If you had to ban alcohol, smoking, or gambling, which one would you pick?

Smoking.

Smoking without question. Alcohol isn't always a bad thing, but there are no long-term benefits for smoking.MAILER_DAEMON

Goodness....thats a tough one. I'm going with alcohol. Hopefully would cut down on drunk driving deaths and such. At least the majority of deaths caused by smoking are the smoker themselves. Might just lead to another mess like the prohibition though....

I'd ban gambling; I like to drink and smoke. :P

[QUOTE="-xPANICx-"]

[QUOTE="Ninja-Hippo"]Smoking. Gambling is fine so long as you dont let it take over your life, and alcohol is harmless if you're sensible about it. There are pretty much no upsides to smoking.Engrish_Major

You are right, not even being a light smoker is good for you in any way. Also someone sitting next to you on a couch drinking is not going to affect you, someone smoking will, and the 2nd hand smoke is worse for you than the person actually smoking.

Smoking, because then I would stop. :P

Smoking. Can't stand being around smoke. I've gotten somewhat used to it, but I'd rather be completely rid of it.

Smoking by far. Alcohol has the occasional health benefit (smoking does not) and gambling is fun (smoking is not).

Tough, althoughI do have to question the logic of your teacher. The topic itself is slanted right from the beginning and begs the question of how effective research will be when all papers must support a specific point of view.

Anyways, I'm split between smoking and gambling. Either way, you're going to piss a lot of people off. Smoking and gambling, though, are two things I do only on a semi-regular basis. I can't imagine my life without alcohol. Smoking is more enjoyable compared to me losing money, but less anjoyable compared to me winning money, I honestly don't know which way to go. Although if we're talking about more than just tobacco my vote definitely goes for banning gambling.

I'm currently working on a research paper and I'm having difficulty finding an answer to this question.

So, if you had to ban alcohol, smoking (just tobacco), or the proliferation gambling which one would you pick?

Your answers in the poll are much appreciated and will help steer me the in right direction for my paper.

Also, please feel free to discuss it and elaborate on why you chose what you did. Any and all ideas are helpful for me.

Thanks a bunch guys!

zackattack784

gambling is already banned except in casinos. considering there are 0 casinos in illinois i could care less.

Booze. I just want to see how much fun we'd have then.Wilfred_Owen

Smoking

[QUOTE="Wilfred_Owen"]Booze. I just want to see how much fun we'd have then.Engrish_Major

Haha...mmm I do say I have had a hankerin' for a nice sprite Sasparilla!! I went with gambling. If you drink...chances are you smoke...like me...

Smoking. I enjoy Alcohol and to some degree gambling. Smoking is just repulsive whether you smoke one a day or 10 packs a day.

Gambling.Its a lot more of a harmful addiction than one might think.

Gambling, I enjoy alcohol and hookah.

Smoking. I don't think anything good could ever come from smoking, its just gonna damage your body, but I dont see anything wrong with drinking or gambling unless your drinking and driving or you gamble away your whole life savings or something like that. So while all of them can be bad, I think smoking is the only one that is always bad

Smoking since its the only one that I have any problem with...I friggin hate being in a smoke filled room:x Darth-Caedus

That's understandable, but think of the greater suffering that goes on as a result of alcohol abuse.

[QUOTE="The_Versatile"]Alcohol, no question. Who cares about the smell of cigarettes? Just walk away. Alcohol destroys families. Children are beaten by their drunk fathers. Lots of bad things happen while drunk. None of these social scars appear as a result of cigarette smoking. And gambling shouldn't even be on this list. Gambling is good for the economy. It generates lots of money, much of which (especially with lotteries) funds education and other positive programs. People just need to exercise self-control, and then, gambling can actually be great fun. Now, I really don't want any of them banned, but if I was forced to choose, I'd pick alcohol.-Misanthropic-

[QUOTE="-Misanthropic-"][QUOTE="The_Versatile"]Alcohol, no question. Who cares about the smell of cigarettes? Just walk away. Alcohol destroys families. Children are beaten by their drunk fathers. Lots of bad things happen while drunk. None of these social scars appear as a result of cigarette smoking. And gambling shouldn't even be on this list. Gambling is good for the economy. It generates lots of money, much of which (especially with lotteries) funds education and other positive programs. People just need to exercise self-control, and then, gambling can actually be great fun. Now, I really don't want any of them banned, but if I was forced to choose, I'd pick alcohol.The_Versatile

[QUOTE="The_Versatile"][QUOTE="-Misanthropic-"] Actually, all of them generate money to the economy.-Misanthropic-

Those are extreme cases, and they're rare. At least a family split up over financial arguments and woes is not a family that has the bond of love sapped from their foundation, the way alcohol abuse which leads to child abuse can do. There's no healing those scars. They last forever.

Excessive gamblers just piss people off. But nobody hates them. Hate isn't in the air when someone blows the rent or grocery money on a spin at the roulette. That's just called being upset. And extreme concern. A house where children have been abused and made to think their parents couldn't care less about them, and made to feel like they're worthless... well, that's something nobody should have to deal with. Those scars are deep, believe me.

[QUOTE="-Misanthropic-"][QUOTE="The_Versatile"] Of course they do. But gambling does so without such devastating effects. I live near a few casinos, and I can tell you, there is no evidence of despair emanating from those areas. It's just a lot of smiley faces having fun. Sure, every now and again, some poor sap comes out looking glum after blowing his entire paycheck on one play, but still, the negative side-effects of using the other two far exceed any damage that gambling could create. The_Versatile

Those are extreme cases, and they're rare. At least a family split up over financial arguments and woes is not a family that has the bond of love sapped from their foundation, the way alcohol abuse which leads to child abuse can do. There's no healing those scars. They last forever.

Excessive gamblers just piss people off. But nobody hates them. Hate isn't in the air when someone blows the rent or grocery money on a spin at the roulette. That's just called being upset. And extreme concern. A house where children have been abused and made to think their parents couldn't care less about them, and made to feel like they're worthless... well, that's something nobody should have to deal with. Those scars are deep, believe me.

I would still ban gambling.Its a personal choice, seeing as I get no enjoyment out of it, but I do out of smoking and alcohol.-Misanthropic-

That's the problem (in my opinion). Being a personal choice, it's selfish. You're only banning the one that would affect you the least, rather than what's best for society. Everyone who chose tobacco, and stated it was because they "hate the smell", well, honestly, that's just being petty. Some things are more important, like allowing our children to have happy childhoods.

So, to those of you who would choose to ban tobacco: Are you saying you'd rather have a child get beaten as a result of a drunken, out-of-control parent... just so you don't have to smell a cigarette burning for a few seconds when you pass by someone smoking one?

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alcohol isnt damaging unless you drink constantly.hughami

[QUOTE="-Misanthropic-"] I would still ban gambling.Its a personal choice, seeing as I get no enjoyment out of it, but I do out of smoking and alcohol.The_Versatile

That's the problem (in my opinion). Being a personal choice, it's selfish. You're only banning the one that would affect you the least, rather than what's best for society. Everyone who chose tobacco, and stated it was because they "hate the smell", well, honestly, that's just being petty. Some things are more important, like allowing our children to have happy childhoods.

So, to those of you who would choose to ban tobacco: Are you saying you'd rather have a child get beaten as a result of a drunken, out-of-control parent... just so you don't have to smell a cigarette burning for a few seconds when you pass by someone smoking one?

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Well I'm looking out for number one so, I dunno why I should look out for a society where 90% of them I don't know.-Misanthropic-

[QUOTE="-Misanthropic-"] Well I'm looking out for number one so, I dunno why I should look out for a society where 90% of them I don't know.The_Versatile