Full disclosure: this began as a question for a story I’m writing. In the story, the narrator enters enters a room and notices that her girlfriend is chain-smoking, something she only does when emotionally upset; I originally intended to ask how many cigarettes someone might smoke in half an hour in such a circumstance. But I changed my mind because I’m curious about smoking in general. Rhymers thirst for all knowledge.
Anyway, here’s the questions:
How long have you smoked?
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination?
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.?
Why did you start?
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times?
Obviously former smokers can answer as well. If you want to specify gender and approximate age you can, but I’m not data mining and so don’t really care.
I haven’t smoked since I was 19 but I started at 15 when there was no age
limit.
I did all of them but cigarettes were the choice 99% of the time.
1 pack (20 cigarettes) which is fairly typical although some people go much higher.
It was something to do and it requires a small amount of skill. I wanted to learn it but when I got good at it, I was already hooked.
The addiction and stress part go hand in hand. Nicotine withdrawal causes some seriously uncomfortable physiological and psychological stress that lasts for a long time.
I quit on my third try which is probably better than average but it required outside help and discomfort for a few days.
Maybe 1 pack/day lately. Have been up to 3-4 packs a day in times of great stress. 1 pack = 20 cigarettes.
It was “cool” from the perspective of a 12 year old, which I was.
5.1) habit some, mostly for pleasure.
5.2) Tried to quit a few times. Never lasts more than two weeks.
You’re not fooling anyone. I know the real reason you want this information, and when I tell the Justice League you’re going to have to do quite the bit of fancy talking.
But… since I’m no match for sarin-infused nanobots…
How long have you smoked? About seven years. I was a late starter.
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination? Used to be cigarettes, have switched to cigars as I find myself smoking less and less while doing so.
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.? Two cigars, three on a particularly lousy day.
Why did you start? Unrequited love mixed with an appalling lack of perspective. I felt that I lost out because I was too much of a nice guy… little did I know the difference between nice and Nice at the time… so I decide to pick up a pack of Newports to give myself an ‘edge’. I want to take twenty-four year old me and smack him upside the head!
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?
All of the above, plus, it still feels really good to have a smoke after drinking.
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times? At least ten, if you count the current ‘cutting down’ approach which I know the experts say is a no-no.
I smoked cigarettes for about three years. I quit cigarettes, smoked no tobacco for about twenty years, and started smoking cigars about twelve years ago.
I only smoke cigars.
One cigar a week, on average. On Saturday nights, if we don’t go out, I go for a walk when everybody else is in bed and smoke a cigar, and think/pray/look at the stars.
It signals relaxation to me. This is my “Me” time. On a typical Saturday, I do a lot of exercise, have more than one drink on Saturday night, and then the cigar knocks me out like a nightstick. I sleep very well on Saturday night.
It’s a habit, and it relieve stress.
It took me two tries to quit cigarettes. I don’t try to quit cigars.
I’ve been smoking about 8 years.
Cigaretts only.
A pack a day, sometimes more on weekends.
Blatant Supidity (my boyfriend at the time smoked.)
Addiction, habit secondly
Within the past year, I’ve tried to quit 3 times. Still unsuccessful.
This time, about a year. I originally started in 1995.
I mostly smoke ready-made cigarettes (Marlboro lights, if you’re interested), though I’ll roll my own (using Golden Virginia tobacco) if it’s not going to be all tobacco.
Between five and ten, depending on how bad the day is.
I was very shy and needed something to do with my hands.
5a. Habit, stress, and desire to hang out with the smokers at work because they’re so much nicer, more interesting and more fun than the non-smokers! I don’t smoke cigarettes in the house, only at work or in the car, where I smoke if I have to drive a long way when I’m tired.
5b. I did quit, just stopped completely cold, in 2005. Then I got a job where people hit me, and started again…
For how many someone could smoke in half an hour: I reckon each cigarette lasts me maybe six or seven minutes, though I’m not the fastest smoker I know.
How long have you smoked?
Since I was 17. I’m 30 now so 13 years.
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination?
Cigarettes
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.?
A pack - 20 cigs.
Why did you start?
My dad smokes, my brother started around the same time I did. It was a natural fit for me. Oddly enough, none of my friends smoke, none did back then and I hid it from everyone. So it was definitely not a cool thing.
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?
It’s all those things. Sometimes I’m just bored and think “oh, I’ll have a cig!” (habit and/or addiction). I can’t not smoke when I’m at the computer, which is where I am all day (habit and/or addiction). And when I’m stressed I want one. Hell, when I’m happy I want one!
Ok, it’s just addiction
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times?
Three times. First, I went on Wellbutrin and it fucked up my brain big time, so I said “no more anti-smoking drugs.” Then I went on the patch and that did pretty good for me until I became horribly allergic to the patch so no more patch. Then I bought some Nicorette but I have a bad jaw and the two don’t mix. So right now I am at a loss. I do need to quit, tho. If nothing else, it’s getting to be bad news to be on the pill and smoking at my age. I’m heading for a stroke
When I smoked, it was about a pack and a half a day
Stress relief. I was a late starter - Sophomore year in college
When I smoked, it was a combination of stress, addiction, boredom, and the fact that I simply enjoyed a good smoke in certain circumstances: after a great meal, with an alcoholic beverage, with a coffee, etc.
5b. I quit once, cold turkey, (it was out of the blue and I didn’t make a commitment to myself to quit) and what I consider “for good.” I went about a year without having a cigarette, and now I’ll smoke one or two cigarettes every couple of weeks, sometimes going months between having them.
By the way, Skald, if you’re still doing the story research, a cigarette generally takes about six or seven minutes to smoke, so if your character is really distraught, maybe she goes through four in a half hour, maybe five if she’s really huffing them down.
As of ~2 months ago, I smoke less than 1/2 pack/day. Prior to that, averaging anywhere between 1-2 packs/day.
No overriding reason for starting; any and all of: family members/friends, image, boredom, etc.
I smoke because I really like smoking. (But I’ll also readily admit it is both a habit and an addiction.) AFAICT, there is no way to explain to non-smokers the pleasure/satisfaction involved. I’ve tried, many times.
I’ve quit twice before: once for 2-3 months, once for about a month. As mentioned above, two months ago I seriously cut down (oddly enough, 2 or 3 days before I heard anything about the recent tax hike).
ETA: yeah, 3-4 minutes for a quick smoke for me. When stressed, I’ve chain-smoked ~6 in ~1/2 hour.
Cigarettes routinely, and cigars on special occasions.
When I smoked, it was about 3/4 of a pack daily on most days, but could go up to a pack and half on social/weekend/party situations.
Why did I start?
I took the first drag because all the cool kids were doing it.
AFTER I smoked my first cigarette, I had this feeling of “wow, there’s always been something missing from my life but I never knew what it was … now I know. Thank god I found it.”
I quit on my first try … I never went through the motions of quitting previously because I knew I never really wanted it 100%. I figured I would wait until I wanted to quit badly and I did and it worked. I still think of myself as a smoker. The fact that I’m not actually smoking right now is more of an annoying fact of life.
I started at 12, smoked till I was 18, quit till I was 19, smoked till I was 30, quit for 7 years, smoked cigars for a year, 2 years back on cigarettes.
I was a combo guy. I much much prefer cigars, but it is much harder to smoke a cigar. So I was mainly a cigarette person.
About a pack a day, up to two if drinking on the weekend.
My friend had a pack. My friends at school smoked.
See below. But it was addictive, it was a habit, it seemed to relieve stress, but most of all, it was GREAT. I restarted from cigars to cigarettes at a VERY stressful time, when I was prepping for a trial.
Tried frequently, most recently 12 days ago (and holding up so far).
I decided to be less anal than normal and just say “several.” This caused me to have a mild stroke, and though I have recovered for the most part I can no longer speak Italian.
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination?
pretty much only cigarettes, though I did smoke a lot of joints in my younger years.
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.?
average about 15 to 25 I guess.
Why did you start?
I started smoking joints because it got me high. Then I started smoking regular cigarettes because it didn’t distract me as much from school but still chilled me out a bit
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?
Addiction/stress is the main reason. Last time I quit for a couple of months, I started again when I got in a high-stress period. I heard the stress nicotine relieves is just the stress of not having the accustomed nicotine level, and while I think that’s mostly true, I don’t think that’s the complete truth.
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times?
I seriously tried 4 times, I think - that means I made it to day 3. Going without smokes for a day or maybe two is fairly easy given a relaxed environment. Making it past a week means I’ve done most of the hard part - and I only managed that 2 times.
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination? Cigarettes
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.? 2+ packs
Why did you start? It wasn’t understood as well in the 60s, not taboo, and all the kids were doing it.
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?It’s pretty much an addiction and a habit. For instance, I frequently don’t smoke the whole cigarette when I light one.
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times?Half-hearted attempts a couple times.
QUOTE]
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination?
Cigarettes
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.?
I smoked an average of two packs per day.
Why did you start?
My entire family smoked.
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?
All of the above, fear of quitting.
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times?
I quit once for 10 days which ended with a few beers, once for a few days suffering the entire time, and finally quit successfully on March 14th of this year - with CHANTIX - thank you Pfizer.
I don’t think I would have ever succeeded without Chantix.
Do you prefer cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, or some combination?
Mostly a pipe, but I enjoy a good cigar now and then.
How much do you smoke in a typical day–that is, how many cigarettes, how many pipe refills, etc.?
About 5 cigars and 20 pipe refills per year (not day – YEAR).
Why did you start?
I smelled a pipe that reminded me of my uncle, and I was in the middle of reading a Sherlock Holmes book. So I picked up a pipe and enjoyed it.
Do you currently see yourself smoking out of habit, out of a desire to relieve stress, out of addiction, or for some other reason I have not, in my ignorant innocence, thought to name?
It’s relaxing and enjoyable now and then.
Have you ever tried to quit, and if so how many times?
Not really. Sometimes I’ll go for a year without smoking, but that’s just because it was never really convenient to smoke. I don’t carry pipe or cigar around with me; I won’t smoke in the house or a car. I never feel a NEED to smoke, so I’ve never felt a need to quit.
