@solstice I would encourage you to read the whole of my statements. That the larger, more dominant part of my brain DOES empathize. And that the smaller, what you call judgey-judgey voice in my head, is of childhood bullshit heaped on me by shitty parenting.
I know, a little too well, how people can't quit things that are literally killing them. My father had COPD, and was in and out of the hospital the last 3 years of his life, and the fucker would still smoke if he could get the cigarettes. It made me angry. It STILL makes me angry. He missed out on what would have been his second grandson, and so many other things.
I am fortunate in that my addictions are not likely to kill me, being caffeine, with other far lesser things I can't stop.
But telling me to try to empathize, when I've already stated I do, and feel for people? Really? That horse of yours is pretty high.