So... why start smoking?

[Devil's Due]

People who have never smoked (or taken drugs for that matter) toss around words like addiction without understanding what it really means, and it irritates me.

ad·dic·tion/əˈdikSHən/
Noun: The fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance.
Seems pretty fucking straight forward to me.

I love you, man. All your posts that I've read the past few weeks are gold. Plus the Jamie crab avatar is pretty sweet. Crab Busters? Sounds like a pill designed to get rid of an STD/I. Who knows? Keep it up, mate! EDIT: Suppose I got it wrong, either way, I like my Crab Busters idea. Time to copyright it!

As for the thread: Because they're trying to get addicted, or believe it's to be "cool." I had smokers in my family, and an ex that started smoking to get some guy to like her. So do I care about smokers? Not a chance. Do they care about me? Nope. But at least I get the satisfaction to know I'll live a longer, happier life in the end. That's all that counts for me.

I think the replies to this post are going to be fairly amusing.

 

[regamer]

I see the connection you're making but cigs vs heroin is really apples and oranges. Maybe for the uneducated that you spoke of it's just something else, but heroin (or just hard narcotics in general) addiction is a completely different animal from what i've seen of local hard drug addicts (and there are many of them).

Never seen people passed out in the street or fighting in busy public areas, or heard of them breaking and entering to rob senior citizins or commiting armed roberies to feed a nicotine habit. But that said, not everyone on hard drugs winds up that way, it really depends on the person and if they have an addictive personality and self control.

Can you honestly say that you would see those things if other drugs were legalized? This is where an act of crime may lead deeper. A very interesting idea has hopped into my mind. If someone is thinking they are already breaking a law by having illegal drugs then do you think the thought might enter their brain saying its ok to rob to get the money for more? Interesting theory indeed. perhaps if, lets say, pot were legalized, i wonder if crime rates would directly decline. Lots to think about.
I started smoking because it gave me a feeling of being drunk. I later found out that the reason it affects me that way is because I'm slightly allergic. I continued smoking to get that high one day the high was gone but i have continued anyway. If I could just put down the smokes I would. I have a very addictive personality though. every days a battle. One that, every day, is won or lost on the front lines.

 

[RowdyRodimus]

I started smoking when the place I worked never seemed to give breaks to anyone except to outside and smoke, so I played the game, bought some cigarettes and started enjoying my breaks.

However, as soon as I was made a manager there I changed their policies so that you can take breaks anytime you needed one so long as your work was done and we weren't busy. (For those wondering why the breaks were set up like that and not based on the law, the place we worked paid cash and for all intents and purpose, we didn't work there officially.)

 

[Tdc2182]

To learn how to smoke so you can smoke weed.

wait am i allowed to say that on here without getting arrested?

You get bonus points for a good answer

The ignorance of some non-smokers astounds me as much or more than the ignorance of some smokers.

People smoke because it's a social tool.

It not only makes you feel more relaxed, it makes you look more relaxed. And Girls like relaxed guys. It's bad for you, but so is any other addiction.

.... I appreciate your honesty.

OT: It was like forbidden fruit to me. I grew up in a family with zero tolerance in terms of drugs and alcohol, and was absolutely told not to do it.

One day my parents left town for a few weeks and I had the house all to myself. I got a cigar and found it rather enjoyable.

Skip to two years later. Right now I'm of age and am enjoying the new freedom. I have had a pack of cigarettes and smoke maybe one a week. I guarantee you I am not addicted, I just find it a very relaxing thing to do.

(I also award myself bonus points because it has never been a social thing for me. I occasionally smoke with my druggy friend, but it is very occasional.

I'll even say no when people ask me if I do. This makes me special somehow.)

 

[hooksashands]

I used to die all the time in Metal Gear Solid because I would run around with the cigarettes equipped. Made Snake look cool, but he paid for it dearly.

Also, the Cancer Man from the X-Files. He's just so menacing, and I was at a point in my life where I wanted to intimidate. Smoking seems to leave folks with the worst impression of you, and on a personal level that tickles me. All I have to do is light a rolled up piece of paper with leaves inside it and suddenly I'm a supervillian.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

People who have never smoked (or taken drugs for that matter) toss around words like addiction without understanding what it really means, and it irritates me.

ad·dic·tion/əˈdikSHən/
Noun: The fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance.
Seems pretty fucking straight forward to me.

You're right, there are many forms of addiction, some mental and some physical. Nicotine is addictive on the physical/chemistry level no doubt. However the other guy is right about it doesn't usually induce extreme cases of withdrawal you'd find with people hooked on the hard stuff. Other guy is also right it's not fair or even ethical to label smokers in the same crowd as drug users.

But they are drug users... They're not Junkies but they are drug users (technically I am because of Coca Cola, but I can quit anytime I want dammit! >:O)

 

[Talespinner]

A lot of people are explaining why they ARE smoking; very few address why they STARTED smoking.

For me, and every single other smoker I've ever talked to about it, it was to be cool. It was a shortcut into a group of people you wanted to hang out with. Even before the stricter smoking rules you were almost always sent to a certain area to smoke and sitting there with all the "cool" people smoking not only made you feel like one of them but it actually gave you the change to talk to them, get to know them better and be accepted by them.

The specifics varies from person to person but I've never heard a description of why someone started to smoke that didn't essentially come down to him/her wanting to be cool, either by standing out from a specific group or by becoming a part of one.

Obviously there is a lot of people that's unwilling or unable to admit that but over time most people learn to look at their own reasons from a slightly more mature angle.

PS: I smoked 3 packs (not those pansy American 10-packs; real 20-packs) a day for around 12 years. I quit. Not because it was expensive, unhealthy, frowned upon or any of that bullshit but because I got tired of being all twitchy if I didn't have my smokes around. I quit. And even with my amount of cigarettes per day the physical addiction was negligible. It's not a popular fact since all these phoney "you can only stop smoking if you use OUR drug instead!!!"-products makes millions on people that believe the lie about how addictive smoking is, but it's the truth none the less. The only physical sensation when you quit is a slight sucking empty feeling in your stomach that feels quite a bit like being a little hungry. That's it. All the rest is psychological.

Deep-rooted psychological shit, mind you, but still psychological. We've been raised with how addictive and dangerous smoking is but everyone was smoking anyways (at least they used to be) so we silently learned that the addiction was VERY severe! Why else would people keep smoking? This idea of an almost heroin-like addiction them makes for the perfect excuse to fend off the idiots nagging you about quitting: "I've tried but it's JUST SO HARD!!!". No it's not. It's hard because you don't really WANT to quit. And FAIR GAME TO THAT! The problem is not gicing people an excuse to get rid of the pesky motherlovers that badger us all the time, the problem is when the smoker start to believe the lie themselves.

/wall-of-text off

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

I've asked myself also. I don't really blame people who started smoking 10+ years ago, or even further back. I mean, the whole "smoking is bad for you" thing really was sort of up in the air. However nowadays, I cannot fathom why anyone would start. Especially given the friggin' PRICE of smoking. Its 7 dollars a pack here.

7 dollars a pack? Are you serious?
21 dollars for a 25 pack of marlboros here. Are you american? Just curious, because our money is worth more or less the same at the moment.

I am. I am on the east coast, Massachusetts. The price for smoking is nuts.

 

[GreatVladmir]

They do it because of peer pressure.

It makes you stink
Stains teeth and nails
Alters your tolerance to stress to the point where the only time you don't feel stressed is when you light up
Causes ED, Emphysema, Lung Cancer, Throat Cancer, Heart Disease etc
Grinding withdrawel symptoms

The only thing is has going for it is a costly stress relief and weight loss.

This only applies to tobacco of course.

Thats....just so cute, that is a text book anti-smoking campaign flyer there. I started on my own accord, yes some people do start to peer pressure, but I'm ready to stake my 10 Royals that peer pressure smokers are a tiny proportion and most people start on their own.

 

[newuseforvintage]

SNIP

Look, you make some good points, but I feel the need to point this out (and I'm doing this as someone who understands exactly where you are coming from). On a site of, predominantly younger, predominantly "well behaved" people like this it's not really worth it to make the comparison you are viz. addiction.
For people who have never been through "true" withdrawals the idea of nicotine withdrawal is on the same level because, bear with me here, they absolutely cannot relate.
I'm just saying that because you should spare yourself the frustration.

On topic, people start smoking for a plethora of reasons. Peer pressure, because they're bored, because their family always smoked, ignorance, take your pick. People who continue to smoke fall in to two categories:
Those who smoke because they want to. And if they want to then go right ahead.
Those who can't quit because of addictive personalities or weak will.

I don't get cigarette smoking either, personally, I just never saw the enjoyment in it.

 

[darth.pixie]

Started at...15 or 16. It was a stressful period. I'm not addicted. If I'm not in the mood for a cigarette I don't smoke it and I've gone through months without one before starting on the pack a day routine again.

If I'm stressed, pissed off or generally moody, a cig helps and everyone's happy. When I first tried it, I wasn't sick (you only get sick if you get stronger ones instead of light/slim at least from the experience of people I know) and I did know the risks. Its benefits just outweighed them.

 

[moretimethansense]

Wow....this thread is one massive /facepalm. Seriously, people smoke because they want to smoke, thats it. I'm a smoker and I dont smoke cause "Its addictive lol", it isn't, smack & crack are yes, cocaine when used heavily is but smoking isn't. I smoke because I enjoy it, we all do sommit we enjoy thats unhealthy for us, I smoke, some people race cars on a weekend, but I dont see any threads title "So...why race cars?".

Alright then, prove your thesis, spend one month without smoking or any form of aid, then PM me the results.

You're right, there are many forms of addiction, some mental and some physical. Nicotine is addictive on the physical/chemistry level no doubt. However the other guy is right about it doesn't usually induce extreme cases of withdrawal you'd find with people hooked on the hard stuff. Other guy is also right it's not fair or even ethical to label smokers in the same crowd as drug users.

I don't, I am merely pointing out that smoking IS addictive and claiming it's not is something only an addict or a fucking moron would do, not that I'm calling him a moron of course.

Because people think it can improve their image and because of influence by close ones and peers. People consider it a stress relief when in fact the stress relief comes from the addictive chemicals of the cigarette, and the only way to curb that stress is by taking in more of the chemicals. It's hard to get out of.

Exactly!
Not that a single smoker will ever believe you.

@moretimethansense - Smoking isn't addictive in the same way, as you yourself pointed out the hardest part of quitting ciggies is all the little habitual things which can still be with you decades down the line - the actual physical addiction barely lasts a week after your last ciggarette. Smoking shouldn't be considered addictive in the same way as some heavy drugs, habitual yes, addictive no.

Now this one I'm tempted.
IT IS a fucking addiction, and point of fact the chemical part takes quite a bit longer than a week to shift, I've been living with a smoker most of my life, I've seen what this shit does to people, granted hard drugs are more blatant in their addictive qualities but I've yet to see a morphine addict crumple a cast iron cooking pot because their slipper came off.

 

[Deshin]

Do they care about me? Nope. But at least I get the satisfaction to know I'll live a longer, happier life in the end. That's all that counts for me.

And you missed the point of it entirely. Happy is objective based on perception and luck, I'm sure the guy up above in this thread would be a lot *LESS* happier had he not offered his now-fiance that light.

As for living longer, take it away Bill Hicks!

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGNCXyVtni8

Oh and PS, my grandpa lived til his 80s and he smoked every day of his life since he was 12. My brother in law's father died in his mid 40s with cancer and never smoked. Life's a *****, don't think you've found the elixir of life because you don't smoke.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I've smoked a few cigarettes, mostly offered by friends. I AM however, in no way addicted. I just tried it out........and it felt absolutely annoying... my throat felt so scratchy. And ofcourse you can't scratch the inside of your throat

Then again the first time I had booze, my friend ordered this bitter and horrible drink that i didn't enjoy much, so maybe my friends just have terrible taste....

 

[drbarno]

But I can see how someone with more tolerance for pollutants entering their systems might have ended up hooked in such a situation.

Wow.

Haters really hating all over this thread.

Again. Smoking does not 'get you hooked'. It is not crack, it is not smack. It does not produce a dizzying high, nor protracted comedowns. People do it because they like it or because it has a benefit for them socially. End of.

Tobacco is not even close to as addictive as you think it is.

you're right, tobacco isn't that addictive. Nicotine is, however, which is also in cigarettes.

 

[ThisIsSnake]

They do it because of peer pressure.

It makes you stink
Stains teeth and nails
Alters your tolerance to stress to the point where the only time you don't feel stressed is when you light up
Causes ED, Emphysema, Lung Cancer, Throat Cancer, Heart Disease etc
Grinding withdrawel symptoms

The only thing is has going for it is a costly stress relief and weight loss.

This only applies to tobacco of course.

Thats....just so cute, that is a text book anti-smoking campaign flyer there. I started on my own accord, yes some people do start to peer pressure, but I'm ready to stake my 10 Royals that peer pressure smokers are a tiny proportion and most people start on their own.

True peer pressure isn't the only reason, rebellion, copying a parent. But a lot of kids at my high school would try to fit in with the bad boy crowd by smoking. I get caught up in this because the only time I've seen my Dad cry is when he told me not to smoke, his mother was dying of Emphysema at the time.

 

[thylasos]

They're drunk and think they won't get addicted. Sometimes that's true. Not often, mind. Still, I held off for... four years, I think, on the occasional smoker schtick...

Russia kind of screwed that up... it's easier to be an occasional smoker when 20 fags is £6 ($10, ish)... when it's 80p ($1.30, ish), it's rather tempting to buy a pack a day.

 

[GreatVladmir]

Wow....this thread is one massive /facepalm. Seriously, people smoke because they want to smoke, thats it. I'm a smoker and I dont smoke cause "Its addictive lol", it isn't, smack & crack are yes, cocaine when used heavily is but smoking isn't. I smoke because I enjoy it, we all do sommit we enjoy thats unhealthy for us, I smoke, some people race cars on a weekend, but I dont see any threads title "So...why race cars?".

Alright then, prove your thesis, spend one month without smoking or any form of aid, then PM me the results.

Why should I prove myself to some anti-smoker like you? Even if I did, you wouldnt listen to reason.

Yes its bad for me I know, but do I give two shits what some over-edducated prick thinks? No, I dont, why should I live my life based on scare mongering tactics? If we listen to EVERYTHING they said is bad, we wouldn't drink, wouldn't smoke, wouldnt use the internet, wouldnt drive, wouldn't use certain products because of addertives, we wouldn't play video games and alot more stuff. Out lives would have no enjoyment, we would just work, eat our organic peace food, sleep, MAYBE reproduce and then die.

Look, I know we wont see eye to eye, you are basing your opinion on "fact" (I use the term VERY loosely) while I'm basing mine of my own experience.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

Joined new school made new friends. New friends used to smoke and during breaks I would stand with them.

So there I picked it up and am still doing it today.

Though my friends have stopped smoking now because it was getting to expensive.