Why smoke?
Too green to burn.
But why would you start to begin with? Like, how would you know it was relaxing/goal-orienting, whatever form the start? Does anyone really say to themselves, “Hey smoking sounds like a good idea…I’ll run out to the drugstore and pick some up!” ?
Zoggie thats exactly how I started smoking but it was to relieve stress. I was moving countries and decided to smoke on the plane and bought my first pack to smoke on the plane, i have quit since then but it was enjoyable relieved stress and the social interaction while smoking outside with fellow smokers was fun too.
I got a whole row to myself because the smoking section was pretty empty.
I love the feel of the smoke in my lungs. I love the taste. It keeps me from eating. Goes great with a cup of coffee or a belt of booze.
Mmmm…! I seriously do love smoking.
So, you’re saying that you didn’t hack or puke the very first time you smoked tobacco? After that very first inhalation, you thought “Mmmm, what flavour…. Relaxing too…”. You didn’t feel dizzy or fall on your face? Wow.
One hundred percent of smokers had to learn to smoke. The percentage of those who did not is so small as to not change the statistic.
If the reason to smoke is for thoughtful reflection, buy a yo-yo. Not only does the yo-yo provide a Zen space in the day, it also satisfies the need to do something with your hands. It’s good for that goal thing too, you can say to yourself “If I just get this project done by three, I’ll step outside for a yo.”. If you say you smoke because of the flavour, go buy a pack of gum. Gum satisfies oral-fixation as well. If you say that you started smoking for the relation/flavour/thoughtful reflection/reward/taste/etc. you are clearly lying to yourself. How the hell would you know a priori that you liked the flavour or that it’s the best thing to set milestones by? I’ve never had guava before, so I’m not likely to go out and buy a crate of them because I like the taste. And the habit of setting milestones can be done with anything. I often think to myself “If I get twenty pages typed by noon, I’ll have a banana (or a sandwich, or a walk, hot bath, etc.). As for the relaxation angle, it relaxes you because you are addicted. Heroin relaxes heroin users; nicotine relaxes nicotine addicts.
It also amuses me that there are still smoking sections in some restaurants. The person who stated that masturbating relaxes is quite correct. Why don’t they let people masturbate in restaurants? When you masturbate you don’t hurt anyone. When you smoke, you are killing by degree yourself and everybody around you. And the poor minim-wage waiting staff have no choice but to be there – they have to breathe your toxic soup every day.
Having a non-smoking section in a restaurant is like having a no peeing section a swimming pool.
But then again, it does look cool.
Why smoke? Because life is hell!
I smoke for the money!!! 20-50 years of smoking, then cancer! Then bam, sue the tobacco industry with the help of “health” organizations and shady lawyers for a tune of $50 billion. Big tobacco lied to me all those years and hid the fact smoking is dangerous/addictive. Give me a break, 1st post/rant…
Former smoker here. If it wasn’t unhealthy (and stinky and expensive) I’d still be a smoker. I like smoking. I’m just choosing not to do it because it isn’t a good thing… Anyway, just wanted to point out that I liked the taste right from the beginning. The first time I tried smoking (and for probably a month after I started smoking on a fairly regular basis) I didn’t inhale into my lungs, so it wasn’t as harsh as it would have been otherwise. But I liked the taste of it, and the after taste it left in my mouth, right from the start.
Hit submit too soon/can’t edit… to continue imho, the original and a few other posts, to me sums up the mentality of the anti-smoking movement in the US…to dehumanize smokers, treat them like criminals, but gladly take their tax money. In refrence to a recent South Park episode, the PC thing these days is tolerance for everyone, except those vile, nasty, criminal, un-American smokers. Current lawsuits from ex-smokers are ridiculous too. Did anyone who ever started smoking not know this might not be too good for them? I guess they never noticed their teeth turning yellow, guess they never hocked up anything unpleasent during a cold, shortness of breath, and so on… Yeah I smoke, Joe Camel & the Marlboro Man didn’t make me, cigarette ads didn’t make me start, yeah I know the short-term and possible long-term effects. I don’t go around smoking and blowing smoke in little babies faces, I am aware of smoking regulations in resturants and other establishments I frequent, and respect them, I don’t smoke around those I know, that are bothered by smoke… How does that make me a criminal?
I’ll admit it. I started smoking because the guy I liked smoked, and I wanted to have something in common with him. Whaddaya expect? I was thirteen years old!
I never got sick, I picked up the habit immediately, proudly blew my smoke rings and had butt-flipping contests with my friends. By fifteen every friend I had smoked. Ooh, we were so cool.
Now that I’m 33 nothing I do could possibly be perceived as cool.
Two months, three weeks, and two days ago it finally hit me what an sucker I was.
Well, yeah. I figured it went without saying that I was addicted.
As for the first time I smoked, however, I was a teenager in Europe for the summer, and it did feel good, and taste good, especially with espresso.
So now I guess I continue to smoke for all of the reasons I already listed, plus the addiction aspect, plus the positive psychological associations.
I think most people started smoking before they were adults. So, that kinda messes up part of the OP. Why? Many reasons, probably the top one is because their parents did.
I don’t smoke cigarettes, never did, never will…but I love a good cigar w/ some Gold Cuervo. I did start smoking tobacco as an adult. I quit smoking weed and started smoking cigars because I like a smoke when I drink. Otherwise I can take it or leave it.
I quit smoking weed because it made me do stupid shit and I started getting paranoid, so I just stopped…but I still wanted a smoke, hence the cigars. (probably 1-2 a day on average)
Of course,
I’m an old shit for brains and this may not be relevant for the new generation of shit for brains!!..
**wolfman wrote: It tastes good, and is very relaxing.
Breezy wrote: Oh, I also think it tastes good.
unclviny wrote: … I like it!, I like the taste, it relaxes me, it relieves stress…
Creaky wrote: I love the feel of the smoke in my lungs. I love the taste. It keeps me from eating. Goes great with a cup of coffee or a belt of booze.**
This blows me away. I cannot comprehend how smoking tastes good. The smell of cigarette smoke makes me want to gag. I just don’t get it. shrug
Freyr
"This blows me away. I cannot comprehend how smoking tastes good. The smell of cigarette smoke makes me want to gag. I just don’t get it. shrug "
Hey, some people like the taste of lima beans. They make me gag. Whereas, I like anchovies…
I also love the taste of my cigarettes, and yet I too am repulsed by the smell of cigarette smoke.
Why?
Because they’re vastly different. When you inhale directly into your lungs you bypass your nose, plus once you’ve smoked long enough your sense of smell is shot to hell anyways.
Why do I smoke? Because I can (at least until that pesky amendment goes into effect) and because Nat Sherman mints really taste delish.
I started smoking after I completed Basic Training because it was something the Drill Instructors allowed us to do. I continue to smoke to keep the anti-smoking people employed.
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I’ve kissed a smoker only once, so I don’t know if this is normal… does it always taste that awful, or did she have really bad breath?
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umm… oh yeah, I’m a non-smoker and cigarette smoke does bother me…
Hmmm…I’ve been smoking for 12 years, and smoking heavily for the last 7 of those years (one pack a day normally, but I can go through a pack in 3 or 4 hours if I’m out drinking or suffering the occasional bout of insomnia) and I always sit in the non-smoking areas of restaurants. Why? Because smelling cigarette smoke while I’m eating is utterly repulsive…go figure.
Oh, back to the original topic…for all you non-smokers who wonder why we keep smoking in the face of such health risks, there’s basically just two reasons:
- We enjoy the taste and bodily effects.
- It’s difficult to stop once you’ve done it for awhile. Not just the physical addiction aspects, but the behavioral aspects as well. At this point, I simply cannot enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with real relish unless I have a cigarette to go along with it. I think I could give up cigarettes if I really tried (I never have) but I think it would take quite awhile for me to shake the memory of the pure pleasure of smoking during certain tasks----that coffee drinking, writing papers, doing bills, after meals.