Snappy comebacks to the "Do you Smoke?" question

[Welthy]

I've been thinking about this topic for awhile and saw Debi's comment in the LC Survivors catagory.

Soooo --- what are your thoughts on the best comebacks to the ALWAYS asked "Do (or did) you smoke?"

My only thought has been what Lance Armstrong said, "It's a disease, not a punishment."

Any takers with finely honed comebacks?

(I know you are out there, I've chuckled my way through these boards too often!)

Welthy

[Don Wood]

The favorite one I use is, "Do you know your question has an accusative tone?" They usually backtrack and deny. But I figure the next time they are tempted to ask the question, maybe they will hesitate. Don

[SBeth]

How about..."Why do you ask?"

In my opinion, this will set up the "well-intentioned" person asking for a friendly lecture on what else causes lung cancer and why it isn't AS important to find out the cause as it is to find a CURE!

[RandyW]

My favorite Response is "Why, Am I on Fire??"

[Geri]

My favorite is:

If you don't know me well enough to know, you don't know me well enough to ask!

Geri

[kamataca]

I learned Beth's response early in this journey (probably from Beth, even ). It is now my favorite, and I use it whenever anyone asks me any personal question. It sure turns it around! People flop around like a fish on a line to come up with a response.

Kelly

[Connie B]

We have a few threads on this and some people have had some GOOD REPLIES! The threads are somewhere in the General Forum.

[Snowflake]

My answer when someone asks me if I smoke/d is: "No, I'm just lucky."

Of course, then they think I'm crazy because no one with lung cancer is "lucky"...and I explain that I'm DAMN lucky it was found due to ignorance of the medical community and the general population that doesn't understand that LC has other causes.

[eppie]

I usually come back and say "The better question to ask is what hazardous chemicals are/were you exposed to in your life?"

Daddy worked for Exxon refining oil into gasoline.

[Ann]

My favorite response is one that someone on this baord suggested quite some time ago.

"Only when I'm on fire."

[Welthy]

Sorry, I didn't know (but should have) that this thread has already been done!

Great answers though!!!

[Andrea]

I say about my mom "Yes,but she quit over 25 years ago, however it does not matter. Most people don't realize, but about 50% of those diagnosed either never smoked or quit many many years ago"

This way I educate them to something they didn't know

[Jyoung20]

"only after sex"----hehe just kidding

[blaze100]

I always say, "No I never smoked, but I had a lot of friends that did". Barb

[dumpy222]

It really gets my back up when people ask that question!! Its as if they are saying that people with lung cancer deserve it.

My doctor actually said to me about dad

"well he smoked for 60 years so what do you expect"

I could of slapped the doctor

[Don Wood]

The doctor needs slapping.

[myrnalu]

The Dr definatly needed slapping.I get it from my son at times.When I get scared of going for tests and he says well thats what happens when you smoked 40 yrs.Want to slap him too.

I like Dons answer its a disease not a punishment.Im gonna go with that one.

Marie

[aurora06]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post. Yes, if you have lung ca it seems to be assumed that you smoked. My mother never smoked and died from lung cancer. Her Dr seemed to assume that she smoked and actually put that she had a long history of smoking in her record. I took extreme issue and made them correct the record. He DID need slapped as does anyone who asks that question of someone who has lung or any other type of cancer. Some great comebacks, especially the simple but to the point "why do you ask?"

[Connie B]

Dear Dear Aurora06

Oh My God! That is just TERRIBLE what your mother's doctor did. ((((((AURORA06)))))))

I am Speechless!! Oh How Very Very Sad!

I am So Very Sorry this Happened to You and to your Mom's memory!

[richinsdakota]

I simply answer, "yes, and I still do, since noone knows what causes cancer." ?

Rich B.

[Cindy RN]

Mine is

And does that matter?

If I have time I add do you ask liver or pancreatic cancer pts if they were alcoholics? Do you ask someone with colon cancer did you eat a high fat diet?

There is always some idiot who just does not think!

I am SMOKIN hot!

Cindy

[missyk]

This is probably horrible of me...but when a friend of mine who I'd lost contace with contacted me again and in catching up we discussed his wife having been treated for breast cancer and Mom having lung cancer...the first words out of his mouth were "Does she smoke?" I asked him, "Does or did your wife? You DO realize that "they" SAY smoking increases your risk of EVERY type of cancer...not just lung cancer, don't you??"

I find it VERY unfair that everyone seems to ask that question when it comes to lung cancer but NOT with other cancers!! How would those other ppl feel if the first question was about an addiction that they might have broken (or might not have) many years ago??? Puts a new perspective on it for alot of people.

[Guest ssgg]

RandyW: that you for the laugh, I needed one today...I love that response!

[aurora06]

I've given this more thought. If you can put aside the anger at the question just act confused when they ask about smoking...like, what? did they smoke? well, why? And just wait for them to say something. I guess it depends on how much effort you want to put forth. But I think the "act stupid" response will put THEM on the spot.