I have a question for those who smoke or used to smoke

Why did you start smoking?

If we look at it thoroughly we can conclude that it's a waste of money, time, it's addictive and harmful to your health.

It's also not pleasant when one starts to smoke for the first time. Which gives someone a second chance to think about it again. But why do people continue to smoke?

Basically what I want to know is why do people start smoking?

It is a social behavior mechanism. To start a conversation, be part of a group. Still knowing the dangers and advice to quit, it allow for a disposition of time to talk about a subject or be with a group of people.

Because it was cool. My friends were doing it. Stupidest thing I've ever done. But I quit 13 years ago.

I hate to admit why I started. It's really embarrassing now that I'm older.

I bought my first pack on my 18th birthday. Why? Because, by God, I was 18! I was "all grown up" and a "legal adult" and I wanted to do everything I could with that.

All grown up? Nope. Not even close. If I had been that grown up, I never would have bought them.

If I could go back to the 1990's, I'd kick my own ass for buying that first pack...

a reply to: SirKonstantin

I agree that people would do it for those reasons. But I don't understand why they wouldn't do the alternative, which is to start a conversation or be part of a group without smoking.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

This is one of the reasons I expected.

Good on you for quitting, it must been hard. What would you tell people who want to start smoking?

a reply to: DustbowlDebutante

Haha, now this is a case of an action without an ounce of thought.

Do you still smoke?

a reply to: danielsil18

I started smoking cigs when i was 13. I knew a lot of older people who smoked and i think i associated it with maturity. My friends and i would slip a few from our folks and get a huge rush from them. I smoked them for 20 years and never liked it. I quit cold turkey about 4 years ago and never went back to them.

If i have any advice it would be to never start. There are no benefits at all. Once you start it is very hard to quit and your health will suffer more and more like a frog in boiling water, you may not realise until it is too late.

a reply to: SirKonstantin

This is called baiting. The poster will now proceed to explain to you how awful your decision was and continues to be.

Does anyone know why they started drinking coffee?

Does anyone know why they started jogging?

Why does anyone start having sex with a partner?

Its the pleasure and we all find pleasure in different things!

originally posted by: danielsil18
Why did you start smoking?

If we look at it thoroughly we can conclude that it's a waste of money, time, it's addictive and harmful to your health.

It's also not pleasant when one starts to smoke for the first time. Which gives someone a second chance to think about it again. But why do people continue to smoke?

Your take on this matter is very practical and logical, which is probably why you are having a hard time understanding why people start smoking. You will surely never be enticed into smoking, which is a great thing.

But a lot of people just do things for whatever reasons.

Among them:

- To look cool;
- To fit in (peer pressure);
- To look more mature;
- To impress someone;
- To be rebellious;
- and a whole bunch of other miscellaneous dumb### reasons.

Maybe not nowadays, but certainly in the 60's, 70's & 80's!

a reply to: danielsil18

And now here it is....as I predicted...the OP will now explain how your decision to smoke was stupid! He really wants to have a "discussion" about when and how you are going to quit. There will be other posters along shortly to explain how they quit, what method they used (always Big Pharma products) and how much better they feel.

So OP - people socialize by eating together...but that isn't necessary so lets ban it. Studies show that when people eat alone and at home they lose weight.

People socialize together by doing activities but some of those activities carry risk of injury with increased costs to the health system - so lets ban it!

People also socialize together by discussing topics of mutual interest....like how BIG PHARMA funds and benefits from anti-smoking and how the incidence of diseases specifically blamed on smoking have not changed in any meaningful way in last 50 years as the rate of smoking decreased. This is the way in which anti-propaganda successfully ends prohibitions movements and control freak puritans. So LETS BAN IT!

Tired of Control Freaks

originally posted by: TiredofControlFreaks
a reply to: SirKonstantin

This is called baiting. The poster will now proceed to explain to you how awful your decision was and continues to be.

Does anyone know why they started drinking coffee?

Does anyone know why they started jogging?

Why does anyone start having sex with a partner?

Its the pleasure and we all find pleasure in different things!

Actually I don't even have to explain how bad their decision was, you can read their responses by yourself. Anyone can see why it's a bad decision.

I also made this thread because I want to know why they made the decision to start smoking.

I agree that coffee, jogging, etc are all pleasures of life. But it's one thing to jog and another thing to smoke. Both lead two different life styles.

I would also disagree that smoking is pleasurable. People don't smoke to get pleasure from it, they do it because their body is asking for nicotine. That's a big difference.

It's one thing to do something for pleasure, it's another thing to do it for addictiveness.

a reply to: danielsil18
I used to love a cig and a cold pint of beer, they both compliment each other, so I did get pleasure from smoking. People have been smoking some kind of herb or product since the discovery of such products, probably pre civilisation.

Its a bit late for your moral crusade.

Started back in the 60's during first tour in vietnam with s.o.g stress relief .. been smoking ever since .. found it also calms my nerves on the occasions my ptsd acts up .. and at 71 can still run 5 km in 9min 54 seconds .. but I do practice martial arts daily .. eat proper japanese diet as well ..

a reply to: danielsil18

So you don't really want to know why people started smoking, do you?

Pleasure isn't on the approved lists of reasons for starting smoking. An anti-smoker can never ever under any circumstances admit that there might be something good about smoking.

Well OP - I am a smoker. I have smoked for over 45 years. I get pleasure from it. Not only is smoking by itself pleasurable, it also potentiates other pleasures: like socializing, like drinking a good beer or a glass of wine, or watching a splendid sunset.

There are myriad benefits of smoking. And NO - it is NOT a waste of money. How dare you judge how I spend my disposable income. You are allowed to spend your money on things you find pleasurable but others may not, does that mean you have wasted your money?

Why can't I spend my money on smoking, if you can spend your money on going to a movie or out to dinner.

www.livescience.com...

www.sott.net...

Tired of Control freaks

a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks

the OP will now explain how your decision to smoke was stupid!

I dont have to. Everyone knows that, or are you saying its a brilliant decision?

He really wants to have a "discussion" about when and how you are going to quit

You can think what you want. But i want to know why people start and i ask more questions because im always curious.

So OP - people socialize by eating together...but that isn't necessary so lets ban it. Studies show that when people eat alone and at home they lose weight.

This is a terrible analogy. Comparing eating to smoking?

So if people socialize by eating salad, thats the same as socializing by smoking? maybe in Neptune, but not here. Also, who in here is talking about banning something?

People socialize together by doing activities but some of those activities carry risk of injury with increased costs to the health system - so lets ban it!

You are just being childish in here.

like how BIG PHARMA funds and benefits from anti-smoking and how the incidence of diseases specifically blamed on smoking have not changed in any meaningful way in last 50 years as the rate of smoking decreased.

ahhh yes, big pharma, the illuminati and the reptilian aliens all profit from anti-smoking while the smoking companies dont get a dime.

Smoking does damage to you body, you can even learn that in middle school.

This is the way in which anti-propaganda successfully ends prohibitions movements and control freak puritans. So LETS BAN IT!

now this thread is anti-propaganda? i said it before in another thread, crazy people walk among us.

Why does anyone adhere or succumb to cultural or societal phenomenon.

You could ask the question of anything.

A better question would be why as a Society do we continue to try and police what supposedly intelligent adults do.

If someone wants to smoke,

Eat a steak,

Puff on Wacky Tobaccy,

Drink a 5th of liqueur.

Who are you, or the Government to question or tell someone they can't.

What a consenting adult decides to do to his own person is no ones business, take your subjective morals and apply them to yourself.

The instant you try to shove them on someone else, well, you can shove them where the sun don't shine.

As for adults making adult choices, by all means continue.


ETA:

And that is as someone whose never touched a cig in his life.

a reply to: danielsil18

And the body asking for cafiene is exactly the reason why people drink coffee

And the body asking for positive hormones is exactly why people exercise or have sex?

What is your point?

www.health24.com...

archive.wired.com...
Nicotine in fact offers a range of health benefits that are quite beneficial to human functioning.

archive.wired.com...

but researchers and biotech companies are quietly developing pharmaceuticals that are decidedly good for brains, bowels, blood vessels and even immune systems -- and they're inspired by tobacco's deadly active ingredient: nicotine.

Go ahead and feed me the standard party line about how smoking is a worse addiction than heroin and I will immediately respond by saying the pleasure is addictive as well!

a reply to: Woodcarver

I started smoking cigs when i was 13. I knew a lot of older people who smoked and i think i associated it with maturity.

Never heard about this before. I'm guessing that we adults do have more influence on children than we think.

a reply to: danielsil18

I guess I still do. But now I use an electronic cigarette.

Of course it was action without thought - I was 18 years old and thought I knew it all! Didn't everyone do something stupid as a teen/young adult?