Smoking cigarettes is a weird habit. As a former smoker, I feel pretty comfortable saying cigarettes taste like shit. They’re extremely bitter, they make you feel sick, and it feels like your taste buds are being assaulted when you switch brands. All that being said, many of us simply can’t put these little death sticks down. Most smokers smoke more than a single cigarette per day, and a lot of people are willing to smoke a full pack in the 24 hours that they’re given each day.
When it comes down to why people smoke, there are a few theories that swirl around in pop culture. The central claims are that it’s addictive and that people do it to look cool. This always confused me, because most people don’t smoke cigarettes. Then I started smoking, and quickly learned the reasons why people smoke. It really comes down to two things, in my opinion: age of exposure and socializing.
Smokers tend to start young.
Weirdly enough, I began smoking at the age of 19 or 20 and quit at age 24 (great decision). This isn’t normal. People who smoke daily are more likely to have begun before the age of 15. The ages of 10 and 13 are noted to be “particularly sensitive” in the article I linked. Smoking is addictive, as has been established by many articles (along with all the older people in your life). Young people are especially susceptible to rewards, especially artificial ones like nicotine. I started smoking marijuana when I was very young, probably about 14. I smoked until I was 24 years old. When you start something young, the habit becomes entrenched, and you do it without thinking. I can understand how this would happen with weed, so I’m sure cigarette smokers go through it too.
Smoking is a habit that allows you to bide time, allowing it to become even more entrenched.
The reason I smoked for so long is because I was (and still am) a loner. There used to be nothing more fun for me than hanging out alone and smoking a cigarette or joint. The feeling of letting time pass as the smoke blows in your early 20s was indescribable. I listened to a lot of music and came to a lot of philosophical realizations during those solo smoke sessions. After COVID it felt too easy to be alone. If I had a weaker mind, I would not have achieved anything in these last three years. Smoking alone after I had completed every task was just the biggest joy.
Smoking is an easy way to build community.
It might sound weird, but smoking is actually quite a social activity. I remember my college days. I was a heavy smoker, and the people I met in the smoker’s pit ended up being some of the best friends I could ever ask for. While I certainly don’t miss those tumultuous days, I probably wouldn’t go back and change things on this front. The friends I made also quit smoking, and we’re all doing the best to create the lives of our dreams nowadays.
Smoking with random college people is an activity that I’ll always remember. I met so many different people, had fun hookups, and even got jobs based on the people I smoked with. Smoking is never worth it, but the community really did make it almost worth it. I wouldn’t want my kid vaping though. I don’t trust any new chemicals.
Should I quit smoking?
Absolutely. Unlike smoking weed, cigarettes have no psychoactive properties worth harming your lungs for. In addition, their non psychoactive properties make it so that cigarette smokers tend to smoke more than their pothead counterparts, because they don’t feel impaired. So pretty much if you’re a smoker, all you’re doing is destroying your health. It’s really not more complicated than that. The sooner the stop destroying your health, the less likely it is you die early. It only came to me at 24 years old that we only live once. That’s when I got tired of being a guy who’s at risk of ending up in the cancer ward. Make the right choice, before it’s too late.
Also. Smoking makes your teeth yellow!
By Rising Current on .
Exported from Medium on November 8, 2024.
