Nurses Who Smoke

[bobnurse]

I have one question....... WHY?

[z's playa]

For Pete's sake. Nurses are people too. They get hungry , tired and cry just like normal people. And unfortunately addiction doesn't hand pick people. No one is immune. I gotta say...I really find this thread pointless.

z

[AndSleeep!]

Smoking is proven to cause lung cancer........

Unprotected sex, you are playing russian roulette with diseases and pregnancy, but not guarenteed.......

The same could go with occasional drinking and the diet.........But smoking is proven.

Smoking wil not necessarily cause lung cancer. It makes you at high risk but is not a guarentee. Tweety is right. Know one is perfect..know one. People may pretend to be. I am learning not to be judgemental even though i dont agree with alot of things that people do. People sometimes make bad choices and we are human.

On the fip side.. ill tell you one thing..I can always tell who is a smoker by their hair, nails, skin, or voice. It does affect your appereance even when you dont have a cig hanging from you mouth.

[NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN]

Smoking is proven to cause lung cancer........

Unprotected sex, you are playing russian roulette with diseases and pregnancy, but not guarenteed.......

The same could go with occasional drinking and the diet.........But smoking is proven.

I think I would liken it more to Russian roulette. For every person with lung CA, there's one who smoked unfiltered, tar-laden cigs into his 90's. I also remember from class the largest percentage of lung CA is from unknown etiology. Smoking is number two.

[4theBetterGetter, RN]

bob, i understand your concern and do appreciate it. smoking is an addiction. that is the large and small of it.

[grinnurse, RN]

I will say this....if they ever came out with a pill or shot and said this will immediately make you quit smoking without any severe side effect or you wouldn't have to suffer withdrawel, I wouldn't be able to roll my sleeve up fast enough or grab a glass a water and say "Give it to me! "

I do enjoy, know it ain't good for me, but do want to quit someday.

Me too!! I would love to quit again. Next goal after passing NCLEX. I always hated when my parents or older person would say "Do as I say, not as I do". I want to set a good example for my patients b/c one of my biggest pet peeves is a hypocrite. Before I went to NS, I didn't know effective methods of dealing with stress but I don't have that excuse anymore.

Asking a person "Why they smoke?" is like asking someone why do they abuse their wife or kids or etc....... B/C they can and the person doesn't have the information or the will to change things.............anyway.....

[jkaee]

For Pete's sake. Nurses are people too. They get hungry , tired and cry just like normal people. And unfortunately addiction doesn't hand pick people. No one is immune. I gotta say...I really find this thread pointless.

z

I second that notion, Z......

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I'd hate it if someone labeled a subject that was on my mind as "pointless". What's "pointless" to one might be a legitimate concern for another?

Perhaps they're just trying to understand why, therefore just asked? (Words echoing from nursing school: "There's no such thing as a stupid question.") You never know EXACTLY what it's like, even if you share the same type of habit, because people do it for different reason, and it affects people in different ways.

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

I don't smoke. However, I now have pre-hypertension and am looking at trying to cut down on my caffeine intake. I can't imagine being anything short of hostile towards anyone/anything that would interfere with my AM cup of coffee.

So, some sympathy for those who have trouble quitting. Everyone's got a vice.

-Indy

[Fun2, BSN, RN]

Smoking is bad for you, drinking is bad for you, drugs are bad for you, and too much sun is bad for you.....now should I go on? Many health care professionals do stupid things. We are HUMAN!

Are you ever running late, and speed to get there on time? You're playing Russian Roulette with your life and the life of others! Haven't you seen vehicle accident victims at your hospital? Didn't you learn from seeing that?

This list can go on, and on, and on.

I agree with Tweety...this topic has been discussed over and over, and we ALL have our faults.

:beercuphe

[pricklypear]

OK , I have to pipe up...(pardon the pun)

Why? Because it is an addiction.

Bobnurse, there are lots of things that are bad, proven to cause illness, injury or death:

Driving without a seatbelt

Being overweight

Not eating 5 servings of fruit a day

Choosing a donut instead of a plain bagel with non-fat cream cheese

Drinking to excess

Drinking too much coffee

Not drinking enough water

Not wearing a helmet

Not having regular check-ups

Chewing tobacco

Talking on a cell phone while driving

Red dye #5

MSG

Processed foods

I'm guessing you're not guilty of any of these. But even if you were, I don't think it's any of my business why...

[pricklypear]

Oh yeah, Fun2Care...I forgot about the sun!

Not wearing sunblock

Not wearing a hat if you're bald

Tanning booths

Not wearing insect repellant with DEET when hiking

Keeping stagnant water around your house

Not taking your entire course of antibiotics

[ttaraRN]

i have one question....... why?

:angryfire it drives me crazy!!! if a nurse smokes she/he gets to take breaks whenever they "need a smoke", the rest of us don't get little breaks every other hour. i work on a cardiac unit, many times we have to initiate a smoking cessation with a patient that just had an mi or a stroke, how can nurses that do smoke, honestly tell patients that they can't anymore!!! errrrr