So... why start smoking?

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Well, occasionally, when I'm drinking I'll have a quick smoke of a cigarette because I like the taste and smell of it. I would never let it get to the point where I was addicted because I want to keep the taste of cigarette smoke as something to enjoy, rather than depend upon. Kind of like whiskey, I'll drink it every so often because it's a nice drink but I'll not drink it every time just to seem badass, I want it to be a luxury.

 

[mendokusai]

I smoke a pipe about once a week; not only is smoking real tobacco (not the processed stuff they put in cigarettes) an enjoyable aesthetic experience of flavor, smell, and smoke rings, I find it helps me think more lucidly and makes my walks more pleasant. Plus, I'm inclined to philosophy, poetry, and theology, so the pipe just felt like natural part of that heritage to pick up.

Also, cigars are delightful for special occasions.

 

[LuckyClover95]

It's social. I'm not an addict, but I know there aren't many pleasures in life better than smoking with some friends.

 

[Paddy3115]

It started with "social smoking" personally, being out with friends, having a beer or two, followed closely by hangover cigarette, finally you end up with "trying to look cool outside a cafe" smoking..

 

[LuckyClover95]

Because people are stupid. People do stupid stuff. They drink, they smoke, they do cocaine, they attack people for being gay/black/weak/smart/dumb/anything.

Some people just want to feel good, and are willing to ruin their lives to do it. Some are just weak willed followers.

So, you're comparing smokers with racists, homophobes and cocaine users?

*Slowly claps in the silence*

 

[Hristo Tzonkov]

OP:You opened a can of worms, my friend.You tried to ask smokers why did they start and there's a ton of hateful non-smokers over here trying to assert their views.

As a long time smoker I can tell you all that the chemical addiction is ridiculously easy to get through with a bit of willpower(which I'm supposed not to have since I can't stop playing games once I start).I've been over the nicotine addiction on a body level a lot of times.And then a month or so later I think about how bored I am and I want to go on the balcony and smoke a cig in the wind/rain/snow whatever cause I miss the feeling.So I start smoking again.I can smoke every 5 minutes I can go a day without smoking and not be agitated to the point of breaking.How do I do it?I must be Superman because everyone complains about these things but I rarely do.Years of stupid propaganda,peer pressure and rumours caused all this stupid shit.

Admitedly I started because of my friends.They all smoked and I felt an outsider for a while.I didn't exactly start smoking by choice.I didn't even feel the hunger not until after a month I started smoking(2 packs a day btw when I wasn't addicted God was I a fool).I don't regret my decision tho.The feeling is great and I've become a lot more social and less nervous around people as I was earlier.There's a distinct feeling of being cool,feeling alright about yourself just cause you're holding one and there's a great deal of joy to be had in smoking that a non-smoker can't properly understand unless he does it often enough.

Smoking is a personal choice and a part lifestyle and should be treated as such.Why all the hate?

 

[ZydrateDealer]

I did for a little while...but when the high of depriving myself of oxygen was all dried up the nicotine rush really wasn't enough for me...so I gave it up. Winning!

I guess people start out of idle curiosity and some people just like in-spite of the negative aspects, like any other drug really.

 

[Daveeo]

I started mainly because i felt it was "cool" and exciting to do something i was not allowed to do. And that is my reason why i started. so the answer with i was young and stupid is actually not that wrong.

 

[Mcupobob]

Well I was young and stupid... Actually I started at a youth group my friend dragged me too. I was about to turn 18 soon anyways so I thought what the hell I'll give it a try. I was big anti-smoker at the time always being a dick and doing that fake cough and giving judgmental stares. Then I got addicted, I thought I could just up and quit, because obviously I thought thats what was wrong with smokers. I kept going back to it because it honestly just washed all my problems away when I got home to light one up. After that I thought to never judge someone on their weakness again. It was like my own horrible after school special. Like the time I got fat over summer(Then lost the weight around the time I started smoking) and never insulted my little brother again about it.

Well thats my story good day y'all.

EDIT: I also love smoking the sort of life style and people that go with it. I've never met as many interesting or nice people when I was a none-smoker. I also love heading out back to have my smoke, and just think about stuff or listen to music on my Ipod. I know I could do that without smoking but honestly if it weren't for my addiction I wouldn't get outside half as much as I do now. Just walking the quite streets at three am with a only a faint glow to guide you, hearing the freshly melted snow in the creek making soft bubbly noises and the pack of neighborhood dogs that freak out every time you walk by.

 

[Baldry]

I've noticed it to be a social influence from friends, of course I don't know why the original people started smoking but most start because of friends and what not...I smoke because I smoke a pipe and cigars and do it to look awesome, cliché but true.

 

[live2laugh]

I started becuse i was curious, my parents had smoked for most of my life and i wanted to know why. granted for a very long time i hated the idea of smoking, but eventually at a party my curiosity got the better of me. I like to smoke, i like the taste and standing outside and it being normal to talk to complete strangers. However after watching my parents smoke so much I wasn't going to get addicted, limiting myself to one per month (more or less). Now i smoke rarely mainly because most of my current friends don't smoke or judge me because of it. But smoking is not all bad, and not all that addictive if you are aware of how many you are smoking.

 

[headshotcatcher]

snip

I tried it just to get an idea of what it's like, but it's pretty good in its own respect (having only smoked like 5 times I wouldn't say it's because of any addiction ) It 'tastes' good, feels good and is quite stress-relieving (though in the same way as winding your hair around your finger or pinching a stress ball). It's also a way to enrich socially, since you can just hang out with random smokers if you ask them for a light

Those pro's in no way cancel out the lots of cons though, I don't feel that smoking is worth the lung damage, but I can imagine that other people would feel otherwise.

 

[Azrael the Cat]

I actually really enjoyed smoking when I did it, which I did for a good decade or so. I'm sure I'm healthier for having quit for a decade since then, but cliff divers take many years off their expected lifespan for nothing but enjoyment, so I don't see how smoking is any different to that. Actually, in Australia the biggest killing cancer is skin cancer, due to the thinness of the ozone around this end of the world, yet no-one goes around campaigning for people to stop going to the beach, or to only wear ankle-to-neck clothing when going out in the sun. They accept that people are making the tradeoff for the enjoyment of going to the beach vs the risk of skin cancer (which is much bigger than lung cancer over here). Again, smoking works on the same principle.

 

[Yoshemo]

As someone with a genuine drug addiction, trust me, smoking is NOT addictive. Not in the way y'all think it is... You don't have four ciggies and start craving them. They don't get inside your brain and make you do bad things. Its real tough to quit, but thats not the same deal. You don't have a smoke because you are sweating and shivering and on the edge of throwing up with every fiber in your body SCREAMING at you to have one. That's the difference. You can function without them.

Just because the withdrawal symptoms aren't as bad doesn't mean its not the same. I know plenty of smokers from my job and when they can't smoke for more than two hours, its impossible to make them happy. It is addictive whether you like it or not

 

[kortin]

I HAD a lot of friends who would smoke. When I found out I told them that I hope they enjoy lung cancer and walked away. I haven't spoken to most of them since.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

It's extremely relaxing when done in moderation.

So is pumping the rod. I don't see why smokers should ever have to leave their bedroom.

Unfortunately spanking the monkey in public is frowned upon, whereas smoking isn't.

 

[theevilsanta]

I had my first cigarettes drunk at parties. I didn't think much of them. I started smoking smoking when my girlfriend (now fiance) was studying abroad and I was growing to hate my major and the university I was at. Walking to class was such a boring chore, but with a cig it became an enjoyable event. Also 75% of the students at my uni were high school sports captains (myself included) - it was a very preppy school. So the smoking effectively ostracized myself from them in a very satisfying way. When I started at the age of 21 the number of friends and family that smoked = 0. It still = 0 at the age of 25.

BENEFITS OF SMOKING:

1. It's enjoyable. To a non-smoker this is impossible to grasp (or at least it was from me). It's like waiting for your birthday when your mom will make your special meal and delicious cake and the day finally arrives and you just savor how good it is. I once heard a WW2 vet say that the war was hell, but guiltless smoking made it all worthwhile. It just feels so nice (to some people anyway).

2. It's a great social tool. Some of the most interesting, humorous, and exciting conversations/events in my life occurred while having a cig outside a bar and interacting with random people doing the same. I never would have had those experience without smoking. (Also I hate being in crowded bars with loud music. My hearing has issues when more than one sound is competing for my attention so I generally socialize very little in bars other than dancing.) Also did you know that in China all the top businessmen live very healthy lives yet smoke cigarettes? Do you know why? Because that's how informal networking occurs - smoke breaks.

3. It's an excuse for a break. Yesterday I saw the most beautiful sunset through some leafless trees that I've ever witnessed. What was the cause of this fortuitous event? I was helping my fiance pick out paint swatches for our wedding colors and was slowly losing my mind as over an hour passed of comparing dark red to slightly darker red. Finally I said that I had to step out for a moment. The cigarette eased my mind and seeing that sunset filled me with romance and excitement about my upcoming nuptials.

Do I recommend it? No. It is bad for you no matter the benefits and an expensive habit to boot. Don't start. But don't fall for all the anti-smoking rhetoric either.

 

[loc978]

For me, it depends on what sort of smoking. I dabbled out of boredom and work-related stress while I was deployed. Despite being a mild stimulant, nicotine really does have a calming effect when I'm on edge. Can't stand cigarettes, but pipe tobacco can be pleasant.

I don't smoke now, though. I've never been one to give in to a chemical addiction.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

Well, occasionally, when I'm drinking I'll have a quick smoke of a cigarette because I like the taste and smell of it. I would never let it get to the point where I was addicted because I want to keep the taste of cigarette smoke as something to enjoy, rather than depend upon. Kind of like whiskey, I'll drink it every so often because it's a nice drink but I'll not drink it every time just to seem badass, I want it to be a luxury.

This.

Fact is some people just enjoy the smell and act of smoking cigarettes. Hell half the reason I smoke weed as much as I do is because I just plain enjoy smoking, but I don't wanna run the risk of addiction.

 

[TheSanityAssassin]

it's good for you, and people around you.