Does anyone smoke here? I have a question. I remember being in grade 7 and no one smoked. Then in high school everyone started smoking. My question is how do you start smoking. Do u see someone smoking and say to yourself, im going to start smoking today?
It started with drinking… As we all know, excessive drinking leads to everything sounding like a good idea. One drunken night, you take a puff and boom addicted. If you notice, the people that don’t party through highschool tend not to smoke. Nicotine and alcohol effect the same part of your brain, and smoking while drunk increases the drunken euforia.
I agree. I’ll have the occasional cigar, and the very rare smoke, usually only if I’m stressed out or drinking though. I pretty much hate tobacco, but the effects can be satisfying at times. Stay away from it buddy, not only does it eventually kill you, but it makes you less attractive, smelly just plain unhealthy in general…
I’ve smoked other stuff, but I won’t touch cigarettes.
The thing with cigarettes, If you’ve smoked one when you were drunk one time, chances are you will try it again. Before too long you start rewarding yourself with cigarettes. You think to youself, “I’m drunk, one won’t hurt” Then 2 then 3 then 4. By this time your body is already started to build up a dependance on the nicotine, since the first few made you feel nice. Soon, you’ll reward youself one for waking up in the morning, after a meal, to forget about a meal, after a job, when you get angry etc… fact of the matter is, nobody really means to start smoking, it just happens as an “accident” in most cases. I made the mistake, and I hope to god you guys dont start. I am down to were i started now only when i drink, and i want to soon forget them all together.
I think the biggest part with the younger croud starting to smoke is that they’re looking for social acceptance, as with drinking at an early age. Smoking give you a reason to join others in going outside to socialize on a bit more of a personal level, since you already have something in common with that other person.
It was just as easy for me to go stand outside with the people smoking and NOT smoke, than I’m sure it would be for someone to light one up. I’d say will power has a lot to do with it… if you know what the effects of smoking will do to you, and that means more to you than “being cool” or what have you, you won’t smoke.
A lot of people (you know…“they”) say that kids who smoke had parents that smoked. Well, for me it was the exact opposite. Both of my parents would smoke away inside the car as we drive down to Vancouver for Summer vacations. The more I think about it now, I’m surprised I’m as healthy as I am. I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life.
Nothing about smoking is appealing to me. The smell, the taste, the way it yellows your fingers and teeth, and I haven’t even mentioned the whole cancer thing 
. Smartass mentioned willpower, and think that is it in a nutshell. You can choose not to smoke, even if you are a smoker right now. Whether you need pills, patches, gum, or just some good old-fashioned cold turkey to get over it, it can be done.
Remember the scene in “Clerks” when the Chewly’s gum rep was in the Quick Stop harassing Dante because he was selling cigarettes to customers, and he put the diseased lung on the counter? He wills the crowd into a cigarette-throwing mob scene while yelling “Cancer Merchant!”. Classic.
Im with you too stanley19, I loved to drink when i wasa teenager but I disliked people who smoked, never hung out with them, I still find smoking gross YUK, but my parrents smoked like crazy, my died of heart disease… Im surprised I never got asma, or any other type of lung disease…(again sorry for spelling)… my sister smokes but I never have, I knew friends in high school the jock’s who never smoked until they left high school, never figured out why…
Its a social thing until you get hooked. Then it becomes a habit.
I started smoking in grade 8 but that was only one or two smokes while drinking. I would buy a pack, have one and then throw the rest away.
Now adays I still only have one smoke when I am drinking. I relize now that smoking began as a social thing for me . I wanted to talk to those who were outside smoking and then had to have one.
Smoking is a devil of a thing. From personal experience I started when I was about 13-14. Nothing major, sneak one once in a while here and there. I didnt really start smoking regularly until I was about 16. Smoked till I was 22 and quit cold turkey.
Started again when I was 25 and went for another 10 months and quit again, cold turkey. This time for 10 yrs.
Then back in October of last year some major stress hit my life…life altering stress, to the point where I lost almost 20 pounds and two jean sizes.
Stress to the point where I started smoking again, off and on after 10 yrs of not having any smokes at all. Still smoke a little here and there. Stress is still there some, and I’m still having the odd one here and there but I think I’m addicted again. I’ll quit again, but for now I’ll smoke. It does help, albeit its not good for me.
Its weird couse we all have stress, but some people start smoking like you did, well others will eat, Like I do…lol… or drink or do drugs… we all handle stress differenty. Stress is deadly can lead to many health and mental health problems in life.
VMS I’m sure when you are ready you will kick the habit. good luck to you.
It seems once you start no matter how or why it always sticks with you, after experiencing the feeling once you go back to it down the road because of stress and anger, and that sucks for you guys.
indeed… you didnt have to share the 10 year part. That doesnt give me much hope. I’ve quit cold turkey twice, first time lasted 5 months and the second time lasted 1 month.
Its not quite like that for me, its more of an impulse buy for me. I quit for long periods of time then when i walk i na store i see someone smoking i have a littel extra pocket change and well i buy a smoke light it and then usually dont even finish the first one and throw the pack somewhere in my house for a few days till i crave another.
Yeah… I’m not a heavy smoker by any stretch. I smoke a pack maybe every 5-9 days
Before, I was buying 1 pack every 3rd day approx, then summer of 93, I started feeling shitty after a cig, so I quite. And had no cravings since.
thats so cooll Hi Timez, To All those who have quit, “way to go” and to those thinking about quiting “good luck to you”
I never really had the desire to smoke, even when hanging around smokers. I’ve smoked cigars on “Guys night outs” a few times, and tried a cigarette once. All experimentation with tobacco was motivated by alcohol. I recall the first time I tried a cigar. It was Pre-casino night, and I was VERY drunk. I thought I’d be cool and blow the smoke out my nose. It was the only thing I TRULY felt that night.
The thing that really solidified my desire to not smoke was a 10th grade science class. The teacher setup a vacuum in a beaker and basically captured all the contents of smoking one cigarette. The result was a VERY nasty sludge in the bottom of the beaker. Lots of sludge too. I couldn’t believe that anyone who had the slightest respect for their body could possibly ever smoke again after seeing that.