EXCESSES - smoking or drinking?

[asonct]

Just wondering if any Catholic Christian has an opinion / thought on:

What is “better” - addiction to nicotine (tobacco use - smoking) or addiction / frequent alcohol consumption?

 

[jdavani]

Neither. But you can’t really get drunk on nicotine. Both cause major health problems

 

[Kathleen18]

Neither one is better or worse then the other. They both are toxic to the body.

 

[Vico]

Just wondering if any Catholic Christian has an opinion / thought on:

What is “better” - addiction to nicotine (tobacco use - smoking) or addiction / frequent alcohol consumption?

CDC:

More people in the United States are addicted to nicotine than to any other drug. Research suggests that nicotine may be as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol.

The major causes of excess mortality among smokers are diseases that are related to smoking, including cancer and respiratory and vascular disease.

Smokeless tobacco is a known cause of cancer. In addition, the nicotine in smokeless tobacco may increase the risk for sudden death from a condition where the heart does not beat properly (ventricular arrhythmias).

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

Excessive drinking both in the form of heavy drinking or binge drinking, is associated with numerous health problems, including

Chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells); pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas); various cancers, including liver, mouth, throat, larynx (the voice box), and esophagus; high blood pressure; and psychological disorders.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Addiction to either is bad.

The difference I see is that many people can enjoy an occasional drink and have it be occasional, as in once a week, or once a month. I normally have a couple of drinks maybe once a month on average.

With respect to nicotine, there are people who might enjoy a fine cigar once a week/ once a month/ on occasional visits to the cigar bar etc. My husband maybe smokes one cigar every year or two. But the vast majority of nicotine users are puffing cigarettes on a regular basis every single day and clearly have an addiction. Cigarettes are rarely an occasional pleasure for people.

 

[RandomAlias]

Neither one is better or worse then the other. They both are toxic to the body.

Quite true, but one crucial moral difference is that alcohol impairs the mind and judgement to a much greater extent.

We hear about motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and fatalities due to alcohol, but not due to tobacco.

There may not be a lot of published research on factors influencing moral choices, but I suspect that drunkenness can lead to poor moral choices, more so than tobacco. That’s not to say that someone with a well-formed conscience may resist temptation even when drunk, but drunkenness certainly does not sharpen one’s conscience.

 

[Cruciferi]

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[RandomAlias]

I prefer Lager. In moderation, of course.