Why did/would you start smoking?

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I would and have smoked. I love the taste of a cigarette and the smell of the smoke although I don't like it on people. If I had ready access to cigarettes then I'd smoke them occasionally, as a luxury, like you would a cigar, which I have also smoked.

I don't though, mainly because I'm 16 and you can't buy cigarettes in the UK unless you're 18.

 

[BENZOOKA]

I would start if I was completely through with living, because then my asthma would worsen, and I would feel like killing myself more.

Basically, I'm not starting.

You know, back in the day, they used to prescribe smoking for asthmatics.

 

[Gxas]

Would never start smoking. Apart from having sinus problems whenever I am near smoke at all, it is a disgusting habit and I secretly judge every single person I see do it. There is no real reason for cigarettes anymore. Stress, yay, cool, you have harm yourself to cope with it, why not just do it fast and drive a car off the cliff?

NOTE: I will never tell anyone that they shouldn't smoke, it is your life and you can do whatever you please with it. Just know that I will think much less of you as a person, effectively crippling whatever friendship we could have had.

Don't you think it is a bit strict to hate people for their weakness? As for the car example, just because I smoke doesn't mean I want to die. I want to quit, I just feel it's impossible to do so at the moment.

Yes, I smoke out of weakness. When a major event shook my life I felt extremely depressed. I took up smoking because I thought I could make the pain go away. Time healed me, but the habit stuck with me. I tried quitting but I found myself flying into fits of rage and yelled at people close to me (might have something to do with my self diagnosed mental instability).

Now pot is a completely different story!

You're damn right its strict. But, you know, for as long as I've been alive it has been drilled into my head that smoking is bad, you can't just turn around and change that concept in someone. Weaknesses don't make me pity anyone. Hell, most of the people I respect are those who have overcome some weakness to do something great. Most of my friends have started smoking because they were bored and "everyone else was doing it". These are twenty year olds. Peer pressure is one of the weakest reasons to do anything at all at this age, we're fucking adults now. However, they still picked up the habit. Am I not allowed to hate them for it? Why shouldn't I? I'm certainly not going to accept them for being the biggest group of hypocrites I have ever seen.

Sure, you seem to have had a decent enough reason to start. I don't hate you for picking it up, I hate the fact that you can't quit. You waste so much money on these things and you just can't let them go. Fits of rage are common when trying to quit. Stress is a huge part of it as you're losing the one thing that could calm you anymore. But, if you seriously are afraid that the people close to you are going to leave you for trying to quit such a terrible habit, then they probably weren't worth keeping around anyway. Those bouts of rage go away fairly quickly. Just let people know that you're trying to quit and may be testy, things will work out.

You can only quit if you really want to do it. One of my biggest problems is that most people just don't want to give up their little crutch.

 

[Crazy_Dude]

I just did it because my friends did. When I was hanging out with them I was the only non smoker. I might aswell light one up myself with all the secondary smoking going around.

 

[HardkorSB]

Because weed makes you feel nice and... oh, you mean cigarettes?
Never.

 

[Wintermoot]

if they get cheaper because it looks cool (I dont care that much for the enviroment or my personal health)

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

my first cigarette was about 3 minutes after i lost my virginity. i went camping with this girl and her younger brother. after sex i stepped out of the tent and her brother handed me a cigarette and said, "tradition dude." been a smoker ever since.

You're shitting me right?

absolutely not. stack of bibles.

That is one cool brother. For some reason it sounds like this girl is kind of slutty! lol.

So the tradition was he handing a fag to every guy that would have sex with his siter?

OT: Only reason I would smoke was if I was forced and with my asthma I could end up in hospital.

 

[Russian_Assassin]

-schneep!-

I'm not saying who you should or shouldn't hate and I agree that people who smoke because of peer pressure are tossers. I'm not afraid that those close to me will leave, since these people are not run-of-the-mill friends, I just don't want to hurt them. I will quit when I have "defeated" a certain negative aspect of my personality and I'm not going to break a promise I made to myself.

Anyway, this stuff must fall on dead ears, I'm sure you are tired of hearing the same old smoker stories. I respect you opinion, but by no means consider it right, though who the fuck am I to be able to judge others?

 

[Hazard12]

I'm currently 21, I've smoked weed since I was about 14, we just all tried it as a group of friends and it was fun then, and I find it fun now.

I've smoked cigarettes for about 3 years now. I started because I had tobacco, I had papers, I thought 'why not?'. Enjoyed it, mainly when drinking, segued fairly logically into smoking straights when I fancied one during the day, and still do because there's something about it that's enjoyable; it's very hard to explain it to a non-smoker (yes, it's probably largely the alleviation of slight withdrawal symptoms, but, not being consciously aware of that, it still just pleasant to me). I'm on about 5 a day, sometimes less, occasionally more, but normally about 5.

I guess the major motivators in both were boredom and curiosity.

 

[ham and red bull]

Started when I was 14. Tried it, liked it, kept doing it. Quit for a few months last year but realised I really like it. It's not just addiction, it's the same deal with eating at McDonalds, I know it's bad for me but I do it because I enjoy it. Don't get me wrong. I am addicted again, but addiction isn't the only reason I smoke.

I think unless you eat a perfectly balanced diet, exercise regularly, never touch alcohol or any other drug you shouldn't judge people for smoking. We all have vices. We all have a balance of health to happiness. I'm a bit of a hedonist, but I'd do my best to make sure I never hurt anyone. Judging people based on things they do that affect only them seems a bit rash.

Finally someone with a healthy judgement.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

I've only ever smoked tobacco when it's been mixed with cannabis the couple of times I've shared a joint. Never smoked cigarettes however, though when I'm under a lot of stress the idea occaisonally appeals, I tend to withstand by considering the negative imlications of going down that road. Then I pour myself a drink.

After the few times I've had a joint I'm not looking to do it again while drinking and would much prefer to do it with a shisha so I don't have to mix with tobacco, it makes the smoke so much more acrid.

 

[Gxas]

-schneep!-

I'm not saying who you should or shouldn't hate and I agree that people who smoke because of peer pressure are tossers. I'm not afraid that those close to me will leave, since these people are not run-of-the-mill friends, I just don't want to hurt them. I will quit when I have "defeated" a certain negative aspect of my personality and I'm not going to break a promise I made to myself.

Anyway, this stuff must fall on dead ears, I'm sure you are tired of hearing the same old smoker stories. I respect you opinion, but by no means consider it right, though who the fuck am I to be able to judge others?

Ahh, now thats where you're wrong. I will always listen to someone tell me they want to quit. And I will always try to help. Now, my tactics have changed dramatically. Where I used to be gentle and kind, I've become bitter and angry. I'll still try to help, but I attempt it in a way that makes you feel like you're worthless for doing it. It doesn't always help, but certain people react well to that sort of motivation. I hope that you can eventually overcome this habit. I'm rooting for you the whole way.

 

[Lionsfan]

Well a friend of mine started so I started I socially smoking every now and again, which was in my early months of being 17. I was smoking more but he was stingy with his cig's so when I was 18 I bought my first pack. American Spirits, 10 Bucks a Pack. I kept at that for about 6 months before I realized I'm too poor to afford that, so I switched over to Camel's and I've been smoking those ever since, about 2 and Half years total. Haven't really tried quitting, don't really want to. I've cut back though, so that's something

 

[ReservoirAngel]

I just decided 'fuck it' and tried one when down the pub. Everyone was in the garden and yeah, I just went for it.

Luckily I didn't get fully hooked. Uncommitted occasional smokers rock! haha

 

[GeoPB]

Stress. The god damn stress.
Just calms me down when i'm annoyed/tired/sad.

Expensive though.

 

[monkey_man]

I'll start smokning when I am flthy rich, (atleast 10.000.000 euros/dollars worth of currency in wherever I'll live then)and when the silly-virus gets me

 

[Jackalb]

I don't smoke and it doesn't bother me, I could have picked it up loads of times but I've just never been interested.

 

[snave]

A common reason is to get "smoko" breaks at work. This is why most manual labourers tend to pick it up: offices tend to let you dick around at the water cooler or coffee pot as an alternative (and so many end up with caffeine addiction instead). Same goes for military in many countries: you're smoking or you're working. Note that in many of these jobs, you don't get a break apart from lunch otherwise.

One of my mates realised a while back you can in fact get the same results by just calling a snack break a "smoke break" in most situations. Just as you'd get called out on a smoke break without a smoke and told to stop slacking, you would too if you don't actually have a snack, but every time I tried this with a museli bar it worked like a charm.

Personally, I'm shocked that this hasn't come up already in two pages of thread. So all of you above picked it up out of peer pressure alone?!

 

[dex-dex]

I use to work with many smokers and when there were enough people working, I would accompany them outside just for a little chit chat and maybe a smoke. since I quit from that job which was a year ago, i have not smoked cigs since then.

it is a really horrible habit to form. and it is really expensive.