So... why start smoking?

[DigitalAtlas]

SNIP

Thank God. I wouldn't want to live to be so old that I can't live without a hospital bed and tubes coming out of me.

 

[mrpanic241]

Hello everyone, long time lurker first time poster

It just so happens that I am currently trying to quit smoking. I have been extremley agitated and stressed out. I even bit my controller earlier out of frustration and I never nerd rage(not mentioning mile high club).

But back on topic

I started smoking due to friends always going out to have a cig and me being left alone, I just got fed up with it. Since then it has been a fantastic way to relieve stress and calm down. I was well aware of all ill effects it might have on me and probably would, but I enjoy it.

 

[Wutaiflea]

Usually, people dislike my answers to this question, but this was my genuine experience.

I started smoking when I was 17 (legal in this country at the time) during a very self-destructive phase in my life. I was on my own when I had my first cigarette, and I enjoyed it- I didn't have a coughing fit, or feel sick, or any of the other negatives people often bring up.

I was the only one of my friends that smoked, and I was under more peer pressure to quit than for anything else. I carried on smoking because I enjoyed it. I was fully aware of the risk to my health.

I specifically enjoyed the flavour of Malboro cigarettes, and refused to smoke cheap ones. I also liked the opportunity to "go out for a fag" and get a little peace and quiet. It was almost ritualised.

I felt absolutely no sense of addiction to cigarettes. I had one when I felt like it, rarely smoking more than 5 a day. After a couple of years, I gave up, because I couldn't be bothered with the expense.

Because of these experiences, I find it really hard to relate to what most people say about starting smoking. I did it, and yet everyone else's version seems completely alien.

 

[moretimethansense]

I'm not, and that's fair enough, if you like it fine, but for the love of god don't try to claim it's not addictive or that it somehow has benefits that it doesn't.

Clears my sinuses better than Tabasco sauce.

I somehow find that hard to believe as second hand smoke makes mine far worse, but seeing as I don't personally smoke, and haven't read anything explicitly shooting down what you've said I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here.
It still doesn't lower anxiety though.

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.

http://www.quitsmoking.uk.com/understanding-nicotine-addiction/benefits-timeline.aspx

Three, four days at most after your last ciggie there is no nicotine in your system - ergo no physical addiction. Habitual addiction can last fo decades.

On your second point, how many morphine addicts have you seen go through withdrawl? Nicotine withdrawl can lead to mood swings and definately a shorter temper - I've never experienced mophine withdrawl but I did experience heroin withdrawl and the physical withdrawl didn't last much longer than when I quit cigarettes but the disparity in the severity of symptoms could not be more painfully (i do mean painfully) obvious - I spent two days vomiting dry unable to eat or sleep pretty much every part of my body was in pain or cramping compare that to being snarky for a couple of days.

Erm, correwcty me if I'm wrong but isn't withdrawel what yoiu go through when you don't have anything in your system?
Cause I'm pretty sure that withdrawel comes from your body craving something it doesn't have.

Also, SNARKY?!
My mother nearly killed me with a cast iron saucepan, it missed my head by about half a foot!
And I was ten at the time!
And before you ask, no I wasn't acting up, I was going in to the kitchen to see what the shouting was about.
Frankly I'd much rather be around a heroin addict that was trying to quit than a smoker, it may be worse to be one but at least you can fucking tell that it's affecting you.

 

[The Gnome King]

Ugh... after seeing all the misinformation in this thread I just thought I'd throw up a link anyway:

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/05/dayintech_0516

And keep in mind *everyone* has different effects from drugs. Alcohol causes delirium tremens in people more reliably than almost any other drug save the benzodiapines when they try to quit; opiates have actually a relatively mild withdrawal (including heroin compared to, say, a longterm Xanax user who is almost certain to have physical problems when they quit) - I've worked with quite a few people in a medical setting and I can say that while nicotine won't cause DTs it *will* cause longterm physical withdrawal symptoms.

People do drugs for all sorts of reasons and people's bodies are all different - bottom line, know that when YOU do a drug you might have all sorts of different effects from it than your cousin, your friend, or people on this forum. Including nicotine.

 

[Jonabob87]

I quite enjoy cigarellos, I started smoking them just out of curiosity at the pub. I don't do it very often though, every few months I'll buy a 5 pack and stretch them out over a few weeks.

I don't get why people smoke cigarettes though, those things taste literally awful.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

I'm not, and that's fair enough, if you like it fine, but for the love of god don't try to claim it's not addictive or that it somehow has benefits that it doesn't.

Clears my sinuses better than Tabasco sauce.

I somehow find that hard to believe as second hand smoke makes mine far worse, but seeing as I don't personally smoke, and haven't read anything explicitly shooting down what you've said I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here.
It still doesn't lower anxiety though.

I can't say it lowers my anxiety, but for that brief moment my stress just floats away with the smoke I blow out, afterwards I can just carry on easier. It's one of those things that depends on the person, I assume.

Still, I do have to appreciate it due to the fact it has given me initiative to find calming and surreal places just to smoke with my best friend. I've been to the top of the tallest building in our town to watch a sunset over a river, by a bridge where no cars passed on a clear night to the point the water reflected the sky perfectly, and a place of pure nature where man had not disturbed. All this to have a smoke. Pretty awesome to me.

Plus, it can get me out of any awkward moment to say 'well, I have to go take a smoke now.'

 

[moretimethansense]

For some reason, some smokers think that because reasons to stop smoking were in a PSA, they're automatically invalid. They've got little hints of anecdotal evidence to imply how non-dangerous smoking is (X person smoked and lived a long time), as though that's any real indication of risk factors.

There's a tendency of people to defend any behavior they're involved in, regardless of rationale. Clearly smoking is one of these. In this thread we see people denying the addictive qualities of tobacco, despite irrefutable scientific evidence to the contrary.

Another common flimsy rationale: Man, EVERYTHING causes cancer, should I avoid doing everything that has a risk factor? (Answer, you should logically avoid things with an absurdly high risk factor and little benefit)

This is a vast exaggeration. We commonly see sensationalist articles based on single papers stating something to the effect of "X linked to a mild increase in cancers." These get turned into "X CAUSES CANCER" headlines by non science-savvy journalists. This is vastly different than the vast quantities of epidemiological studies regarding links between smoking and health problems. Equating the two is invalid.

Smoking is a bigger cause of death than car accidents, HIV, murders, (other) drug abuse, suicides, and drinking-related deaths combined. It is completely, unfuckingdeniably, a high-risk activity. 20% of all deaths in the US are from smoking-related health problems.

[HEADING=1]20% of all deaths in the US are smoking-related.[/HEADING]

For every 10 smokers who die from smoking, there is a non-smoker who dies from their smoke.

On average, smokers live 14 YEARS less than non-smokers. If we make some basic assumptions about when people start smoking (around 20 we'll say) and average live expectancy (78), we find that people who smoke reduce the duration of their remaining life by 14/58, or ~30%. That's right, the average starting smoker loses about a third of their time spent alive.

Yes, life is a risk. But smoking is a HUGE risk. In every possible way.

Source

While I agree with most of that, the 20% can't be right can it?
I'd have though that heart disease would be about that much, and I was pretty sure that less people smoke nowadays than they used to, what year is your source from?

I mean I suppose it's possible that the percentage is that high, but if true that suprises me.

 

[moretimethansense]

I can't say it lowers my anxiety, but for that brief moment my stress just floats away with the smoke I blow out, afterwards I can just carry on easier. It's one of those things that depends on the person, I assume.

Still, I do have to appreciate it due to the fact it has given me initiative to find calming and surreal places just to smoke with my best friend. I've been to the top of the tallest building in our town to watch a sunset over a river, by a bridge where no cars passed on a clear night to the point the water reflected the sky perfectly, and a place of pure nature where man had not disturbed. All this to have a smoke. Pretty awesome to me.

Plus, it can get me out of any awkward moment to say 'well, I have to go take a smoke now.'

I have to ask though:
Exactly how much of that stess is caused by the nicotine cravings?
I'd be willing to believe that nicotine may slightly relax someone, but 9/10 people that claim it gets rid of their stress simply wouldn't be so stressed if not for their body telling them to smoke.

Also, what's wrong with going to those places just to chat?
Or even just to watch the scenery?
Why does it have to be smoking that leads you there?
Hell you could take up a hobby an do the same thing, it'd probably cost you less too.

Were I not an agorophobe that's the kind of thing I'd do anyway, I enjoy just sitting somewhere pretty and talking, or even just watching the scenery.
Then again I am a bit of a ponce.

 

[KiraTaureLor]

The way I started smoking was during High school, due to peer pressure. No one offered me any, or persuaded me to try it. I was just looking for friends, and the smokers tended to have the same issues, and personal problems as me; so seeing them smoking, I said hey why not?

I used to, and still suffer from seasonal allergies that when ever I changed my location, my nose, and eyes would start dripping, my vocals clam up; so when I talk I sound like a badly scratched CD, and lethargy would takeover. My doctors have put me on every allergy medication, and tested me for everything, and there was no solution, it was just something I had to live with, or move to a tropical island. Smoking got rid of all that for during, and after the cigarette, it relaxed my lungs, and unraveled my mind, so that I would be able to function better, not to mention the boost of confidence.

However after the affect was gone stress level rose when thinking of the health consequences, and parents finding out. My total smoking time lasted a year, from the beginning to the end of grade 12. he reason I stopped was because during the summer period,i had no money, and no contact with any smokers. I', sill an ex, but if I ever did gain financial and living independence, there is a high chance I might start again.

Yes, I know the health problems that come with the smoking, and I also know all that shit that the companies are stuffing in along with the nicotine; but honestly I smoked like 3 cigs a day, other than that my lifestyle is generally healthy. so I have the same consequences as people that eat fast food, drink, and etc.

 

[Yopaz]

smoking has a lot of benefits and does more than get you addicted to them

Out of sheer curiosity, what kind of benefits?

Nicotine- relieves stress, ups concentration, all the negative effects are from the smoke itself, not the substance that makes you addicted.

My source, Biology (Brooker, Widmaier, Graham, Stiling) 2nd edition, page 869, table.

I think a lot of smokers start because it can be social, some because they think it will help them lose weight, ome because "It's cool". I don't smoke myself, and I have never done so, never will, but I am one of those who are pissed off because this hate on smokers. I see no reason to hate smokers. They smoke, OK, their choice, their life. Having an addiction in life gives you something to look forward to. I have coffee, and I'm probably as addicted as a smoker is to ciggarettes.

 

[Mykayel1]

I actually like the taste and feel of a cigarette.

 

[Vrach]

List of possible reasons:
- Peer pressure (boy/girlfriend and cliquey groups are the most effective here)
- It looks cool
- Something to do with your hands (honestly, as stupid as it sounds, that's the best reason to smoke imo)
- Interested in what it feels like (it's one of the main reasons why I tried it, I didn't keep smoking though, not so much because I didn't like it, but because I know it's not good for me [though frankly normal cigarettes are boring, Cubans are much more worthwhile])

That's all I got for now, there's probably a lot more reasons.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

I can't say it lowers my anxiety, but for that brief moment my stress just floats away with the smoke I blow out, afterwards I can just carry on easier. It's one of those things that depends on the person, I assume.

Still, I do have to appreciate it due to the fact it has given me initiative to find calming and surreal places just to smoke with my best friend. I've been to the top of the tallest building in our town to watch a sunset over a river, by a bridge where no cars passed on a clear night to the point the water reflected the sky perfectly, and a place of pure nature where man had not disturbed. All this to have a smoke. Pretty awesome to me.

Plus, it can get me out of any awkward moment to say 'well, I have to go take a smoke now.'

I have to ask though:
Exactly how much of that stess is caused by the nicotine cravings?
I'd be willing to believe that nicotine may slightly relax someone, but 9/10 people that claim it gets rid of their stress simply wouldn't be so stressed if not for their body telling them to smoke.

Also, what's wrong with going to those places just to chat?
Or even just to watch the scenery?
Why does it have to be smoking that leads you there?
Hell you could take up a hobby an do the same thing, it'd probably cost you less too.

Were I not an agorophobe that's the kind of thing I'd do anyway, I enjoy just sitting somewhere pretty and talking, or even just watching the scenery.
Then again I am a bit of a ponce.

Generally, I don't have stressful nicotine cravings. I think the one time I did was when I went for a few days without smoking. However, other than that I usually go for over a day without cigarettes easy. Sure, I'll want one (I kind of do now, but nothing I care to go outside and do), but I can always kill the need with the immersion value in any video game or just going on the net.

Usually, we didn't know those places existed or could look so good. Or we lacked ambition. For instance, when Christmas break hit, my friend decided to bring me home, but first we dropped my girlfriend at her mother's place at an old folk's home. Randomly, I said, "Want to grab a smoke on the roof?" It led to a very surreal moment that we both needed, and it was aided by just the feel of a cigarette. Other instances include when that same friend drags me to his church for the sake of company, and we have a cigarette afterwards. It just feels spiritual, and I've been agnostic for years. We did the same thing after meditating at a Buddhist garden. Clear anything up?

 

[Moeez]

When I turned of legal age, my parents told me that if I ever considered smoking to come to them for learning all about it. I've watched them smoke all their lives and I turned them down. However, they also smoked pot and have smoked that ever since I was born. About a couple of years ago, I took them up on pot. I can say that I don't regret that decision whatsoever. I do not smoke cigarettes or cigars, as the health risks far outweigh any form of stress relief I could get from doing so, IMO. I've gotten high a few times and lemme tell ya, music and games are a completely new experience when you are stoned. Although, Persona 4 was kinda weird when I was stoned...the good kinda weird. Still...weird.

I've also done my own little experiment on what happens when I try to smoke a bunch of pot. I've only experienced two outcomes - one four times and the other two times. I either got so high that I feel asleep after being high...or...I got VERY hungry and ate until I satisfied my hunger...THEN fell asleep. However, the second outcome does lead to some interesting moments. For example, one out of the two times I got hungry, I went and opened a family size tomato soup can and drank it like a V8.

So yeah, no tobacco for me. I will NEVER touch the stuff.

You would probably like this movie.
http://www.movieworld2.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/smiley-face-2007.jpg

 

[KiraTaureLor]

For some reason, some smokers think that because reasons to stop smoking were in a PSA, they're automatically invalid. They've got little hints of anecdotal evidence to imply how non-dangerous smoking is (X person smoked and lived a long time), as though that's any real indication of risk factors.

There's a tendency of people to defend any behavior they're involved in, regardless of rationale. Clearly smoking is one of these. In this thread we see people denying the addictive qualities of tobacco, despite irrefutable scientific evidence to the contrary.

Another common flimsy rationale: Man, EVERYTHING causes cancer, should I avoid doing everything that has a risk factor? (Answer, you should logically avoid things with an absurdly high risk factor and little benefit)

This is a vast exaggeration. We commonly see sensationalist articles based on single papers stating something to the effect of "X linked to a mild increase in cancers." These get turned into "X CAUSES CANCER" headlines by non science-savvy journalists. This is vastly different than the vast quantities of epidemiological studies regarding links between smoking and health problems. Equating the two is invalid.

Smoking is a bigger cause of death than car accidents, HIV, murders, (other) drug abuse, suicides, and drinking-related deaths combined. It is completely, unfuckingdeniably, a high-risk activity. 20% of all deaths in the US are from smoking-related health problems.

[HEADING=1]20% of all deaths in the US are smoking-related.[/HEADING]

For every 10 smokers who die from smoking, there is a non-smoker who dies from their smoke.

On average, smokers live 14 YEARS less than non-smokers. If we make some basic assumptions about when people start smoking (around 20 we'll say) and average live expectancy (78), we find that people who smoke reduce the duration of their remaining life by 14/58, or ~30%. That's right, the average starting smoker loses about a third of their time spent alive.

Yes, life is a risk. But smoking is a HUGE risk. In every possible way.

Source

While I agree with most of that, the 20% can't be right can it?
I'd have though that heart disease would be about that much, and I was pretty sure that less people smoke nowadays than they used to, what year is your source from?

I mean I suppose it's possible that the percentage is that high, but if true that suprises me.

Just for the sake of conversation and curiosity, do those studies indicate that the researchers factored in indoor pollution, city pollution, car pollution, and on and on and on

 

[Sakash]

For some reason, some smokers think that because reasons to stop smoking were in a PSA, they're automatically invalid. They've got little hints of anecdotal evidence to imply how non-dangerous smoking is (X person smoked and lived a long time), as though that's any real indication of risk factors.

There's a tendency of people to defend any behavior they're involved in, regardless of rationale. Clearly smoking is one of these. In this thread we see people denying the addictive qualities of tobacco, despite irrefutable scientific evidence to the contrary.

Another common flimsy rationale: Man, EVERYTHING causes cancer, should I avoid doing everything that has a risk factor? (Answer, you should logically avoid things with an absurdly high risk factor and little benefit)

This is a vast exaggeration. We commonly see sensationalist articles based on single papers stating something to the effect of "X linked to a mild increase in cancers." These get turned into "X CAUSES CANCER" headlines by non science-savvy journalists. This is vastly different than the vast quantities of epidemiological studies regarding links between smoking and health problems. Equating the two is invalid.

Smoking is a bigger cause of death than car accidents, HIV, murders, (other) drug abuse, suicides, and drinking-related deaths combined. It is completely, unfuckingdeniably, a high-risk activity. 20% of all deaths in the US are from smoking-related health problems.

[HEADING=1]20% of all deaths in the US are smoking-related.[/HEADING]

For every 10 smokers who die from smoking, there is a non-smoker who dies from their smoke.

On average, smokers live 14 YEARS less than non-smokers. If we make some basic assumptions about when people start smoking (around 20 we'll say) and average live expectancy (78), we find that people who smoke reduce the duration of their remaining life by 14/58, or ~30%. That's right, the average starting smoker loses about a third of their time spent alive.

Yes, life is a risk. But smoking is a HUGE risk. In every possible way.

Source

While I agree with most of that, the 20% can't be right can it?
I'd have though that heart disease would be about that much, and I was pretty sure that less people smoke nowadays than they used to, what year is your source from?

I mean I suppose it's possible that the percentage is that high, but if true that suprises me.

The thing is, they kind cheat with those statistics. They say smoing RELATED deaths. For example, if you die of a heart attack, they ask whether you smoked or have ever smoked. They then put you in the category of 'smoking related death', even if the real cause was the fact you were 400 pounds and ate junk everyday.

Personally, i smoke becuase i want to. I dont defend it, or reccomend it. But im sick of having to explain myself for it. People do all sorts of bad thing to themselves. Smoking is just an easy target

 

[moretimethansense]

Generally, I don't have stressful nicotine cravings. I think the one time I did was when I went for a few days without smoking. However, other than that I usually go for over a day without cigarettes easy. Sure, I'll want one (I kind of do now, but nothing I care to go outside and do), but I can always kill the need with the immersion value in any video game or just going on the net.

Usually, we didn't know those places existed or could look so good. Or we lacked ambition. For instance, when Christmas break hit, my friend decided to bring me home, but first we dropped my girlfriend at her mother's place at an old folk's home. Randomly, I said, "Want to grab a smoke on the roof?" It led to a very surreal moment that we both needed, and it was aided by just the feel of a cigarette. Other instances include when that same friend drags me to his church for the sake of company, and we have a cigarette afterwards. It just feels spiritual, and I've been agnostic for years. We did the same thing after meditating at a Buddhist garden. Clear anything up?

Then you're pretty lucky so far, as I've said in other post my mother gets screamingly angry from watching the discovery channel if she doesn't smoke, though I'm willing to bet good money that situations that stress you would not stress you so much had you never smoked.

Infortunately to prove or disprove that theory I'd need to invent a time machine of some sort, convince you to not smoke, and observe how you react to the same situations that you experianced as a smoker, then observe them again after you started, plus I'd have to factor in how recently you'd smopked before the situation and frankly there are better things I could do with a time machine, like train me a T-rex!

Eh, if that's how you discover these places then fair enough, I'm the kind of person to see a place and think to myself, "I am so going to sit there!", but as I said I'm kinda weird like that, though the same places could be discovered by deciding to have a drink on the roof, though that would hardly be an improvement.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

A family across the road from me are friends of ours and they have turned into more or less an entire family of smokers. I don't get it.

The husband has always smoked, he even has cigars too. The wife never sees any problem with it and will get quite angry if you even complain about the effects of passive smoking. Then within the last couple of years, both the children, both around early to mid twenties, just started taking up smoking...

Now in an age where we KNOW exactly what the effects are and considering they were both past the typical "peer pressure" age (I assume, after all they're not at school) then what on Earth would ever make smoking sound like a good thing to take up?

It truly baffles me. I understand having one because your mates say so, I understand that you could get addicted even from just one... but what makes you take that chance in the first place?

The sad thing is... I saw a status update of Facebook from the younger of the two (a girl about 23yrs) saying that she was going to relax by smoking herself into a coma... Now considering her grandma just died recently after being on oxygen for the effects of lifelong smoking (and was still smoking up to her demise) does this not seem like a bad idea?

 

[Sjakie]

young, stupid, social pressure and the desire to look cool/grown up.

All the other ansers are bulls*** and are usually from smokers who are in denial.

Nicotine is probably the very worst drug around to become addicted to, because it really gets you nothing in return from your addiction. Alcohol and weed for example at least give you a nice buzz when you use it.

Nicotine doesn't do shit for you.

*lights up*