Why do you smoke?

[HyperHulk]

I don't smoke (cigarettes, crack, weed) and have never tried it. So it's difficult for me to understand what motivates people to smoke.

I always wonder why people smoke, knowing all the health risks and other issues (expensive/smelly) that my smoker friends complain of. I just read that lung cancer is now the leading cancer that causes death among men and women.

So, without turning this into a judgment/moral thing, I was wondering if smokers would just share what keeps them smoking? Is it because the addiction is too strong to beat, it's cool looking, all the friends do it, it feels good, etc?

I would love to understand it better from the perspective of people who live with it.

If you choose to share, thank you. (I won't be following up your comments to implore you to stop smoking, I just want to hear real stories from real people.)

 

[Mem]

Teens start smoking because they think it makes them look cool, and then they get hooked.

But I d not smoke and never did. I've met quite a few heavy smokers that have quit successfully

 

[CALAMBO]

love to smoke the herb...small amount in evenings with friends..seems harmless,,,have given up many times..cigarettes horrible never liked them

 

[omgiswatdeysay]

I'm a smoker. Its a nasty habit, that's for sure, but I do it because it centers me. I could be having a shitty moment in life and then light up, and everything is fine. Its an oral fixation that you cant get rid of. You'll see some people chewing on pens, plastic spoons, straws, etc. Those who smoke will agree that a cigarette is the best after a good meal, sex, and a hard days work (along with a cold brew). What makes us keep smoking is the nicotine. Its such a bitch, lol.

 

[lucky8]

Well, weed isn't bad for you, it doesn't kill braincells, and doesn't cause cancer. I smoke it because I like it, helps me deal with stress, helps me fall asleep, and makes me more pensive than the masses of sheeple who are too scared to think for themselves. Cigarettes on the other hand, well, I smoke them because I am addicted...wish I wasn't, but I am, and it is very hard to stop. Breaking a nicotine addiction is like breaking a heroin addiction.

 

[lucky8]

I'm a smoker. Its a nasty habit, that's for sure, but I do it because it centers me. I could be having a shitty moment in life and then light up, and everything is fine. Its an oral fixation that you cant get rid of. You'll see some people chewing on pens, plastic spoons, straws, etc. Those who smoke will agree that a cigarette is the best after a good meal, sex, and a hard days work (along with a cold brew). What makes us keep smoking is the nicotine. Its such a bitch, lol.

Dude, you should see all of the pens in my back pack...

 

[ManlyBanisters]

Why do I smoke? I don't...

 

[christina]

yep i started in 8th grade cause my older friends were doin it and the whole "looking cool" and whatnot and i just havent been able to totallly quit. i did quit for a year and a half cause i was pregnant and just never went out with my old group of friends then started back up after goin to the bar. And everyone above is totally right its good after work, and sex, and whatever else. do i smoke in my house no, i dont smoke in my car when my daughter is in there i think thats rude, and smoke on the way to work, at work, on the way home, and if im out with buddies. Kinda silly really i should really quite but then would would i do in place of it? lol sorry for the rambling. thats my habits history in a nutshell

 

[B_Lightkeeper]

I smoked cigarettes starting around age 14 and quit over 20 years ago.
Stopping was the best thing I ever did although it put me in the classification of a former-smoker. You know...we're the ones now that hate the smell of cigarettes.

I don't think they were as addictive then as now. We smoked as teens because it made us look "cool" and more mature - or so we thought.

Kissing someone now that smokes is a big turn-off to me.

 

[lucky8]

I like the new anti-smoking commercials though. They actually offer a new way of going about quitting. You know, the ones that say you need to relearn doing things without cigarettes. Like driving, i find it next to impossible to not smoke when I'm driving, I just need to knock off those "must have" moments (like driving and after eating) one by one...easier said than done though

 

[marleyisalegend]

Weed- To relax. Also to enhance my enjoyment of jazz, bob marley, and cupcakes

Cigarettes-Started out as stress relief, still is but sometimes just out of habit.

People develop addictions for many reasons, some are just compulsive. If they weren't smoking they'd be gambling excessively, overeating, or indulging in something else.

Chemicals-there are chemicals in cigarettes that make them addictive. The same way you naturally breathe without thinking, your addiction makes you think that catering to it is necessary to live/cope/whatever

Trauma-some people develop smoking habits out of either one big tragic event or a series of events. Rape/murder/abuse/death/ridicule/poor work environment/weight problems/bad relationships/disconnect from family, loved ones, or society. Some people smoke to control their appetite, cigarettes speed up your metabolism so if you smoke, you eat less, so for some, smoking=staying skinny/eating less.

One thing addiction does is make it hard to return to a state where you appreciate natural balance. Even when everything is picture perfect, you still feel off balance because you're mind (and literally your body) have been conditioned to need to smoke. Some people can't cope with life, some want to fit in, others feel so disconnected that they need something they can latch on to, smoking/addiction is a "friend" that's always there. Your crack pipe or your cigarette never call you fat or stupid, they're there as long as you've got the money for 'em.

In the case of most smokable substances, it literally alters your body chemistry in ways that make your body literally addicted to the substance, no matter how bad it is for you.

 

[HyperHulk]

Well, weed isn't bad for you, it doesn't kill braincells, and doesn't cause cancer.

What odd timing. I just turned on a morning news show in Australia and they have on a guy who has been studying cannabis use. When asked about the relationship between cannabis and cancer, he said that a recent study has shown that cannabis can be up to 6x more carcinogenic than nicotine. I have no idea how conclusive that study is.

When it comes to the health risks of smoking, how do smokers rationalize those risks? Do you think, everyone goes sometime from something, it won't happen to me or I'll quit soon and there won't be any long term effects, etc?

 

[D_Cyprius Slapwilly]

Why do I smoke? I don't...

.

 

[lucky8]

What odd timing. I just turned on a morning news show in Australia and they have on a guy who has been studying cannabis use. When asked about the relationship between cannabis and cancer, he said that a recent study has shown that cannabis can be up to 6x more carcinogenic than nicotine. I have no idea how conclusive that study is.

When it comes to the health risks of smoking, how do smokers rationalize those risks? Do you think, everyone goes sometime from something, it won't happen to me or I'll quit soon and there won't be any long term effects, etc?

Meh, studies. I've also seen studies that have shown that THC ceases the growth of cancerous tumors in mice. For every study saying it's harmful, there's another saying it's not. I use my own judgment from experience on this issue.

As for equating the risks of tobacco, well, I know it is extremely unhealthy, I will never deny that. My dad smoked for 30 years and recently got on Chantix and quit the next day. I know the effects, I remember waking up in the mornings hearing him hock up lugies for 10 minutes, not a pretty scene to wake up to. I was against smoking until I was 17, had to stop smokin pot for diversion, so I started smoking cigs for the buzz. Dumb, I know, but it is what it is, and now I am fully addicted. For me, it pretty much comes down to it is insanely hard to stop smoking. It really is as hard on the mind and body as breaking a heroin addiction. I want to stop, but I don't know how. Everytime I'm watching T.V. and see someone smoking, I crave a cig. Whenever I'm driving, I crave a cig. After I eat, I crave a cig. After I get off work and out of class, cig...and so on. I really wish i could quit, but I haven't been able to cope with those intense cravings yet. I'm currently trying to convince my mom into paying for a prescription of Chantix, it's really expensive.

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

i used to be a social smoker and i smoked for a lot of reasons. but when it got to the point where i was buying my own packs, that's when i chose to stop. plus it's an expensive and nasty habit that kills. i can't even stand the smell of it now and i'm glad i quit. it's been over 2 years since i've had a cigarette.

marijuana on the other hand, i used to smoke that once in a while too. i liked marijuana a lot more because it always made me feel relaxed and calm. i admit i miss it, but it's not something i need in order to live. it's just a good de-stresser and it kicks in faster than alcohol. but like cigarettes, it's also been 2 years since i've smoked a joint.

 

[lucky8]

but like cigarettes, it's also been 2 years since i've smoked a joint.

Want me to mail you a joint? lol

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

Want me to mail you a joint? lol

and break my 2 year streak? fuggedabowtit!

 

[Catchoftheday]

I smoke cos I'm HOT

 

[marleyisalegend]

it's been over 2 years since i've had a cigarette.

Congrats!!!

 

[D_Ivana Dickenside]

Congrats!!!

thanks baby! i'm really proud of myself. :redface: