Hey butt eze.. Great post. You shouldn't feel any need to apologize for it. You've got every reason, and then some, for feeling as passionate about it as you do. If I can use a crude analogy, it would be akin to the victim of a hit N run accident being passionate about drunken drivers, what have you. As for the subject, he is no different than a lot of us smokers... he knows that smoking is indefensible, and it's even worse for folks with our condition. However, it really doesnt' change the other fact... smoking is an 'addiction', reportedly 2nd only in strength to 'herion' addiction. I dunno. Never been addicted to herion. Take me, I would love nothing dearer than to be able to get away from this habit safely if I could. I'm not making excuses, or looking for sympathy. I do feel that a 'lot' of people don't see smoking as a 'sickness', an 'addiction'. That smokers are relegated to 2nd or 3rd class status as human beings, many times by 'people' who should know better. Health care workers are often the worst. Imagine, if I might make this comparison, a health care worker treating someone with IBD as if they were 'responsible' for their disease. I'm the same person I was when I was a non-smoker... but the 'fact' that I've fallen prey to the addiction again somehow makes me 'less' of a human being, or a patient, in some folks eyes. I don't see the 'fairness', the 'equality' in that. I AM to blame for any smoking related health issues arising from my 'addiction', but am I to be held to blame for the 'addictive' nature of this disease. If that's the case, then perhaps all of the places, clinics, etc., for narcotics addicts, or alcohol addicts, or gamblers, etc., should be shutdown and disbanded. Hate the disease, not the victims.
Anyway, as I said, I applaud your post. I didn't take any offense, and I am NOT trying to defend smoking. Just trying to remind folks it's a nasty 'addiction'.