Man Smokes 292,000 Ciggies...Lives to 100!

thesun.co.uk ^ | Sept. 24, 2010 | STAFF REPORTER

[SunkenCiv]

Of course, what happened was, his dad caught him smoking when he was ten, and locked him in a closet with 292,000 cigarettes, saying he had to smoke them all before he could come out.

His 125 year old non-smoking father just passed, and someone finally let the guy out.

Thanks Free ThinkerNY.

[politicalmerc]

In 1988 my grandfather was 88 years old. He was smoking as he had done daily for the past 50+ years when I, as a smart alack 21 year old said:

"Grampa, those cigarettes are going to kill you one day." He looked at me as he took a long draw and calmly exhaled while he thought. He looked at me sternly and said gruffly, "WHEN?"

I still laugh about that. He lived to be 95 and died as he woke up and stretched on the side of his bed in the house where he was born and outlived two wives. Cigarettes killed him alright.

[justiceseeker93]

Actually, many smokers consume way more than 292,000 cigarettes in a lifetime. So that isn't such an astounding total. Total lifetime smoking is commonly measured in pack-years, which is the the average number of packs per day times the number of years of smoking. In this case, the guy has smoked half a pack for 80 years, which is 40 pack-years. There are plenty of people still alive who have consumed twice that and more.

The pack-years are useful statistically to compute risk of various smoking-related illnesses, and the risk of just about all of them increases with increasing pack-years.

[metesky]

Make that our kind of guy.

Seems like old times, getting pinged to a smoking thread. Good hearing from both of ya...

;O)

[irishtenor]

My doctor told me to give up smoking, drinking, and chasing wild women, so I did the only thing I could do. I got a new doctor.

[Windflier]

The guy sounds like a slacker to me. I had smoked over 300,000 cigarettes before I got out of my 30's.

Yep. I'm in my late fifties, and have smoked well over half a million now. I don't have a smoker's hack, and I've never noticed any other side effects.

A doc once examined one of my chest X-rays and couldn't find any trace of tar on my lungs. He told me that it's been seen before, but that there's never been a satisfactory explanation for why that occurs with some people.

[Madame Dufarge]

I love this guy, too!

Years ago, the mother of my 90-year old aunt was told by her doctor to start smoking to relieve her "nervousness." I still picture her walking around the house with a constantly lit cigarette between her fingers. Lived until her late 80's.

It's so nice to hear from both of you again on our familiar battlefield. Pinged our old FRiend, just because.

Been a long time Gabz, you've been missed.

[Red6]

Well,

In our upside down world you’d be chastised if you made a “value judgment” on homosexual behavior. Neither the media, Hollywood, the so called health guru’s, Presidential and other political initiatives on health would dare make a statement that condemns this behavior because of it’s health risks. Yet this is reality: http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/ngmHAAD2010PressRelease.html

Where we set out emphasis, the things we talk about and worry about are often petty while other real health risks that are COMPLETELY behaviorally linked are ignored because it’s not PC to discuss or make any sort of judgment on.

[fanfan]

Sorry! I turned my computer off before I read your reply.

Ping me the next time you get online, OK?

[Impy]

“revealed doctors had told his father to KEEP smoking”

“The doctor has said it’s not worth getting him to give up the cigarettes.”

Hardly the same thing.

“Well they haven’t hurt you so far and you’re very old so..” is different from “keep smoking!”