[Balian]

Originally Posted by The Sebastian Express

Okay you seem pretty caught up the habit thing. Here's the thing, they aren't just habits. They're coping mechanisms. You want to sit there and think smoking is this really selfish thing (and I said it is when it is done around children who cannot avoid it or in enclosed areas that are clearly marked non-smoking), but so is drinking. You say oh, but in moderation it is fine!

But I'm not talking about moderation, I'm talking about people who go over moderation. I'm talking about people who drink so much (because hey, habit and coping mechanism just like smokers) that they lose their inhibitions and grab their keys and drive themselves places. With kids in the car. (because hey, that does happen too. Look just as selfish as smokers around kids!)

And it is not guarantee that people driving while intoxicated will get caught by the police. And there is no guarantee that they will kill themselves even if they get in the car crash. But see, that's the selfish part about it. The crashing part. And the people they crash into, and the people they have a high possibility of killing.

You're an adult now, and you can avoid smokers. You won't avoid some drunk who is driving and blindsides you. And if you happen to live, you're going to think "Wow, what a selfish *******. He could have killed me." you won't be thinking "Oh man, that was pretty selfish of that guy, but not as selfish as smokers."

I enjoyed the little smart-*** pasting of the dictionary definition for habit, though. Very cute. I would suggest that is more telling of who is grasping at straws than anything.

It is you who is grasping at straws. It's not my fault you are too stubborn to acknowledge the difference between drinking and driving while intoxicated. One is a habit and one is a possible result of a habit. I am ONLY comparing habits, not the consequences of habits.

[Balian]

Originally Posted by MARIS61

Obama smokes, and McCain wants to Nuke all of Asia.

Tough choice there.

Sure, McCain will use nukes to solve all foreign problems. Are you serious? My gawd, get a grip on reality.

[Zybot]

Originally Posted by Balian

Sure, McCain will use nukes to solve all foreign problems. Are you serious? My gawd, get a grip on reality.

The word hyperbole is probably not too far from habit in that favorite book of yours.

[MARIS61]

Originally Posted by Balian

It it selfish for that sole reason. You are polluting the air that is shared by all. I despise smokers for that reason. Personally, my dad and eldest brother smoking inside the house triggered my asthma conditions. It is stupid because you are inhaling carcinogen laced SMOKE inside your body. Think about how logical that is.

Drinking is a habit. It is a form of intaking liquid into your body and in moderation, it is harmless for the most part. Driving WHILE INTOXICATED IS NOT a habit. The law prevents it from being a habit. See the difference?

Driving your car, or riding a bus, down to the store or work and back each and every day pollutes the air with carcinogens that kill babies and irritate Balian's asthma at an enormously higher rate than a person smoking a pack a day.

Lose your hysteria, USE your brain, and get your priorities straight.

[nikolokolus]

Originally Posted by Balian

Let me state this clearly again. Drinking while intoxicated IS NOT A HABIT. How could it be when the law of man and nature prohibits you from driving while intoxicated repeatedly? If you have not been killed from crashes, you will get jail time in ALL STATES for repeated DUI convictions. Drinking as a habit doesn't necessary lead to DUI automatically. Matter of fact, one could have a habit of drinking WITHOUT being intoxicated. All in moderation. You are grasping at straws.

hab·it (hăb'ĭt)
n.

1. 1. A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.
   2. An established disposition of the mind or character.

Wow, what stunning logic

Do you seriously think that every person that drives drunk gets caught or ends up dead ... even doing so repeatedly? I was a paramedic and I can tell you that a drunk driver in a crash is far less likely to be hurt than a sober driver -- drunks don't tense up as much when they are in a collision, meaning their bodies absorb shock more easily without causing structural harm. And saying that because it's prohibited by law prevents it from becoming a habit is even more laughable; do you really think people that steal HABITUALLY don't have a habit because there's some law in a book somewhere saying that they "can't"?

But you're right Balian, smokers are an evil breed that must be scoured from the face of the earth. If you smoke the terrorists win (How's that for hyperbole? I'm kind of new to it, but I'm trying my best).

[Balian]

Originally Posted by MARIS61

Driving your car, or riding a bus, down to the store or work and back each and every day pollutes the air with carcinogens that kill babies and irritate Balian's asthma at an enormously higher rate than a person smoking a pack a day.

Lose your hysteria, USE your brain, and get your priorities straight.

Whoah ...I never thought driving as a personal vice. You lose your hysteria man ...at least try to use your brain. Equating smoking and driving is a bit of a stretch ...even for you.

I need your help! I want to quit driving. Do you know any help group or a drug to curb my driving habit?

[Balian]

Originally Posted by nikolokolus

Wow, what stunning logic

Do you seriously think that every person that drives drunk gets caught or ends up dead ... even doing so repeatedly? I was a paramedic and I can tell you that a drunk driver in a crash is far less likely to be hurt than a sober driver -- drunks don't tense up as much when they are in a collision, meaning their bodies absorb shock more easily without causing structural harm. And saying that because it's prohibited by law prevents it from becoming a habit is even more laughable; do you really think people that steal HABITUALLY don't have a habit because there's some law in a book somewhere saying that they "can't"?

But you're right Balian, smokers are an evil breed that must be scoured from the face of the earth. If you smoke the terrorists win (How's that for hyperbole? I'm kind of new to it, but I'm trying my best).

Do you seriously think a person with a habit of driving while intoxicated would last long? If they survive a crash, you think they will get away scotch free? Law officials would think nothing of it, especially with repeated offense? People notice drunk drivers, especially if they get into an accident. You can't say that about shoplifters. Talking about lame analogies.

[Balian]

Originally Posted by Zybot

The word hyperbole is probably not too far from habit in that favorite book of yours.

So what if its a hyperbole? Isn't that what I was trying to get across or point out? I think you are a bit confused.

[Ed O]

Originally Posted by Balian

Do you seriously think a person with a habit of driving while intoxicated would last long?

What planet are you on?

People drink and drive all the time, unfortunately. And it tends to be, in my experience, the same people who do it over and over, and the VAST majority of the time there's no crash and no law enforcement office to stop them.

Ed O.

[Balian]

Originally Posted by Ed O

What planet are you on?

People drink and drive all the time, unfortunately. And it tends to be, in my experience, the same people who do it over and over, and the VAST majority of the time there's no crash and no law enforcement office to stop them.

Ed O.

Yes, there are people who drink and drive over and over again but to the point in which you can classify it as a habit. We are veering away from the original intent of the argument. Drinking is a habit and it doesn't necessary leads to drunk driving or could classify as the same thing. They are two separate issues.

[Ed O]

Originally Posted by Balian

Yes, there are people who drink and drive over and over again but to the point in which you can classify it as a habit. We are veering away from the original intent of the argument. Drinking is a habit and it doesn't necessary leads to drunk driving or could classify as the same thing. They are two separate issues.

I think you're mixing "addiction" with "habit".

Drinking and driving is DEFINITELY a habit for some of the people that I know, even though they're not addicted to alcohol.

Ed O.

[MARIS61]

Originally Posted by Ed O

I think you're mixing "addiction" with "habit".

Drinking and driving is DEFINITELY a habit for some of the people that I know, even though they're not addicted to alcohol.

Ed O.

Well put.

I would seriously question the commitment and willpower of someone who couldn't quit cigarettes. It's a habit, and a tough one to kick, but it's no more "addictive" than chocolate.

As for alcohol I have personally witnessed 2, and soon to be a 3rd, of my best friends drink themselves to death. And yes, they had a "habit" of driving drunk on a daily basis.

Alcohol is most definitely addictive, more so than most other drugs. It is the most destructive drug in the history of American drug use, and the most profitable to the corporate power structure that now rules us.

[Balian]

Originally Posted by Ed O

I think you're mixing "addiction" with "habit".

Drinking and driving is DEFINITELY a habit for some of the people that I know, even though they're not addicted to alcohol.

Ed O.

No, I am not mixing addiction and habit together. When it comes to smoking and drinking, those two are interchangeable. You know this and I know this. Of course habit have multiple meanings. I was assuming you can understand the context of the conversation though. Stupid assumption on my part. It was only reasonable when the discussion revolves smoking, drinking, and habit ...

Nevertheless, I still contend that drunk driving is not a "habit." It is almost impossible to make it such in this country. Before it becomes a habit, you either get into accidents, get arrested, or both.