Why do people start smoking?

[katiuska]

The conversation going on in the clove/flavored smokes-banning thread reminded me of this, but I'm making a separate thread because it's kind of a separate issue. Anyway, a while back I got into an discussion with someone who was arguing that I couldn't be in favor of both public healthcare and drug legalization because the latter would lead to more addicts for whom we'd be spending money to treat. I didn't quite buy it, but I didn't really have the knowledge to put forth a proper rebuttal, and somehow this lead to arguing over why people start smoking.

The impression I'd always been given is that people continue to smoke because it's addictive, but aside from fulfilling some kind of psychological/physiological need, smoking is not in and of itself especially enjoyable. But then, I wouldn't know, and it occurred to me that our conversation would be less full of bullshit if either of us actually had experience with tobacco.

So yeah. Those of you who smoke or used to smoke, if it's not too personal, how/why did you start?

I ask because I honestly don't know. My brother smokes, and I think partly what distinguished us is our respective crowds--not so much from a peer pressure angle, but in terms of access. If cigarettes were right there I might have been more likely to get curious, but as it was I didn't feel like going out of my way to try something that is purportedly dangerous and not that great anyway. Now that I don't have to go out of my way, I still don't try them because I sort of feel like it's something you start early or not at all, and I'm way past the point of not knowing better.

(And yeah, I do figure it would probably turn into a habit, because I understand the appeal of having something to reach for whenever anything even remotely stressful happens. Actually, I have a couple of prop cigarettes I pull out whenever I want to feel like some kind of hard-boiled writer-type sitting at my computer, though I don't take them out in front of anyone because God knows I'd feel like enough of a poser with real cigarettes. I still am, but at least I'm not trying to fool anyone but myself.)

[wight24]

they do it because the nicitene copy's cells in your brain that make you feel good and it makes you feel good then you think this makes me feel good so you keep doing it then you cant stop because without it the additional fake feel good makes you feel like shit as it leaves your body and no one likes to feel like shit it's just like saying pick me stabbing you or me buying you a car you'd pick the car but i didn't tell you that it was rigged to explode and you die because you picked the car.

[Yumil]

I started because a hookah is the perfect thing to sit around for a conversation. No really, my friend had one with an ice chamber and would put flavored tobacco around it and we'd smoke/talk. I had never done it before, but it was a great reason to sit and talk about random stuff.

We were normally too busy to do it, but scheduling some time for the hookah each week got us to relax. I did get a tobacco high(well nicotine setting in...for people who hardly do it=light headed) from it as a person who hardly smoked.

I had never smoked before that. Also, it was really easy for me to quit...I guess since I only ever did it in a social setting and never picked up cigarettes.

[Kim]

Originally Posted by Yumil

I started because a hookah is the perfect thing to sit around for a conversation. No really, my friend had one with an ice chamber and would put flavored tobacco around it and we'd smoke/talk. I had never done it before, but it was a great reason to sit and talk about random stuff.

Yeah, hookah is way different because it's mostly just flavored tobacco.

[wight24]

i hav smoked before but i use a pipe and it ain't tabacoo

[Yumil]

Originally Posted by NonCon

Yeah, hookah is way different because it's mostly just flavored tobacco.

Aye, but it could of lead me to cigarettes. I mean I did pipes too, as that was the cool thing all my friends were doing, but many of those friends now do cigarettes and are quite addicted to it.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by wight24

they do it because the nicitene copy's cells chemicals in your brain that make you feel good and it makes you feel good then you think this makes me feel good so you keep doing it then you cant stop because without it the additional fake feel good makes you feel like shit as it leaves your body and no one likes to feel like shit it's just like saying pick me stabbing you or me buying you a car you'd pick the car but i didn't tell you that it was rigged to explode and you die because you picked the car.

Slow down there, buddy. This post needs like 90% more punctuation.

At any rate, short of the "cells" bit I fixed, you're not wrong.



I've personally been getting curious about cigarettes lately for some odd reason. I frankly don't need any more crap running through my system than I already have, but it's just this odd thing, which is strange, because my dad's side of the family always smoked when I was a kid and I've never had any interest until now. The worst part is I've watched two of my grade school friends struggle with trying to quit and none of my newer friends smoke, so I can't even justify it as trying to join in on anything.

I'm sure nothing will come of it, but it's just really weird for me to have this sudden interest for which I have absolutely no explanation.

[wight24]

thanks statultor for fixing that i messed up on that my 6 year old brother brought home a packet that said that

[Kim]

Please, dude, for my sanity if nothing else, use something at least resembling proper grammar and punctuation. Please.

[Odjn]

I smoked cigarettes socially for a while, it was kinda enjoyable but I kept coughing and never got into it. Weed was fine, though.

Then someone gave me a Backwoods cigar (really a cigarillo) and it was smooth and tasty and I hardly coughed at all. They have flavored types too, but I won't be sad to see Honey and Berry go. Way too sweet.

Smoking calms me down when I get a little nervous, and generally makes me gregarious. In addition to that, I've gone through a major dietary change recently so smoking helps me through the nastier part of that by distracting me from food. It also is a little bit of a pain killer, as I've learned from labor jobs. So whenever I'm out socializing, I'm usually smoking something- cigarettes aren't as bad now, so I'll bum one if I can get it.