Smoking: alpha or beta?

[dk1990S111]

I see it as being a very beta habit/sign of weakness. You are losing control of yourself to the habit. My two room mates smoke and both planned to quit after Friday (the day one of them turned 25) but then it turned into "real sh1t we'll quit monday"

The one who turned 25 has had pretty bad smokers cough for a few years now, constantly sounds like he's gunna cough up a lung, yet he has taken all this time to even consider quitting. Just looks very weak in my opinion.

What do you guys think?

 

[:-)]

it's neither beta or alpha. it's just a habit.

 

[SmooveMooves]

Cigarettes? Not so much beta as stupid. The negative long term effects of cigarette smoking are well known and proven. Nothing more stupid the consuming a known poison, especially one that has substitutes.

Recreational drugs like marijuana, alcohol should be consumed moderately. Similar to indulging in fast food or junk food.

You shouldn't become dependent on anything that is a variable in life

 

[Yewki]

Cigarettes? Not so much beta as stupid.

Exactly. Neither beta nor alpha, just stupid.

If I see a girl smoking, she immediately loses 2 points and becomes nothing more than a ONS possibility. Would never be in a LTR with someone who smoked. Huge turn off. Might as well be walking around with an oxygen tank.

 

[old married dude]

Exactly. Neither beta nor alpha, just stupid.

If I see a girl smoking, she immediately loses 2 points and becomes nothing more than a ONS possibility. Would never be in a LTR with someone who smoked. Huge turn off. Might as well be walking around with an oxygen tank.

I agree, it just STINKS and is a massive waste of money.

These girls who smoke are just ruining their appearance, it ages people horribly. I used to work with a few chain smokers who were around 30 at the time, but looked more like 40-45.

 

[GS750]

Its rare to even see people smoking these days, most smokers have switched to vaping. But I don't think it's alpha or beta...just dumb and bad for your health. Not to mention expensive.

 

[Serenity]

Wanting to quit and not doing it is beta. Wanting to quit and doing it is alpha. Not wanting to quit despite knowing what it does is stupid, but does not nescessarily make you beta. The smoking is not the determining factor, it's the exercise of willpower. I've seen plenty of guys who hardly fit in the category of smart who still has a very alpha attitude. I've also seen plenty of guys who's very intelligent, but lacks a personal will and social skills making them pretty beta. The latter is the typical rationalizer, there's no end to their smarts in finding excuses and avoidance strategies. Because of this it's more alpha to consciously decide not to quit than to decide doing it and not going through with it.

Doing it because a chick does it or to make her like you is a definite beta move. Resisting her influence based on personal decision is an alpha move. In other words you don't smoke because it's good for yourself, it's none of anyone elses business. You may also smoke because you accept the price of that satisfaction, still none of anyones business.

Overall though smoking isn't good for you, but that's public knowledge. A great deal of people look down on smokers in general, it's an indicator of not taking care of oneself.

I smoke occasionally and I know I'm talking against myself, but this is true regardless. Otherwise I'm wise enough to not repeatedly claim to want to quit and not do it, that's the part I consider as weakness and lack of integrity.

 

[JohnyTheArrow]

Make your own decisions what is alpha and what is beta.

 

[RangerMIke]

Anything that strips you of self control is not Alpha. Alpha's are always in control of their emotions and actions. But smoking isn't beta, but the inability of breaking any habit... especially one that will eventually kill you is weak behavior.

 

[:-)]

The man with no name was alpha as fvvk

Image from http://images4.static-bluray.com/reviews/2898_1.jpg.

 

[dagreatgrizz23]

Hold on your not talking about weed here right? Because weed is dope

 

[dagreatgrizz23]

Hold on your not talking about weed here right? Because weed is dope

 

[bigneil]

Smoking cigarettes is sub-Alpha for sure, because beauty is health and strength. The Alpha is the strongest man, so smokers disqualify themselves. Also, in general, weed and women don't mix. Quitting is a great way to lose weight as your body will detoxify! Cigars are neutral but only if done on occasion.

But as others have noted, it's not Beta per se.

 

[dk1990S111]

Wanting to quit and not doing it is beta. Wanting to quit and doing it is alpha. Not wanting to quit despite knowing what it does is stupid, but does not nescessarily make you beta. The smoking is not the determining factor, it's the exercise of willpower.

Hit the nail on the head, exactly what I was trying to get at. The fact that they put it off till monday just looked beta to me because it showed a weak mind with no will power. And wouldnt you know, they were both still smoking last night.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

I don't consider it as alpha or beta, just (as a few above had said) a stupid habit. I do think that those PEOPLE are very weak though and thus beta, though is smoking itself beta, no (nor is it alpha). They are generally weak minded people and often times stupid as well in the sense that 'if it FEELS good then it MUST be good!' because lets be real here, pizza tastes good and so do burgers, but they aren't good for you. And sometimes they know that it isn't good for them, yet they don't quit smoking. Why? Because they 'can't'. Withdrawal is too hard for them. THAT is weak behavior. You can't die from withdrawal. Well, that's a lie, but it is VERY unlikely. And you don't die from the withdrawal per se, more so seizures or respiratory arrest/distress. I have never ever heard of an experience where someone died from a withdrawal from even heroin.

However, I have always tried to avoid that life and people who are in that life so maybe I'm a bit narrow-minded. BUt then again, I've had several drug addicts come and tell me personally that the worst they've seen is someone going to a hospital, but never actually dead.

end rant/

I just consider this as WEAK behavior. WEAK behavior is merely an attribute of a beta, but is it the entire thing? No.

 

[foreverAFC]

alpha is as alpha does.

bruce lee never went near anything traditionally considered "bad" for your health. he didnt even drink coffee. he was alpha

i hate to break it to you, but bruce lee was a hollywood celebrity in the later half of his life, and probobly partook in drug use and debauchery like everyone else. supposedly traces of marijuana were found in his system when the did the autopsy on his body.

and then guys like pitt, nicholson, depp, sinatra etc (the list goes on) - all alphas in their own right - are/were smokers.

these guys are rich and famous movie stars, they would all be alpha without smoking

me personally, i spend all my free time doing martial arts and lifting weights so i look at smokers as unhealthy weak people who would gas out after doing 30 seconds of boxing or jiu jitsu, so i defiantly dont view people who smoke as alpha at all

 

[kentgraham10]

To each their own when it comes to smoking. For me, it's a habit I picked within the last year that ended up helping me with pick up.

Everyone seems really caught up on the whole alpha/beta thing which I understand, but smoking doesn't really fit into that at all.

Smoking is a 'reset' I use when I go out. For me at least, when I go out to have fun, a lot of times I just need a change of scenery to get my mind straight and make sure I stay engaged socially. Its easy to run into the habit of talking it up with your buds at the bar when that's really the last thing you want to be doing.

The worst thing you can do is be the guy just standing there doing nothing though. When I find myself there, even for a split second, I know I have to 'reset' my situation and state of mind. To do that, I have the options of:

1) Grabbing another drink - getting tanked isn't the best way to be on your game and yeah, grabbing another shot might boost you for a few minutes, but it could send you off into the deep end and all of a sudden your up the next day going, "what the hell did I do with my night?" I will say that landing a spot at a corner of the bar and milking your drinks can be effective. Its a high traffic area and an easy way to start conversations if you are feeling social.

2) Going to the bathroom - What are you going to do in there, talk to other dudes?

3) Dance floor -

Going out for a smoke is really the easiest reset there is. Smokers seem to have this sort of unspoken bond, it's hard to explain. You go outside for a smoke and the easiest way to get into a group you want to associate with is by bumming a cig/asking for a light. If there is a girl in the group you want to start a chat with, it's much easier to do so after initiating with her or someone in the group after asking for a lighter versus walking into a situation blind trying to start something out of thin air.

I forgot where I read about the whole reset thing on here, but that stuck with me and since then I've realized my best nights are when I'm in never in one place too long. Smoking is part of that for me.

It doesn't have to be for everyone though, so if you don't smoke I don't suggest starting, but if you smoke already, use your bad habit to your advantage.

 

[Peña]

Smoking itself is not alpha or beta. It is the person doing the smoking who is alpha or beta.