Pratico & Van Pelt, BBHG, p68
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I have know at least a couple of people who have quit completely, people I never would have thought could. One of them is a friend of mine that said it was harder for him to give up coffee than it wsa to quit cigs.
I know what you mean about those who never truely quit. Known plenty of them, also.
Paulster2 You're so sly, but so am I. - Quote from the movie Manhunter.
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