Smoking Cigarettes

[asd72]

I know we have had a lot of threads on smoking, but I just have a question.

Does the factor of addiction migrate smoking from being a mortal sin if you aren’t moderate in your intake?

My problem is I seem to addicted to both cigarettes and food and I don’t feel I can cope with dealing with both at once. I am concentrating on moderating my eating first.

I can’t confess my immoderate intake of cigarettes without a firm intention of changing it.

I will run it by my Priest when I see him, but I just wanted (name removed by moderator)ut from others who have this problem and go to confession and/or receive spiritual direction. What advice have you received in this area?

 

[thomasf]

Frankly, I don’t see addictions such as to cigarettes and food, and even drugs and alcohol as a clear cut mortal sin. Addictions are not primarily a matter of will, there are chemical and biological factors involved as well. Especially with nicotine. I would discuss it with the priest, but IMO if you’re making an effort to moderate and/or stop and not continuing as a willfulness to harm yourself, you’re not committing a mortal sin. But that’s just my advice.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

It’s pretty difficult to know about mortal sin in these kinds of situations, since there have to be the three conditions present. I would just talk to your spiritual director about it as you said you plan to.

 

[JGMendes4049]

I would say it is a flaw. A flaw is something which is not a sin but is still not good.

But still talk to a priest.

 

[Daralharb]

If smoking is a sin in and of itself, so is smokeless tobacco.

In the history of the Church, you will find a lot of Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests and Laymen who were publicly and perpetually in sin if this is the case. Padre Pio dipped snuff, so did I believe Pope Leo XIII and Pope St. Pius X.

Now, between the two, I’d personally think that being addicted to food needs to be rectified ASAP. It takes about 3-7 days at MOST for cigarettes to become a mental addiction only. Your addiction to food is a lot longer and painful to get over when you don’t have it.

You can’t feed the poor with what you ate.

I would personally get off the food addiction and cut back to moderate rates first and then tackle the smoking later. In my own quitting of things, I have found that being hungry helps distract me from the nicotine cravings… kinda like when someone doesn’t care their leg is amputated because their face is on fire.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

If smoking is a sin in and of itself, so is smokeless tobacco.

In the history of the Church, you will find a lot of Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests and Laymen who were publicly and perpetually in sin if this is the case. Padre Pio dipped snuff, so did I believe Pope Leo XIII and Pope St. Pius X.

Now, between the two, I’d personally think that being addicted to food needs to be rectified ASAP. It takes about 3-7 days at MOST for cigarettes to become a mental addiction only. Your addiction to food is a lot longer and painful to get over when you don’t have it.

You can’t feed the poor with what you ate.

I would personally get off the food addiction and cut back to moderate rates first and then tackle the smoking later. In my own quitting of things, I have found that being hungry helps distract me from the nicotine cravings… kinda like when someone doesn’t care their leg is amputated because their face is on fire.

Yes about St. Pio (snuff) and Pope Leo XIII (snuff), but I think Pope St. Pius X smoked cigars. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati smoked cigars and pipes, both. Blessed Pope John XXIII smoked cigarettes, sometimes.

 

[Bob_Aliano]

I know we have had a lot of threads on smoking, but I just have a question.

Does the factor of addiction migrate smoking from being a mortal sin if you aren’t moderate in your intake?

My problem is I seem to addicted to both cigarettes and food and I don’t feel I can cope with dealing with both at once. I am concentrating on moderating my eating first.

I can’t confess my immoderate intake of cigarettes without a firm intention of changing it.

I will run it by my Priest when I see him, but I just wanted (name removed by moderator)ut from others who have this problem and go to confession and/or receive spiritual direction. What advice have you received in this area?

I’m probably off the track a bit but it seems that a person who begins smoking after learning it is addictive and harmful to one’s health would be committing a sin. I also believe that anyone who knows he or she has an addiction to alcohol, gambling or any other self destructive activity and persists in the activity is sinning.

 

[Leon_Bloy]

I’m probably off the track a bit but it seems that a person who begins smoking after learning it is addictive and harmful to one’s health would be committing a sin. I also believe that anyone who knows he or she has an addiction to alcohol, gambling or any other self destructive activity and persists in the activity is sinning.

Moral theologians sometimes say that addiction lessens the person’s culpability for the sin, since their freedom is compromised by the addiction.

Of course that doesn’t excuse any kind of sinful behavior.

 

[Bob_Aliano]

Moral theologians sometimes say that addiction lessens the person’s culpability for the sin, since their freedom is compromised by the addiction.

Of course that doesn’t excuse any kind of sinful behavior.

That’s where it gets hazy for me; if the addiction comes after being warned I have a problem with using the addiction as a mitigating argument. It is a good argument for those who began smoking pre-sixties or so when smoking was considered chic and there were rarely any real warnings about the danger.

 

[DarrenOglesby]

I actually know some priests and seminarians who smoke cigarettes, so I don’t know how much of a sin it is. Cigars I would say are not sinful, because they aren’t really addicting. I know many people who will have a cigar to celebrate an event, and not smoke any other time.

 

[asd72]

Well that sounds somewhat reassuring. It is definitely an attachment, but unlikely to be mortal. I will follow it up with my Priest, we are going to be discussing confession soon.

 

[mom2em]

You’re going to get different answers from everyone on this. It is the internet, and with a lot of things, there’s A LOT of varying opinions on it. It is, the best, to ask your own priest. The Ask An Apologist forum has some answers to it also. Michelle Arnold I do believe has answered a few.