Smoking?

[Kandy-Sugar]

So I started ranting in the Any plans for tonight thread and decided my rant could have a thread of its own.

Quote from what I just posted in said thread:

Anyway, we went out for a BBQ tonight but I got in a bad mood because everyone fucking smokes and ditches me to go and smoke downstairs.

Excuse me for not being a smoker and therefore an outcast in your eyes. Fucking idiots. Even my "friend" went downstairs and had a smoke as soon as she rocked up because apparently she's taken up the filthy habit now.

Idiots the lot of them! We are living in the generation where people now know the consequences for smoking and yet they still decide to do it anyway! Idiots!

I feel like I'm the only normal one for thinking this way, yet I also feel abnormal sometimes because everyone I know smokes and I'm always the odd one out.

I don't even bother going out to have a drink with them anymore because I can't stand the bloody smell.

Anyway, I'm just a bit ragey at the moment and I know that people don't smoke because they know it's bad for them, they do it because they like it for whatever ridiculous reason there is.

But what I don't get is why do you start smoking in the first place?

I've tried a few cigarettes and gone, "Fuck that burns! And it tastes like shit!" "Never trying that again!"

I can not comprehend what makes someone go back for another and then another and then they go and buy a packet for themselves and before you know it they're addicted. Why do that to yourself? Your first experience couldn't have been that great that it made you want more could it?

The only reason you crave it now is because you're addicted to the nicotine. But that wouldn't have been the case at the start.

It's like watching an animal attempt to go through an electric fence a million times and never getting the hint that maybe this is a bad idea.

Anyway, thoughts?

EDIT: Oh yes, Steve went next door to have drinks and I said I'm not going and he said, "Awe why?" And I'm like = Must you even ask!!? "Um because I hate the smell of smoke and everyone who will be there is going to be chain smoking their asses off especially whilst drinking and I will only be gassed out as per usual."

Is there something not sinking into these peoples heads? Must I repeat my reasoning over and over again as to why I don't want to be around them when they are smoking? Oh and I think it's rude that I must stand out in the rain so they can sit in the shade and smoke when it should be the other way around. They are the ones being impolite. <_<

 

[Will Graham]

People originally start smoking when they are young, at least in the majority of cases. They start smoking because it is cool, I don't care if you say "actually I don't think it's cool", the majority of school kids around the age 13-14 see it as a sign of being cool. All the cool kids smoke behind the sheds, or at the gate, wherever. Other people start because if the cool kids do it etc... I have never met anyone with a different story, there is no mature reason to start smoking. I am not condemning smokers, there is just no reason to start, other than being cool

 

[Ohri-Jin]

Me & me friends went out and there was a new kid tht came along. He was the the only one who smoked. Throughout the night he kept on asking if we wanted a cig. After countless NO's I gave in. All my friends ok why not. Peer pressure etc. Same with weed & hash.

 

[Squid]

I don't quite get the appeal of it either, I don't think I ever will but eh I don't let it bother me. I remember I used to get all anti-smoking when someone smoked near me but then I thought meh why bother. So long as they're not blowing the shit in my face on purpose it doesn't really effect me.

The only time smokers annoy me (besides when they're blowing the smoke in my face) is when they 'socially smoke' and even now i can't quite understand why it gets to me, maybe because i know they're doing it to 'fit in' and i find it quite pathetic when someone does something just because they want to be like everyone else. Who knows.

I've never tried a cigarette, I've tried weed and thought fuck that and I never want it again, I can imagine my first experience with a cig would be very similar so I didn't bother trying it.

 

[Kandy-Sugar]

Steve is an idiot.

He waited until he left school and at the age of 18 he started.

He used to be a good little boy and then fucked it all up because his friends smoked and he just decided to do it to.

You'd think peer pressure would have died out after leaving school but apparently not! I'm usually okay with it because he's trying to quit and when he does smoke he goes outside but I'm really annoyed tonight with it all.

I just can't believe how many people smoke compared to those that don't.

The only time smokers annoy me (besides when they're blowing the smoke in my face) is when they 'socially smoke' and even now i can't quite understand why it gets to me, maybe because i know they're doing it to 'fit in' and i find it quite pathetic when someone does something just because they want to be like everyone else. Who knows.

Ugh everyone at the work Christmas party smoked!!! NO one at my work smokes and I was so excited about that because it meant for once I had a group of friends who wouldn't smell like smoke all night.

But no. They all went out to hang out with Steve and smoke and bludge cigarettes off the three people who did smoke who were all partners of the workers.

I've never tried a cigarette, I've tried weed and thought fuck that and I never want it again, I can imagine my first experience with a cig would be very similar so I didn't bother trying it.

Oh and I know that most people start getting addicted to smoking due to smoking weed first. But I don't get why people mix weed in the first place. Weed is so much better on it's own and you don't have that nasty smokey taste after. Not that I'm into all that stuff anymore but experimenting makes you wonder why they bother.

But yeah weed is nothing too great. It's expensive, and if you get swabbed whilst driving you're screwed and it just makes you lazy. I wish all drugs never existed.

Woe is me tonight. *violin* /needs a drink to numb the winging.

I have seriously been winging about this all night to Steve and I need to shut the hell up.

EDIT: Can a mod please merge my posts. I am not thinking straight and forgot to edit my last post.

 

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

it's a social thing. you're always guaranteed to meet more people if you're all stood outside having a smoke, and you're guaranteed to have something in common. if you're both trying to give up then that's two things.
this obviously opens up many possibilities, both socially and from a business point of view. if you're at a conference or something similar then you get to know people = more job prospects. or if you're on a night out, you just meet more people and have a bit of a laugh.

i'm not someone who smokes, i only do it when i'm really drunk and i can nick a cigarette off someone else, but for those reasons alone i can see an attraction in it.

 

[Ohri-Jin]

Weed on its own tends to be very slowburning or use blunt. With rollerpaper you have to mix it with a lil bit of tobacco or damn you have to light it too many times after several tokes.

 

[Mermaid]

I smoke and started mostly for the reasons mentioned above, peer pressure - which I used to give in to too quickly, and to be 'cool'. It's been about 5 years, and I feel really stupid for ever starting - starting today I am quitting. It'll be hard but I have resources to help me.

I do see your point, Kandy, it really does smell and even I know that as like a 10-a-day smoker! My younger sister hates the smell and actually avoids me because of it, despite the fact we do get on well - it's just the smell annoys her that much and makes her feel sick. :/

 

[Marquis of Granby]

i have a smoke occasionally. sometimes im drunk. sometimes im sober. sometimes i just fancy a smoke. i never buy my own, i always nick off someone else. i dont do it to be sociable or cool i just do it because sometimes i fancy it. my parents are both smokers and so are my mum's parents (aka my grandparents) so ive kinda grown up around smokers to an extent. obv they werent forcing me to puff on a cig when i was 2 but i like the smell of smoke and sometimes i fancy a smoke if someone else offers me a cig. if you dont like that then you can sook my arse

 

[Rapture]

It's so incredibly hard to quit smoking...I've seen people struggle with it for years and years. ...and the patch is only so successful. I've heard people who have had luck with Chantix and who have sworn by it but goodness the side effects. There was a story on the news I remember when it first came out about a husband and wife who started Chantix together at the same time to stop smoking...and one night the wife wakes up and the husband is standing over her with a butcher's knife Nothing happened, thankfully. It causes terrible mood swings though and that I believe was the reason for his rage in the middle of the night.

...Anyways. I've never seen the appeal of it. I tried it once during my high school years like I'm sure most of us have, but it never took. It stinks, it turns your teeth and fingers yellow...your clothes, car, and house will stink forever and its impossible to get the smell out, and I'll be honest, no non-smoker really gets floored at the thought of kissing someone who is a smoker. Not only that but its an expensive habit to have nowadays. I don't even know what the price of a pack of cigarettes is now but

I'm glad things have taken the path of keeping us non-smokers more separated from the smokers. I've never cared for the second-hand smoke getting blown in my face by others when I went to bars/restaurants...and I really love going home after a night out and washing my clothes that reek of cigarettes

 

[Shael-BurizaDo]

smoking is something that has been done for a while, generations upon generations. like drinking alcohol, some people have a genetic predisposition for it, and can handle it well, others cannot. standing around a camp fire in the days of the wild west, with the dust, and fire burning wood smoke, is actually a lot worse than the damage caused by a single ciggerette.

smoking is not that bad, and sometimes it is really fun. i never stress about quiting or how many smokes i have, ever. yet i still keep track of my smoking habit.

also, Kandy-Sugar that is a good point, it is quite shocking how many choose to have smoked and smoke, compared to those that abstain...it does seem almost wierd, but at least it makes non-smokers more special? at least more rare.

 

[Dionysos]

I dislike smoking too, but I've never been bothered by other people being smokers since most people I know who have been smokers have done it discretely, or have done it elsewhere where the smoke isn't being blown into my face.

For places where lots of smokers hang out together I tend to just avoid these places.

I tried one once when in Greece. I was told to try one by a friend and didn't have a good enough excuse other than finding words to replace "I'm a wuss" for saying no. I only really put it to my mouth and such once, and then gave it back. I'd never do it again. It wasn't really a pleasant thing at all, and I knew that if I did give it a second shot I'd potentially find myself a smoker, and I certainly did not want that. The person passing it to me did not want that either, and he apologised because he really did not want me to start.

I'm very glad that smoking isn't allowed in many buildings now. Smokers complain, but we all need to breathe at some point. Outside is better. It would still be even better if people smoked away from doors so that there wasn't a curtain of smoke whenever anyone was to leave or enter a building. Still, it bothers me little. I rarely go to such places where so much smoke has the potential to gather, so it doesn't really affect my daily life. In my daily life smokers have their lives, and I have mine. Rarely do they mix, and if they do it is only briefly as I walk passed them.

 

[DaVinciLadyCheesepie]

i dont smome

LOL.


Mod Edit - Hey there. Since this is a post-count area, please could you add more content to your post? Perhaps state what your thoughts on other people smoking are.

 

[Lirael]

For some reason, smoking is one of few things I find it almost impossible to tolerate... I'm a very tolerable person, but I view smoking as a filthy habit, a wasteful habit, and an inconsiderate habit. Consequently, I find myself thinking less of people when I find out they smoke. I really wish I didn't 'cause I know smoking doesn't change a person, but it seems to an almost instinctual reaction...

I hate the culture that surrounds smoking. It seems to me to be linked to a sort of heirachy (smoke and you become part of an accepted 'cool' group), consumerism (it costs a lot and businesses make money at the expense of the customer's health), and glamour. I don't really admire any of those concepts...

I don't like social smoking at all... Firstly because people are swayed by peer pressure, but secondly because those who aren't swayed by pressure are left out. I know that smokers don't necessarily mean to leave non-smokers out of their group/s, but it's not easy to fit in when you're the only one not smoking. I don't like the idea of passive smoking either... I'd rather you didn't damage your own health, but if you're going to insist, please don't damage mine too.

Even though people can make one silly mistake and then get addicted, I'm not sure the number of people who claim they're addicted are... They smoke because they like it. If they WANTED to stop, they could. Smokers have told me this. My grandfather, for example, used to smoke, had one health scare, and decided from that day that he'd never smoke again. He hasn't. My friend Isaac smokes and says that he could quit if he really wanted, but he doesn't want to. A guy at Uni said the same...

 

[Espurr]

For some reason, smoking is one of few things I find it almost impossible to tolerate... I'm a very tolerable person, but I view smoking as a filthy habit, a wasteful habit, and an inconsiderate habit. Consequently, I find myself thinking less of people when I find out they smoke. I really wish I didn't 'cause I know smoking doesn't change a person, but it seems to an almost instinctual reaction...

I used to be this way I must admit but after seeing it so much I've mellowed out about this. Mind you I'm still not a big fan of smoking but as long as they take care of themselves properly and don't smoke around me I don't really care.

As for myself, I've never smoked before in my life. Never have and never will. The best way to stop is to not start so I plan on sticking to that saying until I die.

 

[Kandy-Sugar]

I don't like social smoking at all... Firstly because people are swayed by peer pressure, but secondly because those who aren't swayed by pressure are left out. I know that smokers don't necessarily mean to leave non-smokers out of their group/s, but it's not easy to fit in when you're the only one not smoking.

THIS!

I used to sit out with our different group of friends when we had drinks and such and now I'm like, I can't do this anymore. I'm the only one who doesn't smoke now that my best friend has taken up the habit after already quitting once before I met her.

It's hard sitting there amongst a thick cloud of smoke. I would usually stand up and move very far away from the group so I couldn't choke on the shitty smell anymore and then eventually I wasn't really interacting with them because I was so far away and just decided to go back inside. =/

I don't even bother going out anymore because I know what the end result will be. It's really not worth even going out for a little while because I get a headache from all the smoke and it's just annoying.

They all jump up at the same time once one person says they want a smoke and the whole freaking room clears out and I'm left sat there on my own and I hate that one person that stays behind because they feel sorry for me.

Jeez mate, don't feel sorry for me, I feel sorry for you. Bloody idiot.

It makes it hard to catch up with friends when they all need to have a bloody fag every 10 minutes.

 

[Marquis of Granby]

if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. as a wise person once said!

 

[Artemisia]

Being a singer, I'm very sensitive to smoke, if people are smoking around me I feel like I can't breathe. It's as though I can just feel their smoke going into my lungs and killing my alveoli...
My fiance' smokes and has tried several times to give it up without success. When he's trying to quit he's worse than a woman with permanent PMS, so I've given up on trying to make him stop because he just becomes intolerable.
I find smokers tend to be very intolerant towards those who don't partake in their habit. I'll be sitting at a table with people who know I don't smoke, and they won't make the slightest effort to turn their hand or blow out the other way. So I must just breathe in their filth? No, I cough and splutter and let them know they're being rude by smoking in my face. I think it's become so ingrained into our society that they've just completely forgotten the meaning of consideration.

 

[Marquis of Granby]

i dunno about where you live but in britain there's a smoking ban in public places such as restaurants and pubs etc. supposing you live in britain the only instance where you would be forced to inhale someone else's smoke is if you were in their house and they lit up. in which case deal with it or dont go to their house. if they are in your house tell them they have to go outside to smoke.

simples.

 

[Artemisia]

i dunno about where you live but in britain there's a smoking ban in public places such as restaurants and pubs etc. supposing you live in britain the only instance where you would be forced to inhale someone else's smoke is if you were in their house and they lit up. in which case deal with it or dont go to their house. if they are in your house tell them they have to go outside to smoke.

simples.

I don't live in Britain...
Where I live you can smoke in pubs and clubs, and smoking sections in restaurants. So when we go out to pubs/clubs there's smoke everywhere.