Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers On The Joys Of Smoking, Gambling And Drinking

Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers recently quit smoking, cold turkey, after decades of sucking down unfiltered cigarettes. He talked with the Sun-Times' Mark Konkol about his former favorite pastime and other vices.

I started smoking when I was about 22 years old. Unfiltered cigarettes. Pall Malls. Lucky Strikes. Philip Morris. Never a filter. With those filters you suck more air than smoke. Plus, I think the chemicals in the filters are worse than the non filters.

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I enjoy a smoke after a meal, a smoke when you're gambling, a smoke when you're drinking. It was no fun if you couldn't smoke playing slot machines or having a drink. No fun if you couldn't have a smoke after a meal. All those goodies are better when you're smoking. I never once tried to quit.

Read the entire article here.