Is smoking cigarettes akin to suicide?

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Hello. I was wondering if being addicted to cigarretes would break the commandment thou shalt not kill and would also be considered gluttony. Either way I have a problem. Thanks
 
That article is great thank you. I don’t tell myself that I’m going to do something bad for my health when I smoke it’s not a self harm motive, I wonder if ignorance of the harmful effects and force of habit would minimize the gravity of the sin. I need to keep reminding myself that it’s a sin. The sin of harming yourself, the venial sin of littering cigarette butts, and the vice gluttony against the virtue of temperance. Maybe I could write all that on a sticky note and attach it to every pack.
 
Nicotine has an addictive property and as such it causes our brain to crave it. Many people struggle with smoking, same as drugs or alcohol addiction.

Fortunately there are many resources available to help someone who wants to quit. However many do relapse.
So seek help to quit, ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to help you quit it and stay out of it and with some luck and the help of GOD you can quit it for good.

As for being a sin, possibly not mortal due to the addictive properties and surely when you started you did not know of all the dangers.
As for the reasons for quitting, well there is health as primary and think how much you would save in a year if you did quit. 😉

Peace!
 
Jredden92 this sounds like a question a scrupulous person might ask. Please consult your priest.
 
I’ll never forget as a kid seeing a commercial that said “Cigarettes - the only product that when used correctly, cause death.”
 
I don’t sense any scrupulosity at all; it’s a valid question.
 
umamibella said:
Jredden92 this sounds like a question a scrupulous person might ask. Please consult your priest.
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Is it bad that my question now is being scrupulous a sin? I guess I am pretty self defeating. I do tend to have all or nothing thinking like it’s either perfect or I failed.
 
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NevermoreLenore said:
I don’t sense any scrupulosity at all; it’s a valid question.
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I’ve never really understood that term is it obsessing over something minor? I haven’t been obsessing over it it just popped into my head that maybe this is wrong. I remember reading in the catechism that thou shalt not kill covers more than just murder i guess I’m trying to figure out what exactly it covers. It’s probably venial at most. I know a Franciscan Brother who smokes if that says anything about it.
 
SantaFe said:
I’ll never forget as a kid seeing a commercial that said “Cigarettes - the only product that when used correctly, cause death.”
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Wow must have been government sponsored i guess. I wonder if it’s caused spiritual death before bodily death.
 
jredden92 said:
Is it bad that my question now is being scrupulous a sin? I guess I am pretty self defeating. I do tend to have all or nothing thinking like it’s either perfect or I failed.
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Have this discussion with your priest
 
I don’t recommend anyone take up smoking or using other tobacco products like chewing tobacco (all the rage when I was in college), but unless you’re deliberately trying to harm your health, I don’t see smoking as sinful, no. It’s obviously pleasurable to some people.
 
NevermoreLenore said:
I don’t sense any scrupulosity at all; it’s a valid question.
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Really? I’m getting some heavy scrupulosity vibes here. @jredden92, I’d suggest you have a discussion with your priest. In my opinion, anyway, you’re veering toward scrupulosity and posting an “is it a sin?” question online is likely to hurt rather than help you.
 
We must remember that those around a smoker can be adversely affected by second hand smoke. So, it isn’t just the smoker doing harm to him- or herself. The smoker can harm others, too, in close proximity.
 
As I recall, half of smokers die from a smoking related illness and the average number of years of life lost is 7. These figures have probably increased (first one, because those who still smoke are likely to be heavily addicted) and decreased (because medical care has improved. You could check out the current stats. It is not like suicide because suicide is by definition fatal while cigarette smoking is not always fatal. Similar calculations can be done on stress, obesity, hang-gliding, alcohol, etc.
 
Suicide is not the same as smoking. The former is an intentional act to end one’s own life, while the latter is an act aimed at the enjoyment of a physical sensation caused by the ingestion / inhalation of a chemical, but without regard for the effects that such an act might have on one’s personal health. That pulls smoking more into the realm of gluttony, rather than intentional self harm (usual caveat that this is my personal opinion). Frankly, I believe that intentionally breathing the concentrated fumes of any burning substance to be a Really Bad Idea, and this doesn’t take into account the expense involved – “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” – Isaiah 55:2a

(That said, I have occasionally [and facetiously] mentioned that if I make it to the age of 90, I may take up smoking again. 16 years to go before I have to make a final decision 😃 )

D
 
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Funny you mention that, I was seriously considering taking up pipe smoking a few years ago, until I learned that the smoke damages your gums and teeth. There’s a photo of JRR Tolkien smiling which is a cautionary tale.
 
jredden92 said:
Hello. I was wondering if being addicted to cigarretes would break the commandment thou shalt not kill and would also be considered gluttony. Either way I have a problem. Thanks
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Do you intend suicide by cigarette? Probably not.

Stop smoking. You will be happier and probably live longer, for your own joy and that of your loved ones. It’s a practical matter.
 
If yes, then the same could be said for Twinkies, fried chicken, anything processed and not grown from your own garden. Cigarettes aren’t the only ‘bad thing’ you can put in your body.
 
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