So... why start smoking?

[UnknownGunslinger]

You can examine your own question and find inside it your answer.
Just replace cigarettes with alcohol. Most who drank for the first time got drunk, sick or even threw up.
And yet the majority will pick up casual drinking for the rest of their lives.
Cigarettes give you a certain amount of satisfaction but on an awful price.

My advice to anyone is and always will be don't.
Even though I'm a smoker myself.

 

[FamoFunk]

I was 13 and wanted to see what it was like, what the fss was and what it tasted like.

Cue 8 years later and I still love smoking roll ups.

 

[Zeriah]

I'm pretty sure most people start smoking socially. When say, 3 out of 6 of your friends smoke and regularly pull out some cigarettes and offer them to you (this can be peer pressure or just a harmless polite gesture), you may not always feel like saying no and you may begin to enjoy it (both the social aspect and the short term effects of smoking). They then buy their own packs and start using it to relax and slowly over time have more and more until they are serious smokers. In this way the user is thinking that they only use it very moderately until it's too late.

Personally I've had probably 20 cigarettes in my lifetime (over about a 5 year period) from the aforementioned social interactions and really, it's not bad. I often enjoy them but not enough to ever buy my own because I'm worried about the affects of smoking regularly. When you see your 20 year old friends struggle to walk up a small flight of stairs because of how bad their lungs are, you know it's something you shouldn't get into.

 

[TheIr0nMike]

Public answer: It makes you look cool

Personal answer: It helps me focus when I work. I honestly get the most work done when I have cigarettes (and coffee).

 

[Bags159]

I'd be all for people smoking if people did it in their own homes and could remove the smell from it. Unfortunately, smokers generally smoke in public places and all smell like garbage. I can't stand to be around my ES teacher because he always smells like smoke.

Thankfully smoking in public buildings was finally banned a few years ago in Ohio.

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.

It is beyond preposterous to equal people who smoke and drink with those that do hard drugs and commit hate crimes.

It is also preposterous to assume that 1. smoking and drinking ruin lives (while excess in both can decline your health, your argument assumes insanely heavy consumption of either, which would be neccesary to qualify for "ruining your life") 2. that people who choose to drink or smoke are weak-willed.

I smoke because i enjoy it. I drink because i enjoy it. It is my choice and my body. If i want to do it in excess? Not your problem, sonny.

It will be my problem if you hit me with your car while driving drunk. it is my problem when you smoke near me. Maybe I am too severe, but it is selfish of you to think it is never someone else's problem when YOU make poor choices. A drop in a puddle makes waves. If you are a loner who wants to kill yourself with alchohol and smoking in your own house, fine. But thats not always the case. Sometimes drunk people get in cars, sometimes smokers are pregnant or around others, sometimes people get drunk and doo bad things. I am told by 3 people for my view I am narrow minded (essentially anyways) but its so narrow to not consider the greater reprocussions besides your own livers and lungs.

I agree 100% and you are not narrow minded. People are always like, "it's my habit, my choice, and you have habits too!". Smoking as a habit would be comparable to my habit of listening to music if I blasted my music around people in public.

 

[Pariah87]

I still remember the night I started smoking and why I started. I'd always let myself fall behind as far as social advancement goes. I had few friends, plenty of personal issues and so on. I had just started going out with people from school. Anyway I was feeling pretty low and rather rebellious at that point so when I was offered one I said "fuck it why not?"

Yeah I knew the risks but I didn't care. Maybe if I'd felt sick or had some adverse reaction that would have been the end of it, but instead I found that cigarette incredibly enjoyable. They had a different taste back then, back when I could still taste them and it was pleasant. I went about six months only smoking a pack of 10 every second Friday night when the club was open to under 18's. Then, for some reason I decided to get some during the week. Soon after, didn't see the point in buying 10 when I could buy 20, meant less trips to the shops.

It didn't change anything though. I'm still a socially backwards loser with not many friends, I just happen to smoke aswell now. I still enjoy it, but maybe it's the cigs making me say that. I know I can go a day or so without one without getting annoyed, as long as I tell myself I'm going to have one at X-time. When I tell myself this cigarette will be my last, 10 minutes later my mind goes crazy. Just the mere thought of not having one again stresses me out now, sigh.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

I suppose it's a reason to get out of the house and a 'social' thing to do. When else can you walk outside with a certain someone and talk?
Oh wait...

Granted, it's a dumb thing to do. But than again, what hobby isn't? (I see smoking as a hobby.) Just playing games strikes off time you could had used socializing and gained a better life all around.

Um, what? Are you comparing gaming to inhaling a carcinogen? Please tell me that you're joking...

Actually, I'm not comparing. I'm just making an example. Besides, gaming, if done excessively could damage your health as well.
No exercise is a big pointer.

Not exercising and getting a bit pudgy doesn't compare to the side effects of smoking, sorry, no.

 

[iLikeHippos]

I suppose it's a reason to get out of the house and a 'social' thing to do. When else can you walk outside with a certain someone and talk?
Oh wait...

Granted, it's a dumb thing to do. But than again, what hobby isn't? (I see smoking as a hobby.) Just playing games strikes off time you could had used socializing and gained a better life all around.

Um, what? Are you comparing gaming to inhaling a carcinogen? Please tell me that you're joking...

Actually, I'm not comparing. I'm just making an example. Besides, gaming, if done excessively could damage your health as well.
No exercise is a big pointer.

Not exercising and getting a bit pudgy doesn't compare to the side effects of smoking, sorry, no.

A bit pudgy?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/08/gamers-have-bodies-of-60_n_604304.html

 

[The_Decoy]

Erm because it is nice? I mean it lowers stress levels and makes you feel good. I always look forwards to the first smoke of every day.
Damn budget putting an extra 50p of duty on it makes me sad though :/

Anyone actually know beyond what threshold does it cause permanent and debilitating damage? I generally smoke 3-6 a day, and will quit by the time I'm 25 or something. Don't think I'll be able to destroy my lungs before then. I mean mine are probably better than the one's belonging to people who live in congested cities breathing in fumes all day...

 

[Private Custard]

I quit. Then I realized that life sucks. So I started again.

Cancer!

Yep, that sums me up too!

I'll be dead long before cancer gets me anyway.

 

[bdcjacko]

So... why eat fast food?

Don't compare cigarettes to fast food, cigarettes are way more healthy. *rimshot*

 

[Brandon237]

I have seen what smoking has done to a bloody good portion of my extended family, my aunt especially. She has a very stressful life, she used smoking to help with that, in the end when it became a health problem, quitting only caused her more stress.

I also would not be one to ever take in so many poisonous chemicals willingly.
And I HATE the smell of cigarette smoke.
Final point: This only applies to the smokers who are disrespectful, but please do not leave your cigarette butts lying everywhere! No-one in my immediate family smokes, but there are many cigarette butts in my garden, all from "cleaners" and our own extended family! This country gets dry in Winter too... Fires in townships started by cigs... I don't like them.
And it is addictive, not severely, but you cannot deny it completely, and addictive things that contain poison and cost money are not good by my definition.

 

[Fooz]

its a touchy subject, people that smoke will most likely defend it in some way, and people that have never smoked are kind of ignorant when it comes to why people do it

i fall into the latter which explains my opinion

people that do it because it relaxes them are a tad bit weak, when im stressed i do not smoke or drink or anything, i just get on with it (mainly because i work better under stress). it annoys me when some of my friends cant go 10 minutes without a ciggerette, its rude when they up and leave just for a poison stick

 

[Gauntes]

because world is shit and I never planned to live forever

 

[blarghblarghhhhh]

A fairly strong cigarette, the headspin I received was amazing, I loved it. So I started smoking because I enjoyed the headspin and the feeling of relaxation I received.

After a while, I no longer got the headspin, but I still enjoyed smoking.
I enjoy going outside and having a cigarette to cool off and think about stuff. (Hence I dislike smoking inside.)

Conversations between smokers has always been really interesting as well, if its between co-workers or theatre performances (the main leads all chain smoked.)

this. especially the part about smoking outside. my sleep schedule no longer allows for it, but I used to love walking around my neighborhood at 2 in the morning just smoking and thinking about shit. taking in the world around me.

 

[Yureina]

I am allergic to cigarette smoke. Have been since I was a kid. Kinda... makes it impossible for me to ever consider doing that.

As for why other people do it... I don't know. I've never actually met someone who was "just starting out" with that, so... I could only guess as to why.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

If someone asked "Do you smoke?" I'd say no, because what they mean is "Do you actively seek out cigarettes on at least a semi-regular basis or accept them when offered?". I don't, and there it's completely possible I'll never smoke anything again, but I have smoked tobacco and other things. The first time I did I was legally permitted to do so, so I wasn't too young to evaluate the risk. I made the choice to based on my educated understanding of addiction, disease directly linked to different forms of substance abuse, and the relative overall risk compared to short-term benefits. The same reasoning behind why I'm comfortable drinking alcohol or even eating pork scratchings, sweets, etc... It's all relative, and I'm comfortable with how I live. I understand how someone who smokes regularly can be well educated on the matter and have excellent reasoning skills and still wish to smoke. It's as much as preference to anyone with willpower more than anything. It hardly compares to the likes of phet or opiate addiction.

So why did I? I enjoyed it.

I've had a few friends become smokers in college. One began because she used to have a couple with friends on nights out every week, and that slowly (as I told her it would, but she stubbornly denied it) seeped into her everyday life until she was smoking 10 a day. Another, my oldest friend, began because he was frequently in a bad place and liked that it eased the stress of college and made sociability easier. So there's two different cases.

 

[Raineheart]

A fairly strong cigarette, the headspin I received was amazing, I loved it. So I started smoking because I enjoyed the headspin and the feeling of relaxation I received.

After a while, I no longer got the headspin, but I still enjoyed smoking.
I enjoy going outside and having a cigarette to cool off and think about stuff. (Hence I dislike smoking inside.)

Conversations between smokers has always been really interesting as well, if its between co-workers or theatre performances (the main leads all chain smoked.)

this. especially the part about smoking outside. my sleep schedule no longer allows for it, but I used to love walking around my neighborhood at 2 in the morning just smoking and thinking about shit. taking in the world around me.

Exactly. Fortunately I don't go to sleep until around 4am, so I tend to go for extended walks in the freezing cold around my streets. Especially good to watch the sun come up while having a smoke.

 

[SleepyChan]

Since I only recently started smoking, I'll try to give you an answer.

My mom died last June. It was brain cancer, it was at home, and I was her caretaker (I was 21, BTW). My family has since crumbled, my life is horribly pathetic, and I was teetering on the edge of a massive bout of depression. So, one day I decided that I wasn't going to make up excuses for not doing the things I may have wanted to do in the past. I've lived my life as a bit of a goody-goody, you see. So I told my best friend over dinner that I wanted to smoke. Simply put, I wanted to give my life a jump-start. So she bought me my first pack (American Spirits, orange case) and lighter. Then we smoked down on the waterfront under the full moon. It was the most liberating moment of my life.

At this point, many people might point out that this is a stupid reason to start smoking. They'd bring up cancer, stigmas, and the other downsides to such a habit. But really, they'd be missing my point. I'm not smoking to fit in. I'm not smoking to escape from my problems. I'm not even smoking because I particularly like it.

I smoke now because I am free to do so. I smoke because for each small puff of smoke that enters my lungs, I'm taking a new and different look at my life and the way I've lived it. With each cigarette, I stop and enjoy life. I listen to the world around me and appreciate the small things. I live. And yes, some small, dark part of me feels that each smoke may someday lead my back to my beloved mother, whom I miss dearly. It's delusional, but there you go.

Sorry if this seems too poetical or full of bullshit. I am what I am, and I enjoy the occasional smoke. I hope this answers your question?

I had a similar sensation when I started smoking but it involved rebelling with my own parents who enforced a lifestyle on me so I wouldn't mimic their own mistakes.I know it's not really the same but I remember the feeling back then when I started doing things I was always afraid to do so I'd be a goody-goody.Starting with a smoke.

I can almost understand why non smokers are such bigots.Hell people you've had to live all your life resisting silly urges to try something when your entire society says it's bad.Hell if you're gonna live it that way then you must make every smoker's life hell for that.Just to feel better about your free of addiction lives.The analogy of vegetarians comes to mind.I like my meat and I like my smokes.I damn well love my addictions and I'm not giving up on them.

It's nice to hear someone understands.

I've read past this post now, and I'm seeing a lot of people state that they just wanted to to try it, or that they didn't really care about the side effects. It's interesting that the people who rant against smokers and those that dabble always seem to say that we don't really know or understand the consequences...the risks.

Well, some of us do. As I mentioned earlier, the catalyst for my starting was my mother's death. I saw for myself the horror that is cancer. I woke up each morning to see her breathing become more labored, more painful. I saw firsthand what was happening inside, and it killed me. And yet, I put myself at risk of the same fate. I know it. I embrace it. Does it make me selfish? Perhaps. But do NOT claim that people like me don't understand.

I was a CNA after high-school. Many of my residents died of life-long smoking related illnesses. I know what it looks like, smells like, and ends like. I am not ignorant. I am simply at a place in my life where death simply does not frighten me like it did before that morning when I checked for my mother's pulse and found none.

Beyond that, I also go out of my way not to let the rare smoke I might have bother anyone. I smoke alone, and secluded. I maintain proper hygiene in an effort to to remain a very private smoker. No one in my life knows I smoke, save for the one who first bought me that first pack.

I'm rambling now, but I guess hearing people rant in such a self-righteous manner gets my dander up. Go figure. :/

 

[Godsfists]

Since I only recently started smoking, I'll try to give you an answer.

My mom died last June. It was brain cancer, it was at home, and I was her caretaker (I was 21, BTW). My family has since crumbled, my life is horribly pathetic, and I was teetering on the edge of a massive bout of depression. So, one day I decided that I wasn't going to make up excuses for not doing the things I may have wanted to do in the past. I've lived my life as a bit of a goody-goody, you see. So I told my best friend over dinner that I wanted to smoke. Simply put, I wanted to give my life a jump-start. So she bought me my first pack (American Spirits, orange case) and lighter. Then we smoked down on the waterfront under the full moon. It was the most liberating moment of my life.

At this point, many people might point out that this is a stupid reason to start smoking. They'd bring up cancer, stigmas, and the other downsides to such a habit. But really, they'd be missing my point. I'm not smoking to fit in. I'm not smoking to escape from my problems. I'm not even smoking because I particularly like it.

I smoke now because I am free to do so. I smoke because for each small puff of smoke that enters my lungs, I'm taking a new and different look at my life and the way I've lived it. With each cigarette, I stop and enjoy life. I listen to the world around me and appreciate the small things. I live. And yes, some small, dark part of me feels that each smoke may someday lead my back to my beloved mother, whom I miss dearly. It's delusional, but there you go.

Sorry if this seems too poetical or full of bullshit. I am what I am, and I enjoy the occasional smoke. I hope this answers your question?

I had a similar sensation when I started smoking but it involved rebelling with my own parents who enforced a lifestyle on me so I wouldn't mimic their own mistakes.I know it's not really the same but I remember the feeling back then when I started doing things I was always afraid to do so I'd be a goody-goody.Starting with a smoke.

I can almost understand why non smokers are such bigots.Hell people you've had to live all your life resisting silly urges to try something when your entire society says it's bad.Hell if you're gonna live it that way then you must make every smoker's life hell for that.Just to feel better about your free of addiction lives.The analogy of vegetarians comes to mind.I like my meat and I like my smokes.I damn well love my addictions and I'm not giving up on them.

It's nice to hear someone understands.

I've read past this post now, and I'm seeing a lot of people state that they just wanted to to try it, or that they didn't really care about the side effects. It's interesting that the people who rant against smokers and those that dabble always seem to say that we don't really know or understand the consequences...the risks.

Well, some of us do. As I mentioned earlier, the catalyst for my starting was my mother's death. I saw for myself the horror that is cancer. I woke up each morning to see her breathing become more labored, more painful. I saw firsthand what was happening inside, and it killed me. And yet, I put myself at risk of the same fate. I know it. I embrace it. Does it make me selfish? Perhaps. But do NOT claim that people like me don't understand.

I was a CNA after high-school. Many of my residents died of life-long smoking related illnesses. I know what it looks like, smells like, and ends like. I am not ignorant. I am simply at a place in my life where death simply does not frighten me like it did before that morning when I checked for my mother's pulse and found none.

Beyond that, I also go out of my way not to let the rare smoke I might have bother anyone. I smoke alone, and secluded. I maintain proper hygiene in an effort to to remain a very private smoker. No one in my life knows I smoke, save for the one who first bought me that first pack.

I'm rambling now, but I guess hearing people rant in such a self-righteous manner gets my dander up. Go figure. :/

Sounds just the way i started smoking (i quit long time ago).
Just remember, as soon as you realise that you are not smoking for the reason you started and
that you do not like it, or you understand that it influences you negatively,
know that you "had enough" and its time to quit.
Right now the cigarette is giving you an excuse to be sentimental. It is filling in a gap.
But this gap can be filled with something else, i promise you.