Question For Young Smokers

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Originally Posted by dgring

Smoking is disguisting and horrible, anyone who does is soooooo stupid

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This is extremely rude. I am not a smoker, but several of my family members and friends are. I don't like smoking, but you shouldn't attack people based on their lifestyle. It isn't hurting you.

But I pretty much don't take much from anything you say.

I started smoking as temporary relief from anxiety. I know the risks, and I know I'm addicted, but I know without the smokes I'd probably be addicted to the narcotic prescribed to me for panic attacks. So for me its the lesser of two evils. I intend to quit in the future, but I don't have the desire to do so just yet.

I also respect the wishes of my non-smoking acquaintances by not smoking around them, and unless I am explicitly invited to light up in the presence of other smokers, I refuse to smoke in the house or any indoor environment.

I'm a cigar smoker. I have never had a cigarette.

I had my first stick a few years back on vacation and found it enjoyable. Now I know the risks but eating right, working out, and overall taking really good care of myself I take the chance. I can't live my life and cut out everything I enjoy. I just try to do it in moderation.

I Usually only smoke when I drink but I rarely drink. Every once in awhile I will take a stick out and walk the dog but that's not common. If I guessed I probably smoke 5-8 cigars a years. But I have two humidors with about 150 cigars, maybe I'm a collector and not a smoker.

I have a very dangerous job and long ago I decided I was going to stop being so closed fist with life. That's why I have my toys (motorcycle, boat, cigars, etc), I try to enjoy my life fully and not get to the end and say I wish I'd done this or that. That said I'm not "stupid." I don't do wheelies, ride without a helmet or even find its top speed. My boat is for fishing and I don't drink when fishing, no BWI for me. Cigar smoking while bad I enjoy it in the amount I do it and I see this as acceptable.

Maybe I'm not really a smoker to some. Just sharing my thoughts on my choice.

When I was high school both my parents smoked, as did a number of my close relatives and family friends. I was very anti-smoking at this point in my life. Like I was the turd that would do things to peoples smokes and get up on the soap box about why they should quit smoking.

For example, I worked at a hotel that my best friends mom got me a job at. My best friend and I were known to pull pranks and stuff. We got this hair brained idea and took our head housekeepers smokes and put them through the the laminator and then put them back.

A couple years later I was doing my training for Fire Fighter 1 and a couple the guys were passing around a tin of dip and asked if I wanted some. Pretty soon I had my own tin with me at all times. A couple of years later, and several failed attempts to get hired on to a few local fire departments and I was still working at the hotel, only I was now the over night guy at the front desk. It was around bar close and figured no one was around so I went into the back room to have myself a dip, heard the front door open came out with dip lip and here was my manager. She yelled at me about how I couldn't do that while on the clock, but if I wanted I could take 10 minute smoke breaks every couple of hours. So I smoked over the course of the next few years just so I didn't have to deal with the possibility of getting in trouble over dip.

However at this point I am tobacco free since May 15.

I think its primarily a social thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dgring

Smoking is disguisting and horrible, anyone who does is soooooo stupid

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And so are people that make comments like that. I started smoking back in '02...quit in '12 because of peer pressure from the wife. I dont know why I ever started, had my first one..liked it and a bunch more followed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dgring

Smoking is disguisting and horrible, anyone who does is soooooo stupid

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One reason would be to tick off sanctimonious :soapbx:'s like this.
Seriously, it makes one want to light up a nice Cuban and toss your Mensa membership offer and 186 IQ score sheet in their face.

Edit: My smoking may well save some people from a well deserved throttling too.

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Originally Posted by dgring

Smoking is disguisting and horrible, anyone who does is soooooo stupid

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Be right back with you sonny..................

I started smoking when I was about 13 or 14, a friend of mine and I use to seal smokes from his step dad. To us it was cool because all the car guys around here smoked. About 3 years ago I stopped (Im 37 now) but not because I wanted to. My wife and I went out on the back porch like we did every morning and lit my Marlboro.......... it tasted like old yard clippings. Traded her for hers and it was just as bad. I don't know why but I have not had a smoke, a craving for one, and the smell doesn't bother me ever since that morning.

Now back to big bad dgring ;)........... I will be the first to admit that 99% or the people here have me beat in book smarts, I know I am stupid there. However when you want to come play in the grease with this doggy I can make you look and feel stupid too. I am not a "tech" (no offense to those of you that are), I hold myself at a higher level because I can actually diagnose without needing a scanner all the time as well as build my own engines if I need to piece one together.
It goes further than just under the hood, I don't pay anyone to fix anything around my house and its all above code too. ;)
Back on topic.........................

I started in high school, I literally have no idea why I started other than peer pressure. I quite when I was 18 when I found out I was pregnant…but I started smoking again a year after my son was born. Again, no idea why. Maybe boredom at work? It was easy to get off my feet for 5 minutes to smoke, so I did. Then AGAIN I quit while I was at basic training for the Air Force. I'm 25…I should have known better but I started again right after. I'm seriously considering quitting. I know I have to for good. I want to be around with my family as long as possible. I hate the hold it has over me :(

I was 12 when I started. My mom always smoked, as did multiple family members.

My mom was the person to give me my first cigarette. I was basically hooked.