Kids will be kids. Some kids accept what authority figures tell them and follow their instructions blindly. Some kids think.
When authorities say things that aren’t actually true, some of the kids who think figure “WTF, they lied about that, maybe they’re lying about this, too.” For example, “Drugs are for losers” doesn’t quite jive when extremely successful people are so often being found to be using recreational drugs.
The anti-tobacco crowd tells kids that smokers are stupid, dirty, losers, etc., and the easily led kids take that to heart, but some of the thinking kids choose to experiment. They find that smoking relaxes them, reduces stress, and gives them mental focus and energy. They also find that not all smokers are stupid, dirty losers – that the “A” Crowd has a high proportion of smokers. Obama didn’t quit smoking until he succumbed to peer pressure after it became apparent that he may actually be elected President – hardly a stupid, dirty loser.
I suggest that the anti groups who feel it is OK to lie if it’s “for their own good” are likely partly responsible for some kids starting smoking. If they stuck to honestly providing information more kids might be more trusting of authority figures and may not have to learn so many lessons the hard way – maybe, but then again, maybe not … teenage rebelliousness is not a new thing.
Here here. Or hear hear, I forget which one it is. This was notable in the ‘This is your brain on drugs’ campaign which just made kids laugh. The lung cancer approach is also a fear tactic that’s often ignored, and the real threat of smoking is that affects your heart, lungs, and just about every other organ in your body whether or not you ever develop lung cancer. We have to stop kids from starting to smoke, the younger you are when you start the more likely you are to face a life-long addiction, and the addition is the worst part of it.
Smoking actually* increases* stress. Yes, when you light up, there is a temporary stress relief as you body responds to getting it’s addiction fix. But when not smoking you are more stressed.
Since you are such an expert you must know that nicotine is a very effective stimulant. Was there something in that post that advocated smoking? This is a discussion of why people take up smoking, and since a lot of people do try it out those who receive some apparent benefit from it are likely to ignore the downside and become full time smokers.
That is my opinion, and has not been proven wrong. I have proven that Big Tobacco has, many times paid for smoking portrayals and placement in TV & Film. That the practice was common.
Can you prove it is no longer common?
I’m 50 and I started smoking about 2 years ago. Why… because it’s fucking delightful!
Okay, I’ll make this quick. I grew-up in the smoking hey-days… all our family members did it. Mom and dad would smoke at dinner, in the car, etc. It was just normal. My friends and I snuck off to smoke a pack when I was about 12 and… yech. Those things were shit! I had no interest in them then and this lasted all through high school and college and most of my adult life -including all my years working in the live music biz, too.
Then, I started hanging-out and eating sushi with an old college friend who smoked kretek (clove cigarettes). I still thought they were crap but one night, after a few drinks and the ego-boost of a friendly waitress, I decided to try one. Goddamn… that thing was yummy. It was like smoking candy.
I love the taste on my lips and tongue, as well as the way they light-up my nose and lungs as I get a slight inhale. But, get this, I don’t like the buzz. I shallow-inhale to keep from getting stoned off them.
I probably started around 1952 when I was 15. My parents both smoked, my mother’s parents both smoked (I don’t remember about my father’s). Most of my classmates smoked. It was cool. And the health hazards were not nearly as well documented 64 years ago.
My father had a heart attack in 1949 and was advised to stop. He didn’t and suffered a fatal heart attack in 1969. I suffered a heart attack in 1965. I never smoked another cigarette and I am still around to tell about it.
As for why they start today, I am mystified. Still far fewer do. It wouldn’t surprise me to see tobacco outlawed. That would be a worse disaster.
Am I correct that meditation, psychedelics and mild stimulants like Modafinil would not be preferred among the types that would use smoking for weight loss and stress relief?
I wonder how much the spread of Ritalin, Adderall and other stimulants has contributed to reductions in smoking.
Perhaps because of people I’ve known, I’ve got this idea of people dealing with psychological issues by drinking beer while smoking cigarettes and it just seems like a blatantly counterproductive way to do it.
You had a heart attack at 28 and made it to (at least) 79?
Why do you think it would be a disaster? I’m not saying it would be a good idea but tobacco doesn’t seem like it would result in that big of a black market or that many people would be incentivized to start/keep smoking because of its illegality.
To people who stopped smoking (if only for a while), can you describe how withdrawal feels over time? How long until you’re mainly past the withdrawal?
