Does Bono Still Smoke?

[longingforBono]

I don't think you have to be sorry for anything.

You being the democrat should know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whether you agree with it or not.

 

[Liesje]

Um, these are adult men you guys are talking about. They know it isn't good for them- every smoker does- but we are in no place to tell them what they can and cannot do.

Too late! Bono already got in trouble for smoking in his own bar!

Smoking is an addiction like a lot of things: heroine, cocaine, alcohol, anorexia. I've never understood why peoples' attitudes about nicotine are more relaxed, just because it's more common and more widely available. Most addictions require some form of intervention. Sadly, it's usually NOT enough to stay out of that person's business and assume one day they'll wake up and just change without anyone else's pressure or help.

Bono's family health history puts him at tremendous risk. I'm honestly more amazed than disappointed that he's continued to smoke and drink as much as he does, given his family history.

Someday, he'll probably have a heart attack and when he sees the looks of fear on his children's faces, that will probably do the trick.

 

[U2girl]

I think he reduced the smoking.

 

[LMBLover]

I'm just also very concerned about his health..remember in Rolling Stone when he mentioned a cancer scare?
I'm all for making "I love you so stop smoking Mofo!" signs at shows though!

 

[PopDaisy]

Someday, he'll probably have a heart attack and when he sees the looks of fear on his children's faces, that will probably do the trick.

Let's hope that he gets some sense knocked into him before then.

My father, a lifelong smoker, had a 6-way heart bypass. The day after the surgery, he was supposed to be unhooked from the machines that were helping him to breathe. They could not do that because his lungs weren't strong enough.

My mother, who had always been rather passive about his smoking habit, went home that very day and threw out every ashtray and bit of smoking paraphenalia in the house. Dad has never smoked again.

If there was any way to convey to Bono the way I felt standing there watching my father hooked up to a machine, and telling him his kids would feel the same, I would do it in a second.

 

[oscar08]

Bono actually only started to smoke during the Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum era. It's funny because he never inhaled during that perirod or even the Zoo Tv periord, no inhuling. But when Popmart was released he was on the Ciggies and started to inhale, he was trying to stop during the last leg of the popmart tour, complaining his voice is screwed because of the smokes..It's a continious battle with Bono and The Smokes..

 

[Liesje]

Let's hope that he gets some sense knocked into him before then.

My father, a lifelong smoker, had a 6-way heart bypass. The day after the surgery, he was supposed to be unhooked from the machines that were helping him to breathe. They could not do that because his lungs weren't strong enough.

My mother, who had always been rather passive about his smoking habit, went home that very day and threw out every ashtray and bit of smoking paraphenalia in the house. Dad has never smoked again.

If there was any way to convey to Bono the way I felt standing there watching my father hooked up to a machine, and telling him his kids would feel the same, I would do it in a second.

Yes, these are precisely the emotions I was thinking of. My grandpa smoked until he had his FOURTH massive heart attack that left him in a coma. He has a zipper scar from his neck to his belly button. That's what it took to quit (or for family to force him), four heart attacks.

 

[Liesje]

It's funny because he never inhaled during that perirod or even the Zoo Tv periord, no inhuling.

What about the pics of him exhaling smoke? Or the One video?

 

[susanp6]

It's terrible to think that it takes someone 4 heart attacks to stop smoking

 

[Babydoll]

it is after all his life, and he is an adult man who knows very well the consequences of his actions. given his family history and the risks to his gorgeous voice why the hell isn't he taking more care of himself??

as dis said, it should go both ways - if he wants us to listen to him, he should listen to us.

bono, if you read this, quit smoking, you...you... you gorgeous man!

 

[pgv]

I dont think bono would apreciate the stop smoking signs at gigs. I know everyones hearts are in the right place, but as someone said before hes a grown man. And i dont think a few signs are going to stop him. If he wants to do it then he should be allowed (I just hope he cuts back a bit for health reasons.)

 

[Galeongirl]

I think those signs wouldn't have a direct impact, but they might give Bono something to think about...

 

[ShellBeThere]

with all due respect to those wishing hard he'll quit, my goodness..."someday he'll have a heart attack and seeing the look on...etc etc...will scare him into quiting"? what unpleasant thoughts! When folks are talking about his family history, do they mean his mum? I thought I knew a little about health issues...wasn't aware of say stroke risk being that genetically based.
As someone who has struggled with smoking myself (currently not doing it) I often believe that people who've never had the 'habit' or really enjoyed it ever have a very different perspective on it.
The shitty thing is having the monkey on your back. I think you gotta want it off yourself, and also realize that fucking up with your quitting isn't the end of the world. There are many things people do that aren't so hot for their health, many ways people could try to ensure longer lives for themselves. There is considerable evidence that diet is as likely to affect cancer rates as smoking behavior. I wouldn't argue that smoking is not bad for you (though there are studies indicating that very light smoking isn't so bad...although a recent one also indicated that it is not any less bad than moderate smoking in terms of upping the cardiac and cancer risks. and there is evidence that it protects against things like alzheimer's and colitis...researchers are trying to figure out what about nicotine might be useful there), but so is stress.
I myself always feel that when others get involved in my management of my relationship with the ciggies, it's a hindrance rather than a help. If I had people holding signs at a gig, my reaction might very well be 'fuck off', lol! It would be like someone nagging you about your diet...hey, we love you, lose those 20 pounds so you won't get diabetes or have a heart attack. Sure nicotine is terribly addictive, and for many smoking is truly pleasurable... the cravings for it are real and a person who wants to quit might really benefit from someone who can help with the 'be free of it' vibe...but it's just not the same as heroin or coke. Despite the controls being placed on it for public health, it's a drug that actually enhances function in a number of ways, so one's
"problems" from the use of it are not at all comparable. It's more like caffeine really, 'cept even more of a bitch to quit. It helps the quitter to focus on the pleasure-giving, rather than the guilt-trip or fear-based, reasons for quitting...
like being able to smell and taste so much better, being more fit lung-wise, not having smelly fingertips and clothes, not having to clear your throat every 10 minutes etc...

anyway, cheers to all!

oh, and on adam's habit, I thought it was in a recent interview or story that it said his only 'vices' now are coffee and ciggies...
I never knew Edge smoked past the 90s and didn't know larry ever smoked...I thought the health-consciousness was rather absolute!

 

[Bona Vox]

I think, it's his personal choice. As some of you said- he is old enough to know what he does.
And by the way- have you seen him smoking recently?! I haven't! Maybe he has already quit. (I don't think he smoked that often anyway...)

 

[pgv]

with all due respect to those wishing hard he'll quit, my goodness..."someday he'll have a heart attack and seeing the look on...etc etc...will scare him into quiting"? what unpleasant thoughts! When folks are talking about his family history, do they mean his mum? I thought I knew a little about health issues...wasn't aware of say stroke risk being that genetically based.
As someone who has struggled with smoking myself (currently not doing it) I often believe that people who've never had the 'habit' or really enjoyed it ever have a very different perspective on it.
The shitty thing is having the monkey on your back. I think you gotta want it off yourself, and also realize that fucking up with your quitting isn't the end of the world. There are many things people do that aren't so hot for their health, many ways people could try to ensure longer lives for themselves. There is considerable evidence that diet is as likely to affect cancer rates as smoking behavior. I wouldn't argue that smoking is not bad for you (though there are studies indicating that very light smoking isn't so bad...although a recent one also indicated that it is not any less bad than moderate smoking in terms of upping the cardiac and cancer risks. and there is evidence that it protects against things like alzheimer's and colitis...researchers are trying to figure out what about nicotine might be useful there), but so is stress.
I myself always feel that when others get involved in my management of my relationship with the ciggies, it's a hindrance rather than a help. If I had people holding signs at a gig, my reaction might very well be 'fuck off', lol! It would be like someone nagging you about your diet...hey, we love you, lose those 20 pounds so you won't get diabetes or have a heart attack. Sure nicotine is terribly addictive, and for many smoking is truly pleasurable... the cravings for it are real and a person who wants to quit might really benefit from someone who can help with the 'be free of it' vibe...but it's just not the same as heroin or coke. Despite the controls being placed on it for public health, it's a drug that actually enhances function in a number of ways, so one's
"problems" from the use of it are not at all comparable. It's more like caffeine really, 'cept even more of a bitch to quit. It helps the quitter to focus on the pleasure-giving, rather than the guilt-trip or fear-based, reasons for quitting...
like being able to smell and taste so much better, being more fit lung-wise, not having smelly fingertips and clothes, not having to clear your throat every 10 minutes etc...

anyway, cheers to all!

oh, and on adam's habit, I thought it was in a recent interview or story that it said his only 'vices' now are coffee and ciggies...
I never knew Edge smoked past the 90s and didn't know larry ever smoked...I thought the health-consciousness was rather absolute!

i could not agree MORE with that

there are plenty of things that people do (bono included) that have more of an impact on his health than smoking, and even so in my opinion it is all down to personal choice.

 

[JanuaryStar]

*sigh*

The everlasting debate on smoking...

 

[U2girl]

If Bono's genetically pre-dispositioned to any disease, will not-smoking really make a difference?

 

[Galeongirl]

I think, it's his personal choice. As some of you said- he is old enough to know what he does.
And by the way- have you seen him smoking recently?! I haven't! Maybe he has already quit. (I don't think he smoked that often anyway...)

ShellBeThere, I see your point and completely understand it, I'm not a smoker myself but my dad has been since his 20s... he quit this year(he's 53) since April and he's struggling with it... but he's doing ok.. hasn't touched a cig ever since..
by the way, by history they mean his dad I think, Bob died of cancer...

 

[U2girl]

Was it lung cancer?

 

[aislinn]

I myself always feel that when others get involved in my management of my relationship with the ciggies, it's a hindrance rather than a help.

This discussion has come up in the past and I tried to make the same point you're making--but I was not well received.

 

[Liesje]

When folks are talking about his family history, do they mean his mum? I thought I knew a little about health issues...wasn't aware of say stroke risk being that genetically based.

According to the brain aneurysm foundation (what his mom died of), Bono already has three of the six major factors putting one at risk for an aneurysm. Yes, "Brain aneurysms can form from inherited tendency."

"...Regression analysis showed that recent alcohol intake and smoking were significant independent risk factors for hemorrhage...Studies have consistently found a 50% decrease in mortality from abdominal aortic aneurysms among former smokers compared with current smokers."

That's not even taking into account his father's lung cancer...

But, I'm sure Bono's aware of all of this. He's not stupid.

 

[Devlin]

His dad actually died of Parkinson's,I think. Or so Adam said on the Bomb dvd. I'll have to take another listen.

At any rate, if his own family can't get him to quit, what do you think fans will be able to do? Nothing. Seriously. We have nothing he really wants; more likely, since his wife has his currency, she'd be more likely to stop him.

Let it be, people. It's his body. It's his choice. If he wants to fuck it up, there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Nagging him won't work - it's likelier that it'd backfire in your faces quite unpleasantly.

 

[Liesje]

His dad actually died of Parkinson's,I think. Or so Adam said on the Bomb dvd. I'll have to take another listen.

I remember hearing Bono say he developed Parkinson's after complications with the lung cancer. I'm not sure which one you actually die from, but I know he had both.

 

[pgv]

Wasnt it cancer? Im confused.
Anyway yeh i think its best we all let him just be happy.

 

[Whoah1011]

Bono and larry still smoke, Adam quit after the 93 incident, and haven't seen anything with Edge lately
for Larry proof, check Conan O' brien secrets, there's a lighted cig in front of him...
for Bono, same show, but with the cigar, and he's smoking it .. he also got busted in 2004 for smoking in the clarence(it's illegal to smoke in public places in Ireland!) with the RHCP...

QUIT SMOKING BONO!!


hm.. should be on the signs for the next tour!

Well there's always a lit cigarette during Conan's Secrets skits.

Larry never really was a big smoker though, was he? I always thought it was quite occasional with him.

And Adam...He hasn't, last I checked, stopped smoking. I've seen him smoke here and there. And I remember he was smoking in the Walk On video (Brazilian version).

 

[kafrun]

^ Adam quit since the start of the tour - at least from what I heard.

Someone wrestle the cigarettes away from Bono

 

[thrillme]

Adam did not quit in '93...plenty of pics of him smoking through Elevation times, after that I don't know, haven't seen him smoking since then.

Edge was still smoking some in 2004 - a Brazilian (I think, might have been in Spanish - memory is hazy <g>) fansite had an interview with him in the studio late in the HTDAAB recording process and he offered the interviewer a cig a couple of times.

Adam started to quit drinking in 1993.

However, I found this quote from an interview from 2001.

"That's just about it. Starting to put things away, Adam puts his cigarettes back in his pocket. DM: Should we sue tobacco companies for the damage they're doing to us?

AC: I find that a hard argument to endorse. But, I do hate the fact that I still smoke. But that's my next thing: it's how I intend to spend my time unwinding, to stop smoking.

DM: That sounds like a contradiction in terms, there

AC: Well it is a contradiction in terms, but I'll be away from all the environments in which I would smoke quite naturally, like on the road or in a studio, where you smoke a lot because you can; there's a lot of hanging about, killing time. But if we do stop after the American leg, I'm just going to take two/three weeks, and that's what I'll be concentrating on. "

 

[phillyfan26]

Bono actually only started to smoke during the Joshua Tree/Rattle and Hum era. It's funny because he never inhaled during that perirod or even the Zoo Tv periord, no inhuling. But when Popmart was released he was on the Ciggies and started to inhale, he was trying to stop during the last leg of the popmart tour, complaining his voice is screwed because of the smokes..It's a continious battle with Bono and The Smokes..

I thought I read he did inhale on ZooTV.

And didn't he smoke during the ZooTV concerts when he came up in front of the blue screen on Zoo Station?

 

[longingforBono]

His dad actually died of Parkinson's,I think. Or so Adam said on the Bomb dvd. I'll have to take another listen.

At any rate, if his own family can't get him to quit, what do you think fans will be able to do? Nothing. Seriously. We have nothing he really wants; more likely, since his wife has his currency, she'd be more likely to stop him.

Let it be, people. It's his body. It's his choice. If he wants to fuck it up, there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Nagging him won't work - it's likelier that it'd backfire in your faces quite unpleasantly.

Here Here! Exactly what I was saying. (Only no one snapped at you when you said it!) And the backfiring part is sure to happen as well. I'd almost liken the whole issue to the abortion debate- trying to tell someone what to do with their own body (regardless of which side of the fence you are on with that issue.)

 

[bonocomet]

Most plebans are not very prone to snapping at anyone... did you get snapped at here?

Yeah, I don't think nagging or signs will make much difference either, but I don't think they would upset him, he knows his fans love him.